Strapping
Also called: banding, pallet strapping, strap
Strapping, also called banding, is a steel or plastic band tensioned and sealed around a load, often through or around the pallet, to hold heavy or rigid items together and to the pallet. The main materials are steel, polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP).
In depth: Pallet collar: hinged wooden frames that turn a pallet into a box
Strapping holds loads that stretch wrap cannot: heavy, rigid or sharp-edged items such as lumber, bricks, metal and machinery. It is also used to bundle stacks of empty pallets for shipping.
Materials
| Material | Typical use |
|---|---|
| Steel | Heaviest, rigid loads; metals, lumber; very low stretch |
| Polyester (PET) | Heavy loads where some give is useful; a common replacement for steel |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Light to medium loads, cartons, bundling |
Common widths run from about 1/2 in to 3/4 in (12 to 19 mm), with heavier steel straps wider. Strap strength and seal type come from the supplier's data sheet.
Why it matters for pallet design
- Strap slots: a strap passing under the top deck needs a path. Stringer pallets can have strap slots cut in the top of the stringers, and PDS analyzes strapping notches and slots in stringers since version 5.3.
- Edge crushing: tensioned straps crush corrugated edges and wood corners. Edge protectors spread the load.
- Deck openings: strapping through the deck openings (between deckboards) ties the load directly to the pallet.
On a spec sheet or RFQ
State the strap material and width, number and direction of straps, whether straps pass through the pallet, and any strap slots required in the stringers or blocks, with their size and location.
Common confusions
A strap slot is not a notch. Notches are fork openings cut in the bottom of a stringer; strap slots are smaller recesses for banding.
Related
- GlossaryStretch wrapStretch wrap is a thin, elastic plastic film, usually linear low-density polyethylene, wound tightly around a unit load under tension. It holds the cases together and to the pallet so the load stays stable in handling and transit.
- GlossaryEdge protectorAn edge protector, or corner board, is an L-shaped strip of laminated paperboard, plastic or other material placed on the vertical or top edges of a unit load. It spreads strapping and stretch wrap pressure, protects case corners, and can add vertical stacking strength.
- GlossaryUnit loadA unit load is a group of items, usually cases on a pallet or slip sheet, secured together so it can be stored and moved as a single unit by a forklift or pallet jack. It includes the pallet, the packaging, the stacking pattern and the stabilizers.
- GlossaryWhat is a pallet stringer?A stringer is the continuous beam that runs the full length of a stringer pallet between the top and bottom decks. Most 48 × 40 pallets use 3 stringers about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 in wide and 3-1/2 in (89 mm) tall.
- TypesPallet collar: hinged wooden frames that turn a pallet into a boxA pallet collar is a frame of four boards joined by metal hinges that sits on a pallet to form an open box. Collars stack to build height and fold flat when empty. The common European collar fits a 1200 × 800 mm pallet, is 200 mm (7.9 in) tall and has 4 or 6 galvanized hinges.
More in Handling and storage
- GlossaryAutomated storageAutomated storage, often called AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system), stores and retrieves pallets with stacker cranes, shuttles and conveyors instead of forklift drivers. It needs pallets with tight dimensional tolerances, low deflection (often 0.5 in, 13 mm, or less) and sound bottom decks.
- GlossaryBlock stackingBlock stacking is storing unit loads directly on top of one another on the warehouse floor, in rows and columns, with no racking. The bottom pallet and the packaging carry the whole stack, so static load and box compression strength limit the height.
- GlossaryConveyorA pallet conveyor moves loaded pallets on driven rollers or chains instead of a forklift. The pallet's bottom deck is the running surface, so the orientation of bottom boards, flatness, deflection and condition decide whether it runs reliably.
- GlossaryDrive-in rackA drive-in rack is high-density racking where the forklift drives into a lane and places pallets many deep on continuous rails along each side. The pallet is supported only along two edges, so its capacity across the unsupported direction governs.
- GlossaryFork tinesFork tines are the two steel arms on a forklift or pallet jack that slide into a pallet's openings to lift it. Their width, thickness, length and spacing set the minimum size of the pallet's openings and affect its dynamic load rating.
- GlossaryPallet dispenserA pallet dispenser is a machine that holds a stack of empty pallets and releases them one at a time, usually onto a conveyor feeding a palletizer. It needs pallets with consistent dimensions, flat decks and sound bottom boards.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 255 words.