Palettes: all the secrets revealed

We know pallets in many different shapes and sizes, and whether they are made of wood, plastic or cardboard, they all have one thing in common: they are the basis for transporting and protecting your goods. Find out about all the different types of pallets here, learn to distinguish the advantages of each one, and find out how best to prepare them for transport.

su_spacer]

1. What are the dimensions of a pallet?

[

Within the pallet family, there are 2 commonly used sizes. On the one hand, you have the American or ISO size of 1200 x 1000 mm. They are mainly used in the USA, Canada and Japan. Beware, however, that they are not suitable for European trucks.

On the

other hand, you also have the European size

of

1200 x 800 mm. In Europe, there is also a slightly smaller version, the mini-pallet, with a size of 800 x 600 mm. Both of these variants of pallets meet the specifications

of

theEuropean Pallet Association. They are generally marked with the EUR or EPAL logo

• American pallet = 1200 x 1000 mm
• European pal let = 1200 x 800 mm
• Mini-pallet = 800 x 600 mm (also available in 600 x 400 mm)

2. How to choose the number of inlets and the load capacity?

the easiest way to move pallets is to use a pallet truck. Your pallet has a few “inlets” for this purpose. These are notches into which you insert the forks of a pallet truck. You can choose between pallets with 2 or 4 inlets:

The load capacity is without doubt one of the most important features when choosing a pallet. The load capacity depends very much on what you want to do with your pallet. There are generally 3 situations:

3. What materials are pallets made of?

Pallets are made from one of these materials, each with its own advantages

• Moulded pallets(made of wood)
• Wooden pallets
• Cardboard pallets
• Plastic pallets

all these different pallets have several important features in common.For example,they are perfectly stackable (if of the same size).By stacking them,you save a lot of space when storing.Secondly,almost all RAJA pallets are suitable

for

export.They allow you to transport your goods safely to the four corners of the world.Moulded,cardboard and plastic pallets no longer require pest control treatment.With wooden pallets,however,you must take into account the fact that they must comply

with

ISPM15

,

which certifies that they are specially heat treated.These pallets are marked with a herringbone-shaped logotype.

* Within the family of wooden pallets, there are both ” lost ” and ” exchange

” pallets

. The lost (or disposable) version is cheaper, less durable and must be destroyed after receipt for hygienic reasons. The exchange pallet is stronger and is more often sent from one destination

to another.

4. How to prepare pallets for transport?

Have you found the right pallet for your use, then follow these tips to optimise your stacking and ship your pallet safely

• Never place your crates on the edge of the pallet
• Always place your heaviest crates at the bottom. If there are no major weight differences, simply place your smallest crates at the bottom and the largest at the top.
• Protect your stacked crates with spacers, corner protectors or pallet caps.
• Make sure you use ISPM15 compliant wooden pallets, moulded pallets, cardboard and plastic pallets do not require any additional treatment for export.
• Wrap your entire pallet with stretch film– this protects your goods from water, dust and keeps them secure.

5. How do you stretch wrap a pallet manually or mechanically?

After loading your pallet with goods, it is important to wrap the whole thing with stretch film.This provides greater stability to your load, your goods are better protected from moisture and your pallets can be loaded more easily into trucks and containers. Find out here which technique you should use to wrap your pallet.

►wrapping manually

With this technique, your packer will have to walk around the pallet with a film dispenser, and the physical effort required can be quite tiring in the long run. In addition, one person often cannot match the accuracy of a machine. Although hand wrapping has some limitations, it is still the most commonly used technique in small businesses or companies where a limited number of pallets are handled on a daily basis

su_spacer]

► Filming by machine

You can use a stretch wrapper to wrap your pallets more easily and quickly.This is the best solution if you wrap more than 15 pallets a day.However, your pallet, including the load, should not be more than 2 metres high.A stretch wrapper adapts perfectly to the shapes of your pallet and load.This means that your pallets are wrapped more stably and with the ideal amount of film: never too much and never too little.There are machines available that can handle up to 250 pallets a day.This therefore equates to a saving in both time and productivity.