The stringers, which are placed between the top and bottom deck boards, are typically made of 3×4 or 2×4 wood and are found running lengthwise on two sides of the pallet and in the very middle. This type of pallet is designed to maximize load capacity in vehicles and is used extensively in the retail and grocery industries.
What is the most common size of a pallet?
The standard pallet size in the United States is 48×40 inches. Usually with each deck board being 3 in. wide and 5/16 in. thick.
What wood is typically used for pallets?
Pine is commonly used in pallets because softwoods tend to be more consistent in weight than hardwoods, giving the product a high strength to weight ratio. Softwoods are also easier to dry, which helps prevent contamination from fungi, molds, or other pests.
What grade of lumber is used for pallets?
In standard lumber grade terms, pallet grade material is generally composed of varying proportions of No. 3A and 313 Common, and in some instances a small portion of No. 2 Common, lumber. Most pallet producers do not grade the lumber they buy; nor do they grade the pallet parts they produce.
What are standard pallets made of?
In the US, the world's largest producer of wooden pallets, the two wood types most frequently used for pallet wood are oak and pine. This may come as a surprise to some, as oak is a hardwood and pine a softwood; however, whether a wood is a hardwood or softwood has very little to do with its robustness or durability.
Are pallets made out of 2x4?
Softwood pallets are typically made from resawn dimensional lumber. The lumber material is measured on a full dimension, e.g. 2x4 as 2x4, etc. Resawn pallet stock decking is measured on a full 1”, and stringers are typically measured as 2x4.
Are old pallets good for firewood?
Heat treated pallets would be ok to use as kindling, but you don't want to be burning the ones treated with chemicals as they can release toxic fumes. Pallets that have been treated will have a stamp indicating this.
Why are pallets painted blue or red?
Red pallets from Europe will be stamped LPR for La Palette Rouge and are used for international shipping. Blue pallets are stamped CHEP for Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool from Australia while brown pallets are stamped IPP for Logipal from Europe.
How many pallets can one tree make?
If we take 63 feet of lumber from a log and divide it by 15.17 BF needed for the pallet we can build just over 4 pallets from each log. By then taking the 350,000,000 pallets recovered each year and dividing it by 4 pallets per log, we see that around 87,000,000 logs that have been used to produce these pallets.
What is the difference between grade A and B pallets?
The specs on an A-Grade are more consistent than on a B-Grade pallet and will never have any block repairs to the stringers. The overall appearance is also better as A-Grade pallets are likely to have had shipment fewer cycles than a B-Grade.
What are standard pallet sizes?
The three most common pallet sizes are: 48 x 40. 42 x 42....Quick 48 x 40 GMA facts:Usually 6.5" tall.Weigh an average of 37 lbs., but can be much heavier.Deck boards are 3.25" wide, 40" long and . 31" thick.Can hold up to 4,600 lbs.
What are three basic types of pallets?
3 Different Types of PalletsBlock Pallets. Block pallets are strong and sturdy. ... Decked Pallets. A decked pallet, also known as a stringer pallet, has 2 solid sides that are usually 2x4 or 3x4 stringers between the top and bottom decks. ... Double-Bridge Pallets. Double bridge pallets are similar to decked.
Why are pallets painted blue?
Over the years, people have asked why CHEP pallets are blue? The answer is that CHEP paints its pallets blue. CHEP uses blue as a pallet color coding aid as well as a marketing advantage. The blue color makes its pallets easier to identify.
Are pallets made of hardwood or softwood?
Shipping pallets are usually made either from hardwoods like hickory, mahogany, maple, oak, teak, and walnut, or from various types of pine, which are softwoods.
What are the 3 commonly used pallets?
3 common types of used palletsMulti-use pallets. Q-Pall makes multi-use pallets (also called return pallets or pool pallets) from new plastics (premium line) or recycled plastics (regular line) which are also fully recyclable thereafter. ... CP pallet. CP pallet stands for Chemical Pallet. ... Hygienic pallets.
What are the two popular wood pallet types?
Pallets exist in two general styles: single-face and double-face. Double-face pallets are comprised of decks on both top and bottom surfaces. The bottom deck increases the strength of the pallet, and helps evenly distribute the weight of the load.
What type of oak are pallets made of?
In North America there are largely only 2 types of wood that are used in pallet construction, the Southern Yellow Pine and Oak, but there are other types of soft woods that are used as well like Poplar and Fir.
What wood is used for pallets?
As mentioned above there is wide range of wood that is used for pallets, some of the most popular pallet wood materials are oak and pine. Largely lumber for pallets are determined by several different factors including: Availability of the wood. Cost of the wood. Region the pallet is being constructed in.
What type of wood is used in Euro pallets?
In North America there are largely only 2 types of wood that are used in pallet construction, the Southern Yellow Pine and Oak, but there are other types of soft woods that are used as well like Poplar and Fir.
Why Wood?
Today you can find pallets made of both wood and plastic. Many people prefer the wood pallets over the plastic pallets for several reasons including:
How to tell if pallet is hard wood?
Smell it! Okay this may seem like a strange way to find out if you have a hard wood or a softwood pallet, but it is a reliable way of knowing what you are dealing with. A softwood pallet will retain its distinct “pine scent”. You can just scratch the surface of a knot with a bit of sandpaper to catch a whiff. Oak has an earthier scent than softwoods.
How to tell if a pallet is wet?
When you add some drops of water to a pallet it can be a very revealing activity. You will be able to notice the grain more and the color the wood turns when it is wet. Pine will get a deeper golden color but other softwoods like poplar will turn an ashy looking color as it dries.
What is the pallet of choice for supply chains?
Wooden pallets have been the pallet of choice for supply chains and it looks like they will continue to be so.
What are some myths about pallets?
Not all pallets are created equally – many people believe that one specific species is used to create pallets. That is not true.
What is the standard pallet size in the USA?
In the United States, pallets conform to the most popular standard developed by the Grocery Manufacturers’ Association (GMA), which makes up about 30% of all new wood pallets produced in North America, which are sized to accommodate consumer packaged goods.
What is an EPAL pallet?
EPAL block pallet is HT ( heat-treated) for international shipments. Great accessibility by both forklift and pallet jack from all four sides. It can be loaded three-wide in a standard trailer for maximum trailer floor usage. Used only once.
What is the ISO standard for flat pallets?
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) sanctions six pallet measurements, detailed in ISO Standard 6780: Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling-principal dimensions and tolerances.
How much weight can a GMA pallet hold?
In the United States industry, the GMA standard pallet size is 48″ x 40″. They typically weigh 37 lbs and can hold up to 4,600 lbs. The second most common pallet sizes are 42″ x 42″ and 48″ x 48″, respectively.
Which pallet has the greatest accessibility?
Block style pallet offers the greatest accessibility by forklift trucks and pallet jacks, all four sides being equally accessible.
What is CP8 size?
CP8: 1140×1140 with a hole in the middle designed for bulk bag discharge.
Is a TG pallet good for shipping?
This pallet allows 4-way entry and is also legal for export. Because it is a TG pallet, it is great for shipping or storing small items. It is also good for storing or shipping tote bags.
What is a pallet made of?
The wood used to make the pallet will vary depending on many factors. Most pallets made of wood are made of a combination of softwood and hardwood. Oak is a strong, widely-available hardwood. Pine is a popular softwood that is also relatively affordable.
What material is used to make pallets?
This is how you choose your material. There are two options: softwood or hardwood. Most wooden pallets are made using a combination of both softwood and hardwood.
Why are pine pallets used?
The reason Pine Wood pallets are most commonly used is similar to Oak. This is because of its surplus from other industries.
Can you use pallet jacks for forklifts?
The next step is to cut notches into stringers. This allows for 4-way entry using forklifts, or 2-way entry using pallet jacks. The pallet may need to be heat treated prior to assembly if it is being used in international shipping or for sanitary purposes.
Can you make stringers out of pallets?
To allow for a Two-Way Pallet or Four-Way Pallet, notches can be made into stringers. The wood can be treated with heat before being assembled if it is to be used in international shipping or for sanitary purposes.
How big is a pallet?
Some trade associations, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), strongly suggest and influence the use of standard pallet dimensions based on their own unique preferences. The GMA prefers pallets be 40” x 48,” and this sized pallet is now actually referred to as GMA pallets.
What Are Pallets?
Pallets are traditionally and most often made out of wood, but can be constructed from plastic, paper, metal or recycled materials. They are flat structural foundations on which goods are loaded and secured on for transport. Goods are neatly loaded onto a pallet and secured with shrink wrap or strapping.
What is the Australian pallet made of?
Australia has a pallet size that’s common throughout their country, but not often found elsewhere in the world. Pallets used here can be made of hard or softwood and they’re known for durability and are good for very heavy loads.
What is the standard pallet size for shipping?
That said, the above-mentioned GMA standard pallet size that’s 40” x 48” is so common in North American shipping, it accounts for 30% of all wooden pallets in the region.
How tall should pallets be for trucking?
Pallet height again is not standard, but many trucking companies have a max height you must adhere to. As a general rule, keeping pallets at 72” max is recommended to ensure you’re within the required max height allowance for trucking companies.
Why are pallets important?
Not only do they help protect items during transit, they also maximize space and drastically reduce load and unload times for carriers, making the entire process of shipping and delivering goods more efficient.
What is a Euro pallet?
European pallets, also known as EUR-pallets, Euro-pallets and EPAL-pallets, are the standard pallet size set forth by the European Pallet Association. The benefit to the European system is a the “pallet for pallet” exchange. EURO Pallet Type.
What Wood Are Pallets Made From?
A pallet can be made from almost any type of wood. The most common types of wood to use for pallets are pine, oak, cherry, and poplar.
What are the grades of pallet wood?
Pallet wood comes in three grades. Grade 1,2, and 3 (Also known as A, B, And C). I’m going to talk about the two first grades since grade 3 is of such poor quality that they are of no use for most people.
Is Pallet Wood Free?
Pallet wood is free to obtain from businesses and can easily be found outside certain shops. But working with pallet wood is usually not free. To disassemble pallets you will most likely have to use some power tools. Sawing through nails with a reciprocating saw will wear down the saw blade. Sanding down or planing the wooden boards of pallets will also cause some damage to the machines. So I would not call pallet wood for free. It is free to obtain but not free to work with.
What is a poplar pallet?
Poplar pallets are also fairly common. Poplar is one of the cheapest hardwoods and is the most used hardwood for utility purposes like pallets and crates. Poplar pallets can be made of both plywood and solid wood. If they are made of plywood they are of little use to the hobby carpenter and are not worth salvaging.
What does EUR mean in a pallet?
EUR = Old Eu Pallet Logo: Might be treated with Chemicals. Avoid Use
How to tell if a pallet is cherry?
But cherry pallets are usually the ones that I like to look out for when hunting for pallet wood. You can easily identify a cherry pallet by the red tint in the wood , it stands out compared to the creamy and gray colors of poplar, oak, and pine.
Why are pallets worn down?
The job of pallets is to be the foundation of heavy objects and make it easy to move objects around. The weight of these objects will twist, turn and crack the wood. Heavy machinery is also used to move the pallets around. So pallets will look a little bit worn down after it has been used for a while.
What is pallet wood?
Pallets are horizontal wooden surfaces. Wood pallets are easy to handle and work with. Free Pallets have multiple purposes; they can be used to decorate or make your home furniture at no cost, or you can also use them in your garden projects. Pallets are also used as a base for providing assembling, handling, storing as well as transporting ...
What is a wooden pallet?
Wooden Pallets protect the products that are transported via them. Pallets are an integral part of developing modern logistics. There are various kinds of pallet materials, including paper, plastic, wood, and metal pallets. But the most dominating pallet kind is the Wooden Pallets.
Where to Find Pallets?
Pallets have recently gained a lot of importance and purpose in business and homes, similarly. Creative and easy to make pallet projects have grabbed people’s attention, and everyone is ready to craft something creative out of old wooden pallets.
Where to Buy Pallets of Merchandise?
If you are looking to buy pallets for sale of merchandise, again you can make a start by applying a local search on the internet, ask around your local area market.
How to Buy Pallets of Returned Merchandise from Walmart?
If you are looking to stack up high-quality pallets obtained at low merchandising prices, Buying Walmart Returned Pallet merchandise is one of your best options to go. Again, the decision is tricky, and you need to look out for trustworthy liquidators to get these returned pallets from. “ Direct Liquidation ” is an excellent option to choose; they not only offer Walmart liquidated pallets but give complete and comprehensive information too.
How to Buy Amazon Return Pallets?
You can buy Amazon return pallets in high quality and easy availability at Direct Liquidation, and they are top-tiered partnered with Amazon.
What does it mean when a pallet is irreversible?
Or if a pallet is irreversible – This means that only one side of the deck can be used as a top deck. Wood pallets are also differentiated based on common entry types; this determines if the pallet will be entered by pallet trucks or forklifts.
What are pallets made of?
Most pallets are made of wood, but you can also find ones that are made of plastic, metal, paper or recycled materials. Pallet shipping rates may vary as well.
How big is a pallet?
The top-produced pallet in the United States is 48 x 40 inches.
What Is a Pallet?
A pallet is a flat structure that is used for shipping and transport. Pallets allow commercial goods and shipping containers to be shipped in a stable fashion by giving them support so they can be lifted by pallet jacks, forklifts, front loaders, and other jacking devices.
Where Do I Find Free Wood Pallets?
Local small merchants and local community boards are a great place to start. We have many more tips for finding free pallets and wrote an article to help you find them.
How Do I Know If a Pallet Is Safe to Use?
You look at the stamp and markings on the pallet. You want to make sure your pallet has not been treated with chemicals that are potentially toxic.
