Nestable plastic palletsand the other styles that stack, rack and ship

How many fit the empty trailer?

Pick a model, enter a count. Pallets per 53 ft trailer, trailers needed, and the same count of rackable pallets beside it.

Three ratings in one line

Static is what the bottom pallet holds. Dynamic is what it holds while it moves. Racking is what it holds across a gap.

Figures are Rehrig Pacific's published ratings for its 40 x 48 rackable pallet, shown to read the three numbers side by side. Read the rating guide.

Pick the style

Five styles, one trade-off each, stated before you ask.

• NestableShort empties, so the return leg costs a fraction of the trailer. Standard duty usually has no racking rating.1,260 empty per trailer on one maker's standard-duty model
• StackableThe bottom pallet carries the stack, so static rating decides. They do not nest, so empties take full height.Static from 3,000 to 30,000 lb on 48 x 40 models
• RackableRated across an open beam span, which is the lowest of the three ratings and the one racks need.540 per trailer on one maker's 48 x 40 rackable
• Heavy dutyMore load, fewer empties per stack. Pick the band by static load, then check what it gives up in height.10,000 lb static, 3,500 lb dynamic, 2.55 in nest
• ExportBuilt light and not built to come back. Sized to the receiving country, with no wood treatment to certify.Plastic is outside ISPM 15

By footprint

The container decides the footprint: drums, bulk bags, auto bins or a receiving country's standard. Start there.

• 48 x 40
• 48 x 48
• 48 x 45
• 45 x 45
• 43 x 43
• 42 x 42
• Euro 48 x 32
• 1200 x 1000 mm
• All nestable footprints

What the maker's sheet leaves out

• RackingRacking load is rated only on pallets built for it, and it is often the lowest of the three.
• CreepPlastic bends slowly under a heavy load held a long time. The sheet rates the load, not the month.
• ColdFreezing can make some pallet materials brittle. Ask for the cold figure, not the room-temperature one.
• Food-contact paperworkFDA does not approve pallet models. Ask the maker for resin and colourant documents.
• Fire listingA listing is per model. Unlisted plastic can raise the commodity class for sprinkler design.

By industry

Each trade asks a different question first, from paperwork to the container to the beam, and each page here opens with that question, then gives the ratings, footprints and sources behind the answer.

• Food and beverageAsks about washable nestables, 56 x 44 beverage pallets.
• Pharma and healthcareAsks about clean stackables, a paper trail.
• AutomotiveAsks about 48 x 45 heavy-duty in a closed loop.
• Chemical and drumsAsks about 45 x 45 CP9 and 48 x 48 for four drums.
• Export shippersAsks about light pallets in the receiving footprint.
• WarehousesAsks about a racking load that matches the beam span.

How a request is handled

1. Footprint first. The container, the drum or the receiving country usually decides it, so we start there.
2. Then the style. Nestable, stackable, rackable, heavy duty or export each give up something, and we say what before you ask.
3. Then the rating that applies. Static for a floor stack, dynamic for forks, racking for beams; the lowest one that applies governs.
4. Last, the empty return. A maker's per-trailer figure turns your count into trailers, so the return leg is priced before the load is.
5. And the paperwork. Resin and colourant documents, the fire listing and the cold figure are asked of the maker for the exact model, and we pass on whatever comes back, including a plain no.

Every figure on the site is a maker's published number for a named model, with its source and the date it was last checked. Where a sheet is silent, we say so and ask the maker. Fire listings, food-contact paperwork and cold performance belong to a model, not a style, so we ask for the maker's documents rather than make a claim. Prices, minimums and lead times are not on this site; a person quotes them after reading your request.

Where we ship

Every state has a page, and so do sixty logistics metros and twelve Interstate corridors.

• All 50 states
• Sixty metros
• Twelve corridors