Pallet design software compared: PDS, Best Pallet and pallet.design

Pallet design software falls into two groups. Engineering tools, used mostly by pallet manufacturers, analyze how much load a design can carry. Buyer tools help you describe the pallet you want, draw it and get it priced. The three programs below are the ones most often compared. This page states what each does, based on the vendors' published information as of September 2026.

#Comparison table

#PDS (Pallet Design System)

The Pallet Design System is the long-established engineering tool for wood pallets. It was developed from 1980 with Virginia Tech and the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, and version 1.0 was released in 1984. It is now published by Woodpack Global, the association formerly called the NWPCA, and is actively maintained.

What it does well. PDS estimates the load a wood pallet can carry under different support conditions (racked across the length or width, floor stacked, on fork tines), with deflection and creep, and produces spec sheets and dimensioned drawings. Its reports are recognized by retailers: Costco's pallet policy requires a PDS report, for example. See Costco pallet requirements.

Limits. It runs on Windows only. Woodpack Global's published lease price is $2,000 a year for a single installation for members and $5,250 for non-members, with server and unlimited licenses priced higher; check the current price list before budgeting. It is built for manufacturers, and training courses are offered to learn it.

Choose it if you manufacture pallets, need to certify designs for retail programs, or engineer pallets in-house at volume.

#Best Pallet and Best Load

Best Pallet and Best Load are from White & Company, founded by Dr. Marshall White, a retired Virginia Tech professor who led the original PDS project.

What they do. Best Pallet designs and analyzes stringer and block wood pallets, calculates a maximum safe load, and prints designs and quotes for customers. Best Load models how packaging, pallets and handling or storage equipment interact as a unit load.

Limits. Pricing is not published. Like PDS, the tools are aimed at pallet makers and packaging professionals rather than occasional buyers.

Choose them if you design pallets professionally and want unit-load modeling alongside pallet analysis.

#pallet.design

pallet.design is a free pallet design app and quote service for buyers. It runs in any modern browser with no install or account.

What it does.

• Models wood stringer and block pallets board by board, including notches, wings, skids and plastic lumber, plus plastic, metal, presswood, paper pallets and slip sheets.
• Generates an ANSI B engineering drawing with four views, an isometric view, a parts list and a title block. See The drawing sheet.
• Calculates board feet, an estimated weight and fastener counts. See Parts list and board feet.
• Checks designs against geometry rules and Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets guidance, such as notch geometry and nail penetration. See Design checks.
• Shares a design as a link, with nothing stored on our servers.
• Requests a quote: we price the design with vetted partner shops and reply within 2 business days. See Custom pallets.

What it does not do.

• No structural load analysis. It does not calculate static, dynamic or racking capacity or deflection. Ratings come from the manufacturer that builds the pallet. If you need a PDS report or a load test, request it with the quote and it is included.
• No CAD file export (DXF, DWG or STEP) at present.
• No stacking-pattern or truck-load optimization for your cartons. The pallets per truck and cases per pallet calculators cover simple cases.
• No saved projects or accounts. Designs live in share links and your browser.

Choose it if you buy pallets and want to specify exactly what you need, get a drawing any supplier can build from, and get a price without phoning around.

#Pallet builders and pallet calculators

People searching for a "pallet builder" or "pallet calculator" usually want one of three things:

Other desktop tools sold to manufacturers include PalDraw (PalMate) and PallPro (Storti), which focus on drawing, bills of materials and production rather than load analysis.

#How the tools fit together

The programs are not exclusive. A common path is to specify and draw the pallet in pallet.design, request a quote, and have the manufacturer run PDS when a certified rating is required. For how ratings work and why a single capacity number is misleading, read Pallet load capacity.