Pallet types: Guide to choosing the right one

The characteristics of a pallet are varied and all must be taken into account to find the best solution for your business. Do you want it for export, or rather to store your products? Will you need to move them using a pallet truck or will you use a roller system? What load and for what space? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself to find out which characteristics best suit your needs.

But what characteristics of a pallet should I take into account?

• sizes: Especially for those who require them for export, they must be very familiar with international transport regulations and the particularities of each shipping country. There are mainly two standardised sizes on which most of the pallet dimensions are based: The European (1200x800mm), based on the dimensions of train wagons and truck trailers to make the most of the load; and the American or universal (1200x1000mm), widely used in the American and Japanese markets. Within the European, we can find the Display Pallet size that represents half of a pallet (600*800mm) (more info: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%C3%A9).
• Weight: This is a key factor for the transport of goods, as there is a wide variety of pallets made of different materials capable of supporting large loads with a weight of less than half (such as those made of wood fibre).
• Stackable: The space for storing pallets can be considerably reduced if there are stackable or nestable models, which means that the same quantity can be stored in a much smaller space.
• Temperatures: Very important to take into account depending on the load transfer. There are materials specifically created to withstand temperatures of between -65º to +120º
• Suitable for food contact / Sanitary Treatment / ISPM15 Regulations: Make sure that they comply with these regulations if you want to use them for the transport or export of certain products such as foodstuffs.
• Skids: If you need to facilitate the use of rollers, pallets can incorporate skids, which facilitate their movement.
• The load: this is perhaps one of the most decisive characteristics of a pallet when choosing the right one. However, it is not a single, invariable figure. It can depend on several factors
  1. Static load: This is the load weight capable of being supported by the pallet without movement. The load can be stacked in several levels (generally two or even three).
  2. Dynamic load: This refers to the weight that a pallet is capable of supporting while it is being transported. In general, it is usually less than the static load.

how do you know the maximum load of a pallet?

The best way to find out about this and other characteristics is by requesting its technical specifications. At Rajapack we have all the information on these products available on our website or by requesting it directly from our team. We also provide them below so that you have all the necessary information

• Cardboard format
  • 40×60 cardboard pallet
  • 60×80 cardboard pallet
  • 80×120 cardboard pallet
• Plastic format
  • Nestable plastic pallets
  • Mini plastic pallet
  • Compact plastic pallet
• Wood fibre format
  • Fibreboard pallet Europallet and american pallet size
  • Mini wood fibre pallets
  • Fibreboard pallets for containers

for the transport of the same, there is also a wide catalogue of pallet trucks also available on our website and with different characteristics: to support heavier weights, move two loads at the same time or smaller ones, etc. If you want to know more, we recommend you our guide of choice for pallet trucksRemember that our technical team is at your disposal to help you in the choice of the products you need. Do not hesitate to contact us!