In the world of logistics and supply chain management, pallets play a crucial role in the safe and efficient transportation and storage of goods. Pallets come in various types and materials to cater to the diverse needs of businesses across industries.

In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss the different types of pallets, their materials, and their suitability for various applications.

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Pallets
• Types of Pallets
  • Stringer Pallets
  • Block Pallets
  • Euro Pallets
  • Double-Face Pallets
  • Double-Wing Pallets
  • Solid Deck Pallets
• Pallet Materials
  • Wooden Pallets
  • Plastic Pallets
  • Metal Pallets
  • Corrugated Pallets
  • Composite Pallets
• Factors to Consider When Choosing a Pallet
• Conclusion

Introduction to Pallets

A pallet is a flat, portable platform used to stack, store and transport goods. Pallets are designed to be easily loaded and unloaded by forklifts, pallet jacks or other material handling equipment. They enable efficient handling and storage of goods by providing a stable base for stacking items, thus streamlining operations and reducing the risk of damage.

Types of Pallets

There are numerous pallet designs available, each serving a specific purpose based on the requirements of the industry and the goods being transported. Below are some of the most common pallet types:

Stringer Pallets

Stringer pallets are the most widely used pallet type, featuring three parallel pieces of timber (called “stringers”) that support the deck boards on top. The stringers run the length of the pallet, providing support and enabling forklift access from the sides. These pallets can be two-way or four-way, depending on the notches cut into the stringers. Two-way stringer pallets allow forklift access only from the front and the back, while four-way stringer pallets have additional notches that permit access from all four sides.

Block Pallets

Block pallets are designed with nine cylindrical blocks supporting the top and bottom deck boards. These blocks, typically made of wood or plastic, provide additional support and allow for four-way forklift access. Block pallets are considered more durable and versatile than stringer pallets, as they can be maneuvered from any side and can accommodate a variety of load sizes.

Euro Pallets

Euro pallets, also known as EUR pallets, are a standardized pallet type widely used across Europe. They have specific dimensions (1200mm x 800mm) and are regulated by the European Pallet Association (EPAL). Euro pallets are predominantly made of wood and are designed with 78 nails to hold the structure together. These pallets are highly durable and can carry a load of up to 1500 kg.

Double-Face Pallets

Double-face pallets feature deck boards on both the top and bottom surfaces. This design provides extra strength and rigidity, making them suitable for heavy loads and long-distance transportation. These pallets can be either reversible or non-reversible. Reversible double-face pallets can be used with either side facing up, while non-reversible double-face pallets have a specific top and bottom surface.

Double-Wing Pallets

Double-wing pallets have deck boards that extend beyond the stringers or blocks on both the top and bottom surfaces. These wings provide additional support and stability for the goods. Double-wing pallets are commonly used in industries with unique load requirements, such as automotive and electronics.

Solid Deck Pallets

Solid deck pallets are designed with a single, continuous surface rather than individual deck boards. These pallets offer better protection for sensitive or fragile goods and are easy to clean, making them ideal for industries with strict hygiene requirements, such as food and pharmaceuticals.

Pallet Materials

Pallets can be made from various materials, each offering different benefits and drawbacks. The choice of material depends on factors like the intended application, weight capacity, durability, and budget.

Wooden Pallets

Wooden pallets are the most common type of pallet, known for their versatility and relatively low cost. They are typically made from hardwood or softwood and can be easily repaired or recycled. Wooden pallets are suitable for a wide range of applications but may not be ideal for industries with strict hygiene standards due to their porous nature and susceptibility to moisture, insects, and mold.

Plastic Pallets

Plastic pallets are lightweight, durable, and resistant to moisture, chemicals, and pests. They are easy to clean and can be repeatedly reused, making them suitable for industries with strict hygiene requirements. However, plastic pallets are more expensive than wooden pallets and cannot be easily repaired or recycled.

Metal Pallets

Metal pallets, usually made of steel or aluminum, are highly durable and can support heavy loads. They are resistant to corrosion, pests, and chemicals, making them ideal for outdoor storage or harsh environments. Metal pallets are also easy to clean but may be expensive, heavy, and less flexible compared to other pallet materials.

Corrugated Pallets

Corrugated pallets are made from layers of corrugated cardboard or fiberboard, providing a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to traditional pallet materials. They are suitable for single-use or limited reuse applications and are often used for air freight due to their low weight. Corrugated pallets are recyclable but may not be suitable for heavy loads or environments with moisture and humidity.

Composite Pallets

Composite pallets are made from a blend of materials, such as wood fibers and resin, to create a strong and lightweight structure. These pallets offer a balance between the durability of metal pallets and the affordability of wooden pallets. Composite pallets can be custom-designed for specific applications and are often used in industries that require a high strength-to-weight ratio, such as aerospace and automotive.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Pallet

When selecting the right pallet for your business, it’s essential to consider several factors to ensure optimal performance and cost-effectiveness. These factors include:

1. Load Capacity: Consider the weight and dimensions of the goods being transported or stored. Choose a pallet with a suitable load capacity to ensure the safe and efficient handling of your products.
2. Material: Select a pallet material that suits your industry and application requirements. Consider factors such as durability, weight, cost, hygiene, and recyclability when choosing the pallet material.
3. Forklift Access: Ensure that the pallet design allows for easy access and handling by your material handling equipment, such as forklifts or pallet jacks.
4. Industry Standards and Regulations: Adhere to any specific industry standards or regulations related to pallet use, such as the standardized dimensions for Euro pallets or the hygiene requirements for food and pharmaceutical industries.
5. Environmental Impact: Consider the environmental impact of your pallet choice, including its recyclability, the sustainability of the materials used, and the energy required to manufacture and transport the pallets.
6. Budget: Factor in the initial cost of the pallets, as well as any ongoing costs related to maintenance, repair, or replacement.

Conclusion

Pallets are an essential component of modern logistics and supply chain management, providing a stable base for transporting and storing goods. Understanding the different types of pallets and their materials can help businesses make informed decisions when selecting the right pallet for their specific needs.

In this guide, we discussed various pallet types, including stringer pallets, block pallets, Euro pallets, double-face pallets, double-wing pallets, and solid deck pallets. We also explored the common materials used to construct pallets, such as wood, plastic, metal, corrugated, and composite materials.

When choosing a pallet, it’s crucial to consider factors such as load capacity, material, forklift access, industry standards and regulations, environmental impact, and budget. By selecting the right pallet for your business, you can optimize efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure the safe transportation and storage of your goods.

Loading docks, regardless of the setting, are dangerous because they’re typically busy most of the time.

In fact, the # 1 cause of ¼ of all warehouse injuries results from a busy loading dock area combined with human error. For this reason, it’s extremely important to practice safety protocol when working on or near a busy loading dock.

Here are 8 crucial loading dock safety tips to follow to ensure your safety as well as others around you.

Top Eight Loading Dock Safety Tips

#1. Properly train employees

It all starts with properly trained employees. If all employees are properly trained, it cuts back on accidents due to a lack of knowledge. Training employees on the proper use of PPE and other safety procedures is the best way to reduce work-related injuries that could otherwise occur when not properly trained.

#2. Wear your PPE at all times

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a basic protocol. It’s often inconvenient to employees but is extremely important since it reduces the risk of injury. PPE includes protective eyewear (safety glasses), high visibility vests, gloves, hardhats, and other protective equipment.

#3. ALWAYS keep area clean and dry

A dry and clean area is vital for a safe work environment since slip and falls are often caused by a dirty or wet work environment. When there is nothing to slip or trip over, it reduces the chances of work-related injuries on or near loading docs.

#4. Inspect equipment regularly

Regularly scheduled inspections on equipment are important to ensure there are no malfunctions or problems with working equipment. If not properly maintained, equipment such as pallet jacks, forklifts, and other loading equipment could seriously injure or kill workers. That’s why this is one of the most important precautions to take.

#5. Follow standard procedure

It’s important to make sure you and everyone on your team is practicing proper safety procedures because this reduces the chance of unnecessary accidents that could have been prevented.

#6. Turn off vehicles, not in use

Gas emissions are a huge, invisible risk to workers which can be easily avoided by simply turning the vehicle off when not in use.

#7. Establish safety zones

Marking off safety zones with high visibility tape is the best way to establish safety zones for hazardous areas. This shows everyone where not to go or where to be especially careful to ensure safety. Places that should be marked include blind spots where collisions are likely, as well as electrical panels.

#8. Use dock plates and levelers correctly

You should always check load plates for wear and corrosion prior to use each time. When doing so, make sure the plates being used are suitable for the combined weight of the cargo, lifting machine, and workers so there are no unforeseen problems. Proper use of the dock plates which fill the gap and the levelers that smooth out the lift is crucial for dock safety.

Stay Safe!

As you can see, the most important thing to remember while working near a busy loading dock area is to stay safe. If you follow these safety tips and you shouldn’t have any problems following through with that.

Are you someone who gets enthralled by being creative and making your own furniture? In this article, I will be talking about wooden pallets and how you can use them to make your own furniture. Since wooden pallets are not only strong and reliable but also cheap, they make the ideal source when it comes to crafting furniture for your house. A really simple and easy way to use them is by stacking a couple on top of one another, nailing them together and then placing glass on top which gives you a nice and simple table. Making a bed is also a simple task, just place the pallets side by side until you get the length you desire, nail them together so they are secure, then just place pillows or mattress material and you have yourself a bed.

If you are a craftsman, the wooden pallet can be a source for several home projects. You can place them in your garden or even paint them and use them around the house as a simple decoration. Either way, a nicely painted pallet can make your house look awesome and give it more character. You should easily be able to find wooden pallets near your home really cheap or for free if you’re lucky. Your best option is to ask nearby pet stores, general stores and furniture stores. These types of stores usually get their deliveries on pallets and just discard them after they finish with them. Some stores will give them away for free since they are usually required to pay to have them removed.

The world relies on pallets for the transportation of goods. The items are rather straight forward and, often times, people don’t pay too much attention to the pallets. After all, it is often inexpensive wood constructed together in order to hold shipping containers steady and to make sure it is not touching the ground (in order to avoid dampness, should moisture and water be present). Once a shipment is complete, the pallets are discarded and, almost always, just left in stacks behind a place of business receiving the goods. This is just a waste of good, quality material sitting around, waiting to be used. It is also how Tropical Pallets out of Miami had made a business out of collecting these pallets and refurbishing the material in order to help not only recycle the wood, but return the pallets to use. It is a method that has created jobs in the southern Florida hotbed for shipping while also helping able to prevent tens of thousands of pounds of discarded wood end up in landfills or even out in the ocean.

The owners of Tropical Pallets saw the potential to break into the shipping industry when noticing all of the shipping recipient companies storing the pallets on the exterior of their buildings. When asked what these pallets would end up, recipients would say they would either allow individuals to pick up and use what they needed, or they would just go and discard the wood in the recycling or trash. Typically though, these pallets would just sit out, exposed to the elements and deteriorate.

Tropical Pallets saw the potential to take trash and transform it into something worth while for the shipping industry. Now, it is recycling pallets and helping companies save money while shipping the goods to locations around the world.

A unique little house designed and built by three university students and constructed out of wooden pallets withstood category-three winds, ranging from 111 to 129 mph, from Tropical Cyclone Marcia’s that battered Rockhampton, Australia in February. In fact, the little house faired so well in the storm that it could serve to become a prototype for temporary emergency shelters in disaster-struck regions.

Recycling isn’t always a heavy industrial process of breaking down old object to reuse the material in them for new products. Sometimes, it can be a labor of art, as Kalamazoo native artist Adam Cefai proves. Adam has built a reputation for himself as an artist by creating geographical representations of the Great Lakes and their surrounding states in the medium of jointed pallet boards. His latest creation is an amazingly accurate cutout of the state of Michigan, surrounded by the lakes.

Adam’s pieces of artwork begin from a simple concept: that of using recycled material to produce something entirely new. All of his cutouts are made from boards harvested from pallets he finds in his area. Generally, he finds pallets that are being given away and that would wind up in landfills if not used. In this sense, Adam is reducing waste, one piece of art at a time.

His inspiration for this line of art was a post he came across online of someone else doing something very similar, but using new material instead of recycled. Realizing that the same thing could be achieved by culling specific boards from pallets, Adam went to work with his jigsaw and produced the first of many cutouts. Spurred on by support from social media groups he posted pictures to, he also began creating his Great Lakes cutouts to sell to interested parties across the country. He now treats his art as his own small business, selling his pieces for good prices to buyers who love both his craftsmanship and his environmentally conscious method.

The popularity of Adam and his artwork seems only to be increasing with time, and he has branched out to doing cutout pieces of other geographical features for customers who request them. His art teaches the fine lesson that recycling is more important, and sometimes more aesthetic, than one might think.

Purchasing new furniture can be expensive, time consuming, and doesn’t always fit with current decor styles. For those that don’t have the time or budget to shop for new pieces of furniture that can end up costing thousands for quality furniture, consider making your own with recycled pallets. Recycled pallets are not only cost effective, but allow for uniquely customized pieces that fit perfectly with existing furniture, and present room decor.

Everything from living room tables, chairs, grills, outdoor planter containers, to beautiful rustic wood floors, customized entertainment stands, and eye-catching shelves, can be made at little or no cost. The best part about making wooden pallet furniture is creators will find an endless supply of building materials. The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association report more than 1.5 pallets per day are used to transport goods in the United States. After transport those pallets are often not reused and end up discarded or being used in recycling.

In an age of recycling and innovation pallet furniture makers will find an endless supply of ideas at such websites as Pinterest, 99 Pallets, 101 Pallet Plans or 1001 Pallets. Pinterest alone will display beautiful results of pallet projects, such as kitchen cabinets, garden paths, and wall gardens. Facebook pages for 1001 pallets, and 101 Pallets will unveil projects, such as children’s desks, tool racks, consoles, and even bed frames.

Dr. Alex Yergiyev, pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, began making pallet furniture after finding instructions for a buffet table online. He kept the buffet, but has made a hobby and business out of making wine racks, and tables, which he sells for $50, and $150.

Third grade teacher Donna Zang also has a thriving online furniture business using recycled pallets. She makes a variety of products including wine racks, towel holders, and a variety of frames and tables. Her prices range from $15-$250 depending on the product. She initially put a few products online and had ten orders in 12 hours.

Once pallets have been found they have to be taken apart, and the slates sanded and cleaned for reuse. Most pallets are heat treated, which makes them perfect for reuse. When attempting to use old pallets, however, keep in mind older pallets may not always be safe for reuse. They were sometimes treated with formaldehyde, so never use questionable pallets. One of the best parts about building pallet furniture is all it takes is a few clicks of the mouse button for custom made designs and thriving hobbies.

Warehouses use a copious amount of pallets everyday. These wooden pallets are durable, however, they won’t last a lifetime. Someday they will become warped and too weak to be used. Many pallets are only used just one time and then disposed of. This is such a waste of good wood that can be used elsewhere. Too many wooden pallets end up in a landfill. These pallets are still useful in many ways.That’s when it’s a smart idea to consider having these pallets recycled.

The best use for these old wooden pallets is as fire wood. With the holidays coming up so soon, wood will be needed even more to heat fireplaces and keep everyone warm and cozy.

It’s not always necessary to cut down perfectly good trees when there are so many wooden pallets available to be recycled. Too many trees are wasted in this manner. Recycling the wooden pallets is much better than just disposing of them. It is good for the environment, and keeps the trees in the forests where they belong. Wooden pallets are not biodegradable and with the world thinking more about being green, recycling the pallets is a wonderful example of caring for the environment.

One place that is really involved in this recycling project is Denver, Colorado. PalletFest is held in October. It focuses on recycling wooden pallets. This unique festival offers live music, a pallet maze, food and drink, an up-cycled fashion shop, and many more exciting activities. PalletFest is held to get people excited about recycling wooden pallets and have them be used in a creative manner.

October is the perfect time of the year to have a PalletFest. The weather is getting a nip in the air. The wooden pallets are available to take home and be used as fire wood on those cold, snowy evenings in front of the fireplace. Just imagine sitting there with a delicious glass of wine, or a nice, warm hot chocolate to take the chill out of those bones. No one really cares what kind of wood is in the fireplace; as long as it warms up the atmosphere in a cozy way.

Improvements to PDS™ brands this application or software tool ‘A Treasure’. It is even more valuable because it allows various companies to share certain information regarding unit loads with their customers. PDSTM is designed, developed and owned by the National Wooden Pallets & Container Association (NWPCA).

According to the latest statistics, one of the best methods to convey the right solution to all PDSTM software customers is to basically design them. They can be designed on a 3d design platform for better clarity. The PDSTM was the first software, application or program that exists in the marketplace and has widely become a respected platform as per the industrial standards.

PDS version 5.1 which was successfully launched during the summer is the latest updated version of the software. It contains a new Integrated Program known as ‘LoadSync’. LoadSync works concurrently with the PDSTM software to allow end users scrutinize their unit load handling requirements. The requirements are then saved to a data file and later sent via email to the manufacturer.

The PDS application incorporates various uses and functions. For example, if there is a shortage of hardwoods, but there is the availability of green pine, the company can analyze the stacking, racking, and load systems to figure out if the alternative material will accomplish various customers’ needs.

Bearing in mind that there are very many variables that get into a design, the system does better evaluating all of them. The newest PDS 5.1 version allows companies to run schematics and analysis of the pallets then printing it out while getting a sign-off from the relevant customer. The company is able to integrate it into the PalMate system and into their production processes.

The PDS application will always show that a change in packaging will put substantial weight and pressure on the deck boards, instead of the stringer. Using this software, the customer is able to know how the bags affect the pallet strength while coming up with a precise solution. The application also goes an extra mile to incorporate various safety measures into its dominant designs.