Types of pallets

Wood pallets

A wooden pallet is a flat transport platform built from lumber deckboards fastened to stringers or blocks. In North America most are 48 × 40 in stringer pallets weighing about 30–70 lb (14–32 kg); in Europe the 1200 × 800 mm EPAL block pallet dominates. Wood must be ISPM 15 treated for most export.

• Stringer palletsA stringer pallet is a wooden pallet whose deckboards are nailed across two or more continuous beams called stringers, usually three on a 48 × 40 in pallet. It is 2-way entry, or partial 4-way when the stringers are notched. It is the most common and cheapest pallet design in North America.
• GMA pallet
• Skids
• Winged pallet
• Drum pallet
• Block palletsA block pallet is a wooden pallet whose deck sits on blocks, usually nine arranged 3 × 3, joined by stringerboards. The gaps between blocks give full 4-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. EUR/EPAL, CP and the pooled 48 × 40 in pallets of CHEP and PECO are all block pallets.
• Euro pallet (EPAL)
• CP pallets
• Perimeter base pallet
• New and recycled
• White wood pallets
• Recycled pallets
• Pallet grades
• Pooled pallets
• CHEP pallets
• PECO pallets

Plastic pallets

A 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.

• Nestable plastic palletA nestable plastic pallet has legs or feet, usually nine, that fit into the pallet below when empty, so stacked empties take little space. It is the lightest and cheapest plastic pallet, about 14–30 lb (6–14 kg) in 48 × 40 in, with 4-way entry. It is not rackable.
• Rackable plastic palletA rackable plastic pallet is designed to sit in open-beam racking with nothing underneath. It has runners (3, 5 or 6) or a perimeter or cruciform base, often with steel reinforcement. Racking ratings for 48 × 40 in models are typically about 1,500–4,400 lb, valid only at the tested span and orientation.
• Stackable plastic palletA stackable plastic pallet has a continuous bottom (runners or a perimeter frame) that spreads load onto the floor or the goods below, so loaded pallets can be block-stacked. It sits between nestable pallets (lighter, cheaper) and rackable pallets (reinforced for beams). Many are not rated for racking.
• Hygienic plastic palletA hygienic plastic pallet has a closed, smooth top deck and a closed bottom, with no hollow cavities where dirt, water or bacteria can collect. It is made from virgin HDPE or PP, designed to be washed, and used in food processing, meat, dairy, bakery and pharmaceutical plants.
• Plastic lumber palletA plastic lumber pallet is assembled from extruded plastic boards, usually HDPE, in the same stringer or block layouts as a wooden pallet and fastened with screws or nails. It needs no mold, so any size is possible in small quantities. It is ISPM 15 exempt, rot-proof and heavier than wood.

Metal pallets

Metal pallets are fabricated from carbon steel, stainless steel or aluminum, usually welded. They carry heavy or hot loads, last for years in returnable loops, do not burn and are exempt from ISPM 15. Carbon steel is the strongest and cheapest metal, stainless and aluminum resist corrosion, and aluminum is the lightest.

• Steel palletsA steel pallet is fabricated from carbon or stainless steel sheet, channel and tube, usually welded and hot-dip galvanized or powder coated. It carries heavy loads, lasts for years outdoors and in hot processes, does not burn and is ISPM 15 exempt. Steel pallets weigh roughly 50–150 lb (23–68 kg).
• Aluminum palletsAn aluminum pallet is a welded metal pallet, usually seal-welded so it can be washed and sanitised. It is lighter than steel, does not rust, is ISPM 15 exempt, and is used in food processing, pharmaceutical cleanrooms and hot or wet processes. It is among the most expensive pallet types.

Presswood pallets

A presswood pallet is a one-piece pallet molded from wood fibre and resin under heat and pressure. It has no nails, nests about 2.5:1 to 4:1, weighs roughly 25–35 lb (11–16 kg) in 48 × 40 class sizes and is ISPM 15 exempt as processed wood. It comes in fixed sizes and is not rackable.

Paper pallets

A paper pallet is made entirely from paper products: a corrugated or honeycomb paperboard deck on feet of paper tubes, honeycomb blocks or folded board. It is very light (from about 4 kg, 9 lb), recyclable and ISPM 15 exempt. Ratings reach about 750–1,000 kg, and humidity reduces strength.

Slip sheets

A slip sheet is a thin sheet of solid fiberboard, corrugated board or plastic used under a unit load instead of a pallet. A push-pull lift truck attachment grips its tab and pulls the load onto its platens. Sheets for a 40 × 48 in load are commonly 43 × 51 or 44 × 52 in with 3–4 in tabs.

Design features

• Two-way palletA two-way pallet is a pallet that forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from only two opposite sides. Most are stringer pallets with solid (unnotched) stringers, so the forks go in between the stringers at the ends. They are cheaper and keep full stringer strength, but they cost handling flexibility.
• Four-way palletA four-way pallet can be entered from all four sides. A partial 4-way pallet is a stringer pallet with notched stringers: forklifts enter all four sides, but pallet jacks only the two ends. A true (full) 4-way pallet is usually a block pallet, which forklifts and pallet jacks can enter from every side.
• Single-face palletA single-face pallet has only one deck: deckboards on top of the stringers or runners and nothing underneath. It is lighter and cheaper than a double-face pallet and suits one-way loads, machinery and crate bases, but it spreads load poorly onto the floor or the pallet below and is weak in racking across its width.
• Double-face palletA double-face pallet has a top deck and a bottom deck. Most are non-reversible: the bottom deck has fewer boards and only the top carries product. A reversible double-face pallet has two identical load-bearing decks. The bottom deck spreads load onto the floor or the load below and stiffens the pallet in racking.
• Reversible palletA reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so it can be loaded on either side. Flipping it spreads wear over two decks and removes the need to orient it. The trade-off is weight, cost and poor pallet-jack access, because the full bottom deck leaves no room for jack wheels.
• Flush palletA flush pallet is a pallet whose deckboards end exactly at the outside faces of the outer stringers or stringerboards, with no overhang. Almost all standard pallets, including GMA and EUR pallets, are flush. The alternative is a winged pallet, whose deckboards extend past the stringers.

By use

• Export palletsAn export pallet must meet ISPM 15 (heat-treated and marked wood, or an exempt material such as plastic, presswood, paper or metal), fit the container and the consignee's equipment, and usually be cheap enough to lose. Common choices are HT wood, 45 × 45 in or 1200 × 1000 mm footprints, and nestable plastic.
• Display palletsA display pallet is a small pallet that carries product straight onto a store floor as a ready-made display. North American sizes are the 48 × 20 in (1219 × 508 mm) half pallet and 24 × 20 in (610 × 508 mm) quarter pallet; in Europe, the 800 × 600 mm EPAL 6. Retailers set their own rules.
• Spill palletsA spill pallet is a platform with a grated deck over a sump that catches leaks from drums or IBCs stored on it. Common four-drum models hold about 66 gal (250 L) and carry about 5,000–6,000 lb; IBC models hold about 385–400 gal. Sump size follows rules such as EPA 40 CFR 264.175.
• Food grade pallets

Pallet containers

• Pallet boxesA pallet box is a bulk container with a pallet-sized base that forklifts and pallet jacks can handle: a wooden bin, a corrugated gaylord on a pallet, a collapsible plastic bulk container or a steel box pallet. The EPAL box pallet has a 1200 × 800 mm inner base, is 970 mm tall and carries 1,500 kg.
• Pallet collarsA 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.