[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":269},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Fguides\u002Fcruciform-base-and-runners":3},{"tier":4,"sections":5,"faq":167,"sources":168,"related":178,"plate":219,"form":220,"scene":219,"path":221,"crumb":222,"ruler":223,"answer":224,"title":225,"h1":225,"description":226,"type":227,"schema":228,"reviewed":230,"crumbs":231,"jsonld":238},3,[6,36,48,91,132,137],{"h2":7,"blocks":8},"Three bases",[9,33],{"t":10,"head":11,"rows":16,"caption":32},"table",[12,13,14,15],"Base","What it looks like","Good for","Watch for",[17,22,27],[18,19,20,21],"Legs or feet","Separate feet at the corners and middle","Nesting, lighter weight","Conveyor catching",[23,24,25,26],"Cruciform","Cross-shaped base, a plus under the pallet","Conveyors, a stable footprint","Racking depends on span",[28,29,30,31],"Runners","Continuous rails under the pallet","Racks, conveyors, stacking stability","Does not nest","",{"t":34,"text":35},"p","Nestable pallets use legs or feet, because separate legs can drop into the legs of the pallet below. Runners are the opposite: continuous rails cannot nest. This is why a nestable gives up some flatness and why a rackable is stiff.",{"h2":37,"blocks":38},"Match the base to the machine",[39,46],{"t":40,"items":41},"ul",[42,43,44,45],"Conveyors want a continuous contact, so runners or a cruciform base catch less.","Pallet jacks need clear entry between the legs or runners; ask whether the entry is 2-way or 4-way. PHS Plastic lists 4-way entry on all but one of its stackable models.","Racks rest the pallet on its outer rails; the base should lie across the beams without hanging over.","Automation and RFID readers may need a particular face or a flat spot.",{"t":34,"text":47},"Nelson Company notes that its 4.8 in model works with automation and most roller conveyors. A short pallet can be a good fit for a conveyor opening.",{"h2":49,"blocks":50},"A beam load worked out",[51,53],{"t":34,"text":52},"Take a pallet with a 2,000 lb racking load. A loaded pallet of 1,174 lb uses 58.7 percent of it and leaves 826 lb; one of 2,792 lb is 792 lb over. Rack engineers also apply their own safety margins, so treat the figure as a ceiling.",{"t":10,"head":54,"rows":59,"caption":90},[55,56,57,58],"Loaded pallet, lb","Share of the racking load","Left over, lb","Within the rating?",[60,65,69,73,77,82,86],[61,62,63,64],"1,174","58.7 percent","826","yes",[66,67,68,64],"1,377","68.8 percent","623",[70,71,72,64],"1,580","79.0 percent","420",[74,75,76,64],"1,883","94.2 percent","117",[78,79,80,81],"2,186","109.3 percent","-186","no",[83,84,85,81],"2,389","119.4 percent","-389",[87,88,89,81],"2,792","139.6 percent","-792","Example for an assumed 2,000 lb racking load; the maker's span and test method apply.",{"h2":92,"blocks":93},"A stack worked out",[94,96],{"t":34,"text":95},"Take a stackable rated 12,000 lb static. The bottom pallet carries the pallets above it, so with each loaded pallet weighing 1,399 lb it can hold 8 above, a stack of 9. With 5,441 lb per pallet it can hold 2 above. This is a ceiling on a flat floor for a still stack, not a promise for a stack that moves or waits.",{"t":10,"head":97,"rows":101,"caption":131},[55,98,99,100],"Pallets above the bottom","Stack height","Load on the bottom pallet, lb",[102,107,112,117,120,124,128],[103,104,105,106],"1,399","8","9","11,192",[108,109,110,111],"1,906","6","7","11,436",[113,114,115,116],"2,413","4","5","9,652",[118,114,115,119],"2,920","11,680",[121,122,114,123],"3,427","3","10,281",[125,126,122,127],"4,434","2","8,868",[129,126,122,130],"5,441","10,882","Example for an assumed 12,000 lb static rating; use the maker's figure for the exact model.",{"h2":133,"blocks":134},"Choosing between the two bases",[135],{"t":34,"text":136},"A cruciform base suits conveyors and pallet-flow lanes, because its plus-shaped footprint slides smoothly, while runners suit flat floors and beams, because their long rails spread the load. A site with both rack and conveyor may need two models, which is a reason to write the base type into the specification beside the footprint.",{"h2":138,"blocks":139},"Words on this page",[140],{"t":141,"rows":142},"dl",[143,146,149,152,155,158,161,164],[144,145],"Pallet jack","A hand or powered truck with two forks, used to move a pallet short distances.",[147,148],"Nest ratio","How many empty pallets fit in the height of one: pallet height divided by nest increment.",[150,151],"Footprint","The length and width of a pallet deck. It is chosen to fit the container, the drum, the bag or the receiving rack.",[153,154],"Static load","The weight a pallet holds while standing still on a flat floor, spread evenly across the deck. It is the highest of the three ratings.",[156,157],"Dynamic load","The weight a pallet holds while it is moved by a forklift, pallet jack or conveyor. It is lower than static because motion adds shock.",[159,160],"Stretch wrap","Elastic film wound around a loaded pallet to hold the load together.",[162,163],"Closed loop","A route where pallets return to the sender after delivery, so the empty trip is a standing cost.",[165,166],"Nest increment","The extra height each additional empty pallet adds to a nested stack, measured in inches. A small increment means a short stack.",[],[169,172,175],{"label":170,"url":171},"PHS Plastic, stackable plastic pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.phsinc.com\u002Fpallet\u002Fplastic-pallets\u002Fstackable\u002F",{"label":173,"url":174},"Nelson Company, 48 x 40 x 4.8 in nestable, stackable, rackable pallet","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelsoncompany.com\u002Fpallet.cfm?Pallet=296",{"label":176,"url":177},"Rehrig Pacific, 40 x 48 rackable pallet","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rehrigpacific.com\u002Fsupply-chain\u002Fproducts-and-solutions\u002F40-x-48-rackable-pallet",[179,183,187,191,195,199,203,207,211,215],{"path":180,"title":181,"blurb":182},"\u002Fguides\u002Fopen-deck-and-closed-deck","Open and closed deck","An open deck has slots and drains; a closed deck is a solid sheet. Open drains and washes; closed holds small items and keeps debris from falling through.",{"path":184,"title":185,"blurb":186},"\u002Frackable","Rackable Plastic Pallets and Racking Load","Rackable plastic pallets carry a stated racking load across the beam gap. How to read it and which styles have one.",{"path":188,"title":189,"blurb":190},"\u002Fnestable","Nestable Plastic Pallets by Footprint","Nestable plastic pallets sorted by footprint, rating and pallets per stack, with the empty-trailer count worked out.",{"path":192,"title":193,"blurb":194},"\u002Fguides","Plastic Pallet Guides","Guides on nest ratio, the three load ratings, ISPM 15, fire listing, creep and cold, written from maker spec sheets.",{"path":196,"title":197,"blurb":198},"\u002Fguides\u002Fstatic-dynamic-and-racking-load","Static, dynamic and racking","Static is the load a pallet holds at rest, dynamic the load it holds on the move, racking the load it holds across an open gap. They are three tests, and the.",{"path":200,"title":201,"blurb":202},"\u002Fguides\u002Fispm-15-and-plastic-pallets","Guide: ISPM 15 and plastic pallets","ISPM 15 regulates wood packaging material in international trade. A plastic pallet is not wood, so it needs no heat-treatment or fumigation mark.",{"path":204,"title":205,"blurb":206},"\u002Fwhere-we-ship\u002Fmetros","Plastic Pallets by Logistics Metro","Sixty logistics metros with ZIPs and the industries that move pallets there.",{"path":208,"title":209,"blurb":210},"\u002Fheavy-duty\u002Fby-load","Heavy Duty Pallets by Static Load","Four static load bands for heavy duty plastic pallets, from light stacks to 18,000 lb and over.",{"path":212,"title":213,"blurb":214},"\u002Fnestable\u002Ffootprints","Footprints","Every footprint a nestable plastic pallet comes in, with the rating range and pallets per stack for each.",{"path":216,"title":217,"blurb":218},"\u002Frackable\u002Fbeam-span-guide","Beam span","Why a pallet that holds 10,000 lb at rest may hold far less across an open rack span, and what to measure first.",null,false,"\u002Fguides\u002Fcruciform-base-and-runners","Base and runners",6,"The base of a pallet decides what it can do on a conveyor, a rack and a pallet jack. Runners give a flat, continuous contact; a cruciform or legs base gives less contact and more nesting.","Guide: Cruciform base and runners","The base of a pallet decides what it can do on a conveyor, a rack and a pallet jack. Runners give a flat, continuous contact; a cruciform or legs base gives.","guide",[229],"Article","November 12, 2026",[232,235,237],{"path":233,"name":234},"\u002F","Home",{"path":192,"name":236},"Guides",{"path":221,"name":222},{"@context":239,"@graph":240},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org",[241,251,259],{"@type":229,"@id":242,"name":225,"url":243,"description":226,"inLanguage":244,"isPartOf":245,"publisher":247,"headline":225,"dateModified":249,"author":250},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides\u002Fcruciform-base-and-runners#article","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides\u002Fcruciform-base-and-runners","en-US",{"@id":246},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#website",{"@id":248},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#org","2026-11-12",{"@id":248},{"@type":252,"@id":248,"name":253,"url":254,"email":255,"areaServed":256},"Organization","Nestable Plastic Pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F","info@nestableplasticpallets.com",{"@type":257,"name":258},"Country","United States",{"@type":260,"itemListElement":261},"BreadcrumbList",[262,265,268],{"@type":263,"position":264,"name":234,"item":254},"ListItem",1,{"@type":263,"position":266,"name":236,"item":267},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides",{"@type":263,"position":4,"name":222,"item":243},1794519998254]