Guide: Nest ratio explained

The two numbers

Pallet height is the full height of one pallet. Nest increment is the extra height each additional nested pallet adds. If a pallet is 6.5 in tall and nests at 2.55 in, a stack of n pallets stands 6.5 + (n - 1) x 2.55 inches tall, and the ratio of height to increment is 6.5 ÷ 2.55 = 2.55.

The savings grow with the stack. Two pallets save 3.95 in. Twenty-five save 6.5 x 25 - (6.5 + 24 x 2.55) = 162.5 - 67.7 = 94.8 in, nearly 8 ft.

From ratio to freight

A better ratio does not by itself raise pallets per trailer, because makers also set a stack limit. PHS Plastic prints 78 per stack for one model and 40 for another, and Nelson Company about 60. Per trailer, they print 2,340, 1,260 and about 1,800.

How to use it

• Compare increments, not heights, between models of the same footprint.
• Check the stack limit; the maker sets it for stability.
• Pair the ratio with the rating. A thin pallet nests deep and carries less.
• Run your count through the calculator.

Trailers for your volume

Suppose 3,320 empty pallets come back in a month. At the maker figures on file that is 3 trailers of Rehrig Pacific heavy-duty nestables (1,200 each), 2 of PHS Plastic's EXP 100 (2,340 each) or 7 of a rackable (540 each). The table runs the same sum for 6 volumes, from 3,320 to 17,450.

A note on this page

Ratios hide a trap: a high ratio sounds like a long stack, when it really describes how little each pallet adds. Compare ratios between models only when the pallet heights are also on the table, otherwise a short pallet can look better than a tall one that stacks deeper.

Questions to put to the maker

• How is a nested stack counted when it arrives: by stack, or by pallet?
• Do the legs ever jam when pallets are nested warm and then cold?
• Is the pallets-per-trailer number for nested empties, or for loaded pallets?

From the dock

• Return legs are often the cheapest freight a carrier hauls, which is why closed loops lean on the nest figure.
• Nesting pays only when pallets come back. A one-way shipment gains nothing from a deep nest except cheaper freight out.

Words on this page

Dunnage

Loose material used to support or secure cargo inside a trailer or container.

UL

Underwriters Laboratories, a safety testing body that publishes fire test standards, including one for storage pallets.

HDPE

High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.

Racking load

The weight a pallet holds when it rests on two rack beams with an open gap between them. It is usually the lowest rating and only exists for pallets built for racks.

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.

Cube utilisation

How well loaded freight fills the volume of a trailer or container. Taller or wider-than-floor pallets waste cube.

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.

Nest increment

The extra height each additional empty pallet adds to a nested stack, measured in inches. A small increment means a short stack.