Types of Pallets

What is a Pallet

What is a pallet? As its name shows, the pallet is a storage shelf bracket goods support, whether it is a logistics center or warehouse, the pallet is essential to the existence of the use of forklifts, can be carried from the shelves carrying goods out or transported to another place, greatly reducing the workload of manual labor, improve the efficiency of the entire warehouse storage.

Pallet types are very many, today this article will take you together to study the different classifications under the different types of pallets as well as their usefulness, I believe you will have a very clear perception of the pallet after reading.

Introduction by Material

1. Metal Pallet

Metal pallets are generally made of high-quality cold-rolled steel or aluminum materials, thickened and widened design, which can greatly improve the carrying capacity of the pallet. Welding technology is used at the joints, and OKE Storage’s workmanship is delicate.

The surface of the welding point is smooth, beautiful, and sturdy, treated with environmentally friendly plastic spraying, non-toxic and harmless, not easy to fall off the paint. Ideal for carrying large loads, especially in the industrial field.

Advantages: Strong load-carrying capacity, sturdy structure, strong impact resistance, and long service life.

Disadvantages: Higher initial investment, heavy weight, easy to rust;

2. Wooden Pallet

Wooden pallet is now the most widely used type of pallet, made of high-density plywood material, this material is dry and good, not easy to crack, greatly reducing the problem of wood products bluing, and mold. The whole pallet is reinforced with high-strength screws, not easy to nail, and durable.

Advantages: strong load-bearing capacity, solid structure, not easy to deform, cost-effective, simple maintenance, easy to recycle;

Disadvantages: Difficult to clean, will be damaged in case of impact;

3. Plastic Pallet

Plastic pallets are made of polyethylene or polypropylene and are very lightweight overall. Compared with wooden pallets, it is lighter in weight and more durable.

Compared with the traditional type of plastic, it is more adaptable to temperature and can be used at minus 40 degrees Celsius, which is suitable for extreme natural environments or industries with strict requirements for hygienic environments, such as video pharmaceuticals.

Advantages: Non-toxic, odorless, corrosion-resistant, waterproof and moisture-proof, easy to clean, easy to disinfect and sterilize, recyclable, impact-resistant and durable;

Disadvantages: Higher price than wooden pallets, easy to deform under heavy load, not easy to repair when damaged;

4. Cardboard Pallet

A cardboard pallet is mainly made of cardboard bonded, its raw materials can be recycled, lightweight, so this type of pallet is mainly suitable for carrying light goods, taking into account the recyclability and cost, cardboard pallet is a type of pallet that people are increasingly favored.

Advantages: Inexpensive, cost-saving, easy to turnover and transportation, zero pollution, easy to protect the environment,

Disadvantages: small carrying capacity, one-time service life;

Introduction by Fork Approach

According to the pallet’s fork entry item is generally divided into 2-way fork entry and 4-way fork entry.

1. 2-Way

2-way fork entry pallets divided into the full board and hollow board fork entry different styles, but are in the pallet at both ends of the opening can let the forklift into, so called 2-way fork entry.

The 2-way fork entry pallet production process is simple, and the cost is small, but the disadvantage is the lack of flexibility, if a little space in the warehouse, will greatly affect the efficiency of forklift operations. Therefore, it is more suitable for warehouses with fewer goods.

2. 4-Way

The 4-way fork entry pallet also has the full board and hollow board fork entry different styles. different from the 2-way fork entry, as the name suggests, 4-way fork entry can be allowed to forklift access, not affected by the direction of the use of limitations relative to the 2-way fork entry is smaller, and the carrying capacity is also higher, so the 4-way fork entry of the pallet is more common and more popular.

Introduction by size

Depending on the region, pallet sizes vary from place to place. The following pallet sizes for common regions are introduced here:

1. Euro Pallet

• 1200mm*800mm: this is the more common size and the one that better meets the local standards, applicable to most of the countries in continental Europe.
• 1200mm*1000mm: this is another common size of EURO pallet, both sizes meet international transportation standards.

2. American Pallet

The standard size in the United States is 1219mm * 1016mm (48in * 40in), this standard specification size and the European standard 1200mm * 1000mm are not much different.

3. Chinese Pallet

The domestic standard is 1200mm * 1000mm and 1100mm * 1100mm, and 1200mm * 1000mm is the size of the domestic common use, but also the priority of the recommended size, because the size of the pallet specifications needs to be consistent with the specifications of the product packaging module, and the product packaging module is the specification of the 600*400, only the size of the 1200mm * 1000mm with which the Comply with the size.

Introduction by Style Appearance

1. Nine-leg pallet

Nine-leg pallet is divided into nine-leg mesh pallets and nine-leg flat pallets two different styles, is the bottom of the nine-leg type of plastic pallet, weight is lighter, and the mesh type of high permeability, the flat type is more flat and suitable for food and drug chemicals and other needs of moisture-proof warehouse industry.

2. Cross-shaped pallet

Cross-shaped pallets are available in many sizes and are one of the most common warehouse pallet choices, named after the“Chuan” design consisting of horizontal and vertical crossed beams at the bottom. The overall structure is solid, strong bearing capacity, easy access for forklifts, ideal for cold storage, warehouses, and logistics centers.

3. Tian character pallet

Different from the cross-shaped pallet, the bottom of the Tian character pallet is a cross of the design of the“Tian” that constitutes the support structure, which will be in the bearing of goods show more stable bearing capacity.

because of the design of the “Tian”, it is more convenient for forklifts to enter, greatly improving the storage efficiency. More suitable for carrying heavy goods or machinery industry and other industry sectors.

Summarize

In this article, we have introduced you to different types of pallets from different aspects in detail, including common metal pallets, wooden pallets, and plastic pallets.

With the advancement of time and the development of logistics technology, it is crucial to keep abreast of the relevant information about pallets. You can start from your own needs, combined with the advantages and disadvantages of different types of pallets, and choose the right pallet for your needs, to improve the overall storage and transportation efficiency of your warehouse.

if you have any doubts, feel free to contact OKE Storage, we have a professional team to customize a solution just for you!