What are Pallets and What are They Used For

While they are typically constructed using wood or plastic, you can also find pallets made from paper and metal. Products are loaded only the pallet, and then held in place using either plastic shrink wrap or straps.

Pallets can come in a variety of sizes, however the most common ISO standard pallet measures 100 by 120 by 12 cm. This is roughly equal to 40 by 48 by 5 inches. When empty this pallet will weight between 15 and 21 kilograms. Almost any pallet can handle a load of 1,000 kg with ease. Slowly but surely we have seen that containers are being used in the transport of almost all goods. This has increased the use of pallets, as the level surfaces of containers make the use of pallets more economical. Pallets that are the common ISO standard will fit well into standard ISO containers, which in turn fit with ease onto ships, trucks, and trains.

The standard pallet used in Europe is called the EUR standard and measures 80 by 120 by 12 cm. The pallet is typically used for retail business, as its size works well with the internal dimensions of trucks that make deliveries from warehouses to retail stores. This pallet is also called a CEN pallet after the organization that set the standard, the Comité Européen de Normalisation, or European Committee for Standardization.

The least expensive pallets are often considered as dispensable as the rest of the shipping packaging, and are usually constructed using softwood. The construction of these pallets is usually very simple, allowing them to be lifted from only one of two opposite positions. Most pallets constructed of hardwood, plastic, or metal, allow the pallet to be lifted from all four sides. These pallets cost more and usually need to be returned to the shipper, unless a deposit is forfeited. They are often resold after they have been used. Four way pallets, as they are known, are often color coded to indicate the type load they can bear, as well as other features. While paper pallets have traditionally been used for light loads, some of the newly engineering and constructed paper pallets can bear loads similar to wood pallets. A great benefit of paper pallets is that they can be easily recycled and disposed of.

A retail or manufacturing business that is set up to accommodate the standard pallet sizes for loading, unloading, and internal transfer of materials will have a large advantage over a business that is not prepared to take advantage of standard pallets modular nature. Of course this will not hold true for businesses that sell small qualities of luxury items, such as jewelry, or large items, such as cars. Even businesses that do not use these pallets directly probably are impacted by them in some way. Jewelry manufacturers most likely use pallets in their warehouses, while car manufacturers have long used pallets to receive their components from supplies and transport them within the plant.

Pallets can be moved around in a variety of ways, which gives them a distinct advantage. While they are often transported via various types of forklifts, they can also be moved around using hand-pumped or hand drawn jacks, which do not require anything more than a clean floor and sufficient space. While a forklift will cost roughly the same as a luxury car, a hand-drawn pumper jack that has been reconditioned can be purchased for a mere few hundred euros. The only real investment will be making sure you have sufficient clearances and clean level surfaces in your commercial or industrial building so that pallets can be used economically.
 

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