Injection molding (plastic pallets)
Also called: injection moulding, injection-molded pallet
Injection molding forces molten plastic into a closed steel mold under high pressure. It produces most catalog plastic pallets with tight dimensions and fast cycles, but a new pallet mold only pays off at very high volumes.
In depth: Plastic pallets: types, materials, load ratings and how to buy them
In injection molding, HDPE or polypropylene is melted and injected into a large steel mold, cooled and ejected as a finished pallet or pallet half. It is the process behind most nestable and rackable catalog pallets.
Compared with other pallet processes
| Process | Tooling cost | Volume where it makes sense | Custom design realistic? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injection molding | Highest | Very high | Rarely |
| Structural foam | High | High | Rarely |
| Thermoforming | Low to medium | Hundreds to tens of thousands | Yes |
| Rotational molding | Lowest | Low | Yes |
| Extruded plastic lumber | None | Tens and up | Yes |
One processor states that custom injection-molded pallets usually need orders above 50,000 units. No reliable public figure exists for a pallet mold's cost, but large molds generally cost well into six figures.
Why it matters
Injection-molded pallets are consistent, have good fork-impact resistance and suit automation. Because the mold fixes the design, buyers choose from catalogs and customize only color, branding, RFID tags, anti-slip inserts, reinforcement and resin. A request for "a custom plastic pallet" is almost always answered with an existing model or a different process.
On a spec sheet
Name a reference model ("or equal") or describe the requirement: footprint, height, deck (open or closed), base (nine-leg, runners, perimeter), entry, loads and temperature. See the plastic pallet buying guide.
Related
- GlossaryStructural foam molding (plastic pallets)Structural foam molding is a low-pressure injection process in which a gas or blowing agent foams the plastic core while a solid skin forms against the mold. It makes thick, rigid, heavy-duty plastic pallets.
- GlossaryThermoforming (plastic pallets)Thermoforming heats a plastic sheet and pulls it over a mold with vacuum or pressure. Single-sheet thermoformed pallets are light and nestable; twin-sheet pallets fuse two formed sheets into a stiffer, hollow structure.
- GlossaryRotational molding (plastic pallets)Rotational molding (rotomolding) makes hollow, one-piece plastic parts by rotating a heated mold filled with powdered resin. Rotomolded pallets are thick-walled and durable, with cheap tooling but slow cycles and a high piece price.
- TypesPlastic pallets: types, materials, load ratings and how to buy themA plastic pallet is a molded or fabricated pallet made from HDPE or polypropylene. Types range from light nestable pallets (about 14–30 lb) to reinforced rackable pallets (about 35–70 lb). They are washable, ISPM 15 exempt and long-lived, cost several times more than wood, and carry three separate load ratings.
- GuidesPlastic pallet buying guide: styles, resins, ratings and costChoose a plastic pallet by how it is handled and stored: nestable for cheap one-way use, stackable for floor stacking, rackable for open-beam racking. Compare static, dynamic and racking ratings only when the test standard and support match. New US prices run about $40–200 (2026 estimates).
More in Materials
- GlossaryBark (on pallet lumber)Bark is the outer layer of a tree trunk. ISPM 15 requires wood packaging to be made from debarked wood, allowing only small remnants: pieces under 3 cm wide of any length, or wider pieces with a surface area under 50 cm².
- GlossaryCant (pallet lumber)A cant is a log that has been sawn flat on two or four sides. In the pallet industry it usually means the low-grade center of a hardwood log, left after grade lumber is cut from the outside, which is resawn into pallet parts.
- GlossaryComposite block (pallet)A composite block is a pallet block made from wood chips, particles or fibers bonded with resin under heat and pressure. It does not split like solid wood and, as processed wood, is exempt from ISPM 15 on its own.
- GlossaryCorrugated fiberboard (pallets and slip sheets)Corrugated fiberboard is a board made of a fluted paper medium glued between flat paper liners. It is used for boxes, and in pallet work for corrugated paper pallets, slip sheets, tier sheets and pallet runners.
- GlossaryCut stock (pallet components)Cut stock is lumber already sawn to the finished thickness, width and length of pallet parts, such as 5/8 × 3-1/2 × 40 in deckboards, ready for nailing. It is also called pallet stock or shook.
- GlossaryDouglas-fir (pallet lumber)Douglas-fir is a dense, strong softwood from western North America, also grown in Europe. It is species class 11 (Douglas-fir–larch) in the Uniform Standard and PDS, and class 33 in the European species list.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 241 words.