If your loading bay sits at dock height and your vehicles do not, something has to bridge the gap. In UK warehouses that something is almost always a dockboard or a dockplate — two pieces of kit that look similar, cost very different amounts, and are absolutely not interchangeable. Put a pallet truck on a dockboard and you have simply overspent. Put a forklift on a dockplate and you have a serious accident waiting to happen.
This guide explains the difference in plain terms, shows the real capacities and height limits you should be sizing against, and gives you a five-question method for specifying the right unit first time.
Dockboard vs dockplate: the one-line difference
A dockplate is a lighter bridging plate for manual traffic — pallet trucks, sack trucks, roll cages and pedestrians. It has loop handles for two-person movement and no raised edges.
A dockboard is a heavier, reinforced plate for powered traffic — principally forklift trucks. It carries steel safety side curbs (painted red) to stop a wheel running off the edge, and it is built to a much higher capacity.
The rule of thumb every dock supervisor should know: if it has an engine, it needs a dockboard. If it is pushed or pulled by a person, a dockplate will normally do.
Capacity: the number that decides it
Capacity is not "the weight of the pallet". It is the combined weight of the load, the handling equipment and the operator. A 2-tonne pallet moved by a 3-tonne counterbalance forklift with a driver aboard is a five-tonne-plus problem, not a two-tonne one — and that is where most under-specification happens.
The Thorworld aluminium range we supply gives a clear picture of the two capacity bands:
| Type | Typical traffic | Capacity band | Side curbs | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dockplate | Pallet trucks, sack trucks, roll cages, foot traffic | 680 kg – 4,540 kg | No | Loop handles (or optional castor curbs) |
| Dockboard | Forklift trucks and other powered equipment | 2,730 kg – 6,360 kg | Yes — steel, painted red | Fork truck lifting handles recommended |
Note the overlap. A high-capacity dockplate can be rated above an entry-level dockboard, which is exactly why capacity alone should never be your only test. The presence of side curbs, and the way the unit is built to take the point loading of a powered wheel, matters just as much as the headline kilograms.
Height difference: the number most people get wrong
Every bridging plate has two height figures, and they are not the same thing:
- Maximum possible height difference — the geometric limit of the plate. On the Thorworld range this runs from about 130 mm to 230 mm depending on model and length.
- Maximum recommended height difference — the figure you should actually design around, typically 90 mm to 160 mm.
The gap between the two exists because gradient matters. The steeper the plate, the harder it is for a pallet truck to be pushed up it and the more likely a forklift is to ground out or shift its load. Specify against the recommended figure and measure your real worst case — an empty trailer sits noticeably higher than a fully laden one, so the height difference at your dock changes through the day.
Length, width and the BS EN 1398 engagement rule
Width should comfortably exceed the widest thing crossing it. On a dockboard, usable width between the curbs is the figure that counts — typically 1,270 mm or 1,420 mm on the models we supply, against an overall width of 1,370 mm to 1,830 mm. Measure your forklift across the mast, not the forks.
Length does two jobs: it sets the gradient, and it determines how much plate ends up inside the vehicle. Thorworld plates have a bend point 230 mm in from the end, which is designed for compliance with BS EN 1398:2009 — the standard for dock levellers, which calls for a minimum of 100 mm engagement onto the vehicle bed. Where you are accessing vehicles below dock height, the majority of the plate must sit inside the vehicle.
Both dockplates and dockboards are supplied with a pair of locking legs that locate between vehicle and dock to prevent the unit shifting in use. Where an unusually large gap exists — 150 mm or more — an additional set of fixed span locking legs (FSL-1) is available.
What about a dock leveller?
A dock leveller is a different animal: a permanently installed, usually hydraulic platform built into the dock structure, adjusting automatically to each vehicle. It suits high-frequency, high-volume docks and it is a construction project, not a purchase you make on a Tuesday.
Dockplates and dockboards are the stand-alone alternative. They require no installation, cause no disruption to an existing dock, can be moved between bays, and cost a fraction of a fitted leveller. For most SME warehouses running a handful of vehicles a day, that is the right economics. We supply the portable equipment — we do not supply fitted pit levellers, so if your volumes genuinely justify one, a dock construction specialist is the right call.
Weight, handling and moving the unit
Bridging plates get heavy fast. A dockplate is expected to be handled by a minimum of two people below 40 kg; beyond that, lifting facilities such as the fork truck lifting handles (FTH-1) should be used. Dockboards, which start around 52 kg and climb from there, should have lifting handles as standard practice. Where a unit is moved frequently, side curbs with castors (SCC-2) convert a dockplate into something one person can reposition — the standard loop handles are removed in that configuration.
All the units are manufactured from high tensile aluminium with a built-in treadplate antislip finish, crowned and bevelled so wheels roll on and off smoothly. Cheap, lower-grade aluminium imitations exist; on a plate carrying a laden forklift, material grade is not the place to save money.
How to choose: five questions
- What crosses it? Powered equipment means a dockboard. Manual equipment means a dockplate is usually sufficient.
- What is the true combined weight? Load plus truck plus operator — then specify above that, not at it.
- What is your worst-case height difference? Measure the empty trailer, not the laden one, and work to the recommended rather than the maximum figure.
- How wide is the widest unit crossing? Compare against usable width between curbs, not overall plate width.
- Who moves it, and how often? That decides whether you need lifting handles, castor curbs, or a unit that simply stays put.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a dock board and a dock plate?
A dock board is a heavier-duty bridging plate with steel safety side curbs, built for forklift trucks and other powered equipment. A dock plate is a lighter plate without curbs, intended for pallet trucks, sack trucks, roll cages and pedestrian traffic. Dock boards are typically rated from around 2,730 kg upwards; dock plates start considerably lower.
When should dock plates be used?
Use a dock plate where the traffic crossing it is manually propelled — hand pallet trucks, sack trucks, roll cages, foot traffic — and the height difference between dock and vehicle bed is within the manufacturer's recommended limit. Do not use a dock plate for forklift traffic.
Can a forklift drive over a dockplate?
No. Forklifts and other powered equipment require a dockboard with side curbs and the appropriate capacity rating. The curbs are a safety feature that stops a wheel running off the edge of the plate, and the construction is designed for the point loading a powered wheel applies.
Do I need a dockboard if my container sits at ground level?
No — a ground-level container needs a container access ramp, which bridges the 150 mm container floor height from the yard surface. Dockboards and dockplates bridge from a raised dock to a vehicle bed. See our container access ramp guide for that scenario.
What standard applies to dock plates and dock boards?
BS EN 1398:2009 is the relevant European standard for dock levellers, and it calls for a minimum of 100 mm engagement onto the vehicle bed. Thorworld plates are built with a bend point 230 mm in from the end for compliance with that requirement. As always, this is a summary rather than legal advice — your risk assessment and safe system of work remain your responsibility under PUWER.
Dock loading equipment from KC Supply
We supply the full Thorworld loading bay range, manufactured in Chesterfield, UK. Browse dockboards and dockplates, the wider loading bay and dock equipment range including dock bumpers, wheel chocks, dock lights and trailer safety supports, or the complete Thorworld collection. If you are loading pallets by hand across the plate, our pallet trucks are the natural companion.
Further reading: loading bay safety — wheel chocks, dock bumpers and lights and loading bay equipment when you don't have a dock.