Most pallet decisions come down to a relatively small number of questions. What size does the pallet need to be? How will forklifts, pallet jacks or automated equipment handle it? What kind of load will it carry, and how will that load be stored? Will the pallet be shipped away after one trip, recovered for reuse or managed as part of a pool?
This page provides an introduction to those fundamentals, including pallet construction, entry types, common sizes, unit-load considerations, cost and basic selection. Readers looking for ISO, ANSI, EPAL, CP, Woodpack Global/NWPCA and other pallet standards can go directly to the companion Pallet Standards & Specifications page.
Jump to: What Is a Pallet? | How Pallets Are Built | Pallet Types and Entry | Standard Pallet Sizes | Pallets and the Unit Load | Pallet Cost | Choosing a Pallet | Safety & Handling
1. What Is a Pallet?
A pallet is a portable platform used as the base for assembling, storing, handling and transporting goods as a unit load. By raising the load above floor level and providing openings for material-handling equipment, pallets allow quantities of product to be moved at once rather than handled case by case or piece by piece.
Most pallets have a top deck that supports the load, stringers or blocks that create clearance for handling equipment, and some form of bottom deck. A skid is similar but lacks the bottom deck normally associated with a pallet.
Pallets can be handled by forklifts and pallet jacks as well as conveyors, automated guided vehicles, autonomous mobile robots and other automated systems. Their usefulness is closely tied to the development of mechanized materials handling: once products could be assembled into unit loads, loading, unloading and warehouse movement became dramatically faster.
Introductory reading:
2. How Pallets Are Built
Pallet construction varies considerably, but two basic structural designs account for much of the market.
Stringer pallets use parallel structural members running between the top and bottom of the pallet. They remain common in North America. An unnotched stringer pallet normally provides two-way forklift entry, while notched stringers allow forklifts to enter from the sides as well.
Block pallets use individual blocks between the top and bottom deck components. This arrangement usually provides true four-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. Block pallets are widely used in pallet pools and European supply chains, and are increasingly important where handling flexibility and automation compatibility are priorities.
A conventional wood stringer pallet typically consists of top deckboards, stringers and bottom deckboards fastened together with nails or other fasteners. A wood block pallet adds stringer boards to the top mat and uses blocks as its principal vertical members. Plastic pallets may be molded as one piece or assembled from multiple components, while presswood, corrugated and metal pallets use quite different construction methods.
The important point for a buyer is that pallets with the same outside dimensions are not necessarily equivalent. Component dimensions, materials, fasteners, bottom-deck configuration and construction quality can all affect how a pallet performs.
3. Pallet Types and Entry
Entry type describes how material-handling equipment can approach and lift the pallet.
- Two-way entry: forklift access is normally limited to two opposite ends.
- Partial four-way entry: notched stringers allow forklifts to enter from all four sides, although pallet jack access from the sides may be restricted.
- Full four-way entry: forklifts and pallet jacks can generally enter from any side. Block pallets are the most familiar example.
Entry configuration matters because warehouses are not always forgiving places. Trailer loading, narrow aisles, pallet flow systems and automated equipment can all impose handling requirements that make one pallet design substantially more practical than another.
For a more detailed explanation, see Types of Pallets: Definitions, Materials, Sizes & Common Uses.
4. Standard Pallet Sizes
Pallet size influences far more than the pallet itself. Warehouse racking, trailers, containers, conveyors, production lines, packaging dimensions and automated handling equipment are often designed around expected pallet footprints.
The 48 × 40-inch pallet dominates many North American grocery, food, beverage and consumer-product supply chains. The 1200 × 800-mm EUR/EPAL footprint is widely used in Europe, while 1200 × 1000 mm is common in European and Asian manufacturing and other international applications. Other standard and industry-specific footprints are also widely used.
Using an established size can make it easier to source pallets, exchange or recover them, fit existing warehouse infrastructure and obtain value from used pallets after unloading. A custom footprint may still make sense when the product or handling system demands it.
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A standard size should not be confused with a complete pallet specification. Two 48 × 40-inch pallets can differ markedly in construction and performance. Dimensions are only one part of standardization; construction requirements, load performance, testing, repair rules and interchangeability are addressed in more detail in Pallet Standards & Specifications.
5. Pallets and the Unit Load
The pallet should not be considered separately from the product it carries. Pallet, packaging and load containment work together as a unit-load system, and changing one component can alter the performance of the others.
A stiffer pallet deck, for example, can provide more uniform support beneath corrugated boxes and reduce localized compression. Conversely, excessive pallet deflection can change how the load is supported in storage or racking. Product weight, load distribution, carton strength, stacking pattern, stretch wrap or strapping and pallet design can all influence overall performance.
This relationship has become increasingly important as companies look beyond the purchase price of individual components and consider the cost of the complete unit load.
6. Pallet Cost
There is no meaningful single answer to the question, “How much does a pallet cost?” Price depends on the material, size, design, market, condition and quantity being purchased, as well as whether the pallet is intended for one-way shipment or repeated reuse.
For wood pallets, lumber can account for a substantial share of manufacturing cost, so species, grade, component dimensions and regional lumber markets matter. Fasteners, labor, production volume and design complexity also affect price. Recycled pallets introduce other variables, including grade, repair requirements, local recovery volumes and the strength of the secondary market.
Plastic and other reusable pallets generally involve a higher initial investment, making expected turns, loss rate, recovery cost and useful life increasingly important. For a reusable pallet, purchase price by itself says relatively little about the actual cost of the system.
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7. Choosing a Pallet
Price is an obvious consideration, but pallet selection is better started with the application. Among the questions worth settling before approaching suppliers are:
- What load weight and load distribution must the pallet support?
- Will it be floor stacked, placed in rack, conveyed or used in an automated storage system?
- Which pallet footprint is compatible with the supply chain?
- Is two-way, partial four-way or full four-way entry required?
- Will the operating environment involve moisture, cold temperatures, sanitation requirements or chemical exposure?
- Is the pallet being exported?
- Will pallets leave the shipping location permanently, circulate in a closed loop or move through a rental or pooling system?
- How much dimensional and performance consistency does the handling system require?
These questions frequently narrow the field before material is even considered. Wood, plastic, presswood, corrugated and metal pallets all have applications where they make sense; the better choice depends on what the pallet has to do and what happens to it after the load is delivered.
8. Pallet Safety and Handling
Damaged pallets can result in product damage, unstable loads and hazards for workers. Pallets should be inspected as appropriate for the application, with unsafe units removed from service rather than returned to circulation.
Particular attention should be paid to broken or missing components, protruding fasteners, damaged blocks or stringers, contamination, excessive pallet deformation and loads that have shifted or become unstable. Pallet condition becomes especially important in racking and automated systems, where a defect that might once have been accommodated by an experienced forklift operator can result in a jam, load instability or equipment stoppage.
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