Choosing the right wood pallet is more than selecting a standard size. The pallet needs to support your products, work with your material-handling equipment, fit your storage system, and meet your shipping requirements.
Whether you are shipping products locally, storing inventory in a warehouse, or exporting goods internationally, the right pallet design can help improve handling, stability, and shipping efficiency.
Viking Pallet manufactures standard and custom wood pallets based on the specific requirements of businesses across a variety of industries.
What Should You Consider When Choosing a Wood Pallet?
Several factors should be considered before selecting a pallet.
1. Product Size and Dimensions
Start with the size and shape of the product being placed on the pallet.
The pallet should provide an appropriate surface area for the load. If the pallet is too small, the product may extend beyond the pallet edges and become less stable. If it is significantly larger than necessary, you may use additional material and warehouse or transportation space without gaining a practical benefit.
For products with unusual dimensions, a custom pallet may be more appropriate than a standard pallet.
2. Product Weight
The weight of the load is another important consideration.
A pallet’s appropriate construction depends not only on the total weight but also on how that weight is distributed across the pallet.
When selecting a pallet, consider:
- Total product weight
- Weight distribution
- Load concentration
- Intended pallet use
- Handling frequency
- Storage conditions
- Transportation requirements
Businesses with heavier or demanding loads may require a pallet specifically designed around their application.
3. How Will the Pallet Be Moved?
Consider the equipment that will handle the pallet.
Will it be moved using:
- Forklifts?
- Pallet jacks?
- Conveyors?
- Automated material-handling equipment?
This can influence whether a two-way or four-way entry pallet is appropriate.
What Is a Two-Way Entry Pallet?
A two-way entry pallet is designed to allow material-handling equipment to enter from two opposite sides.
This configuration can work well when pallets are consistently handled from specific directions.
What Is a Four-Way Entry Pallet?
A four-way entry pallet is designed to allow forklift or pallet-jack access from all four sides.
Four-way entry can provide greater flexibility in warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and loading areas.
4. Consider Your Warehouse Racking
Your warehouse storage system can affect which pallet design is appropriate.
If pallets will be stored in warehouse racking, the pallet needs to be suitable for the particular rack configuration and handling process.
Before ordering pallets, determine:
- What type of racking is being used?
- How will the pallet be supported?
- What equipment will place and remove the pallet?
- What load will be stored on the pallet?
- Will the pallet be reused?
Providing this information to your pallet manufacturer can help ensure the pallet design fits your operation.
5. Stringer or Block Pallet?
Two common wood pallet designs are stringer pallets and block pallets.
Stringer Pallets
Stringer pallets use longitudinal wooden supports beneath the deck boards. Their construction can be configured for different applications and entry requirements.
Block Pallets
Block pallets use blocks to support the pallet structure. Depending on the design, block pallets can provide four-way entry for forklifts and pallet jacks.
The better option depends on your product, handling equipment, storage environment, and shipping requirements.
6. Do You Need a Standard or Custom Pallet?
A standard pallet may be appropriate when your product and handling requirements fit an established pallet design.
A custom pallet may be a better option when you have:
- Unusual product dimensions
- Specialized load requirements
- Specific handling requirements
- Unique storage or racking requirements
- Special deck configurations
- Specific stringer requirements
- Specialized shipping needs
Custom pallet design allows the pallet to be developed around the actual application rather than forcing the product to fit a standard design.
7. Do You Need Heat-Treated Pallets?
If you are shipping wooden pallets internationally, you may need to consider ISPM-15 requirements.
ISPM-15 establishes requirements for wood packaging material used in international trade. Heat treatment is one method used to meet the applicable treatment requirements.
Viking Pallet provides ISPM-15 heat-treated wood pallet solutions for customers whose shipping applications require compliant wood packaging.
8. How Often Will the Pallet Be Used?
Consider whether the pallet is intended for:
- One-way shipping
- Repeated shipments
- Internal warehouse movement
- Long-term storage
- Distribution operations
A pallet designed for repeated handling may have different requirements from a pallet intended primarily for a single shipping cycle.
Discuss the expected use with your pallet manufacturer so the pallet can be designed appropriately.
9. What Information Should You Give a Pallet Manufacturer?
The more information you can provide, the easier it is to determine an appropriate pallet design.
When requesting a pallet quote, consider providing:
- Pallet length and width
- Product dimensions
- Product weight
- Number of products per pallet
- Desired pallet quantity
- Forklift or pallet-jack requirements
- Racking requirements
- Shipping destination
- Domestic or international shipping
- Desired pallet reuse
- Deck board requirements
- Stringer requirements
This information helps the manufacturer understand the actual application instead of selecting a pallet based only on size.
Custom Wood Pallets from Viking Pallet
Viking Pallet manufactures custom and standard wood pallets for businesses with different shipping, storage, and material-handling requirements.
Our team can work with customers to understand product dimensions, load requirements, handling methods, storage conditions, and shipping needs when developing a pallet solution.
With pallet manufacturing experience dating back to 1969, Viking Pallet combines established industry knowledge with custom pallet design and manufacturing capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single pallet design that is best for every business. The appropriate pallet depends on product dimensions, load weight, handling equipment, storage requirements, shipping conditions, and intended use.
The appropriate pallet size depends on the dimensions of the product and how the product will be handled, stored, and transported. A standard pallet may be suitable for common applications, while unusual product dimensions may require a custom pallet.
Not necessarily. Four-way entry provides greater flexibility for material handling, while two-way entry can be suitable when handling is consistently performed from two directions. The right option depends on your operation.
Both designs can be suitable for different applications. The choice depends on factors such as handling equipment, load requirements, entry requirements, storage, and shipping needs.
Consider a custom pallet when a standard pallet does not adequately meet your product dimensions, load requirements, handling process, storage system, or shipping requirements.
International shipments may be subject to ISPM-15 requirements for wood packaging material. If your shipment requires compliant wood packaging, an ISPM-15 heat-treated pallet may be necessary.
Useful information includes product dimensions, product weight, pallet dimensions, load requirements, handling equipment, racking requirements, shipping destination, quantity, and whether the pallets will be reused.
Need Help Choosing the Right Pallet?
Choosing a pallet based only on size can lead to problems later. The best pallet should work with your product, handling equipment, storage system, and shipping requirements.
If you need help selecting a standard or custom wood pallet, contact Viking Pallet to discuss your application and pallet requirements.