[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":277},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Fguides\u002Fnest-ratio-explained":3},{"tier":4,"sections":5,"faq":177,"sources":178,"related":188,"plate":229,"form":230,"scene":229,"path":231,"crumb":191,"ruler":232,"answer":233,"title":234,"h1":234,"description":233,"type":235,"schema":236,"reviewed":238,"crumbs":239,"jsonld":246},1,[6,48,75,85,127,132,140,147],{"h2":7,"blocks":8},"The two numbers",[9,12,46],{"t":10,"text":11},"p","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.",{"t":13,"head":14,"rows":19,"caption":45},"table",[15,16,17,18],"Pallets in the stack","Nested height, in","Un-nested height, in","Saved, in",[20,25,30,35,40],[21,22,23,24],"2","9.05","13.0","3.95",[26,27,28,29],"6","19.25","39.0","19.75",[31,32,33,34],"12","34.55","78.0","43.45",[36,37,38,39],"25","67.70","162.5","94.80",[41,42,43,44],"35","93.20","227.5","134.30","Rehrig Pacific heavy-duty nestable: 6.5 in tall, 2.55 in nest increment. Height = 6.5 + (n - 1) x 2.55.",{"t":10,"text":47},"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.",{"h2":49,"blocks":50},"From ratio to freight",[51,53],{"t":10,"text":52},"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.",{"t":13,"head":54,"rows":59,"caption":74},[55,56,57,58],"Model","Per stack","Per trailer","Stacks",[60,65,69],[61,62,63,64],"PHS Plastic EXP 100","78","2,340","30",[66,67,68,64],"Nelson Company multi-use","60","about 1,800",[70,71,72,73],"PHS Plastic EXP 116","40","1,260","31.5","Stacks = per trailer ÷ per stack.",{"h2":76,"blocks":77},"How to use it",[78],{"t":79,"items":80},"ul",[81,82,83,84],"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](\u002Fnest-calculator).",{"h2":86,"blocks":87},"Trailers for your volume",[88,90],{"t":10,"text":89},"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.",{"t":13,"head":91,"rows":99,"caption":126},[92,93,94,95,96,97,98],"Pallets to return","Rehrig Pacific Heavy-duty nestable (1,200 per trailer)","Rehrig Pacific Standard-duty nestable (1,260 per trailer)","Nelson Company Nestable, stackable, rackable (1,800 per trailer)","PHS Plastic EXP 116 nestable (1,260 per trailer)","PHS Plastic EXP 100 nestable (2,340 per trailer)","Rackable (540 per trailer)",[100,104,108,112,116,121],[101,102,102,21,102,21,103],"3,320","3","7",[105,26,106,107,106,102,31],"6,150","5","4",[109,110,110,106,110,107,111],"8,970","8","17",[113,114,114,103,114,26,115],"11,800","10","22",[117,118,31,119,31,103,120],"14,630","13","9","28",[122,123,124,114,124,110,125],"17,450","15","14","33","Trailers = pallets ÷ the maker's per-trailer figure, rounded up. An example of arithmetic, not a quote.",{"h2":128,"blocks":129},"A note on this page",[130],{"t":10,"text":131},"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.",{"h2":133,"blocks":134},"Questions to put to the maker",[135],{"t":79,"items":136},[137,138,139],"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?",{"h2":141,"blocks":142},"From the dock",[143],{"t":79,"items":144},[145,146],"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.",{"h2":148,"blocks":149},"Words on this page",[150],{"t":151,"rows":152},"dl",[153,156,159,162,165,168,171,174],[154,155],"Dunnage","Loose material used to support or secure cargo inside a trailer or container.",[157,158],"UL","Underwriters Laboratories, a safety testing body that publishes fire test standards, including one for storage pallets.",[160,161],"HDPE","High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.",[163,164],"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.",[166,167],"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.",[169,170],"Cube utilisation","How well loaded freight fills the volume of a trailer or container. Taller or wider-than-floor pallets waste cube.",[172,173],"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.",[175,176],"Nest increment","The extra height each additional empty pallet adds to a nested stack, measured in inches. A small increment means a short stack.",[],[179,182,185],{"label":180,"url":181},"Rehrig Pacific, 40 x 48 heavy-duty nestable pallet","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.rehrigpacific.com\u002Fsupply-chain\u002Fproducts-and-solutions\u002F40-x-48-heavy-duty-nestable-pallet",{"label":183,"url":184},"PHS Plastic, nestable plastic pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.phsinc.com\u002Fpallet\u002Fplastic-pallets\u002Fnestable\u002F",{"label":186,"url":187},"Nelson Company, 48 x 40 x 4.8 in nestable, stackable, rackable pallet","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelsoncompany.com\u002Fpallet.cfm?Pallet=296",[189,193,197,201,205,209,213,217,221,225],{"path":190,"title":191,"blurb":192},"\u002Fnestable\u002Fnesting-plastic-pallets","Nest ratio","Nest ratio for plastic pallets: how many empties fit in the height of one, and how that turns into trailer loads.",{"path":194,"title":195,"blurb":196},"\u002Fnest-calculator","Nest calculator","Pick a footprint and style, enter stacks, and see how many nestable pallets fit an empty 53 ft trailer against loaded ones.",{"path":198,"title":199,"blurb":200},"\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-many-nestable-pallets-fit-on-a-truck","How many fit a truck","On a 53 ft trailer, makers print 1,200 to 2,340 nestable 48 x 40 pallets. The spread comes from the nest increment and the stack height each maker allows.",{"path":202,"title":203,"blurb":204},"\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":206,"title":207,"blurb":208},"\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":210,"title":211,"blurb":212},"\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":214,"title":215,"blurb":216},"\u002Fexport\u002Fplastic-export-pallets","Built light","Plastic export pallets built light on purpose, many nestable, with no wood treatment needed. What gives up weight.",{"path":218,"title":219,"blurb":220},"\u002Ffire-rated","Fire rated","FM 4996 and UL 2335 listing for plastic pallets: what the tests are and why an unlisted pallet can change sprinkler design.",{"path":222,"title":223,"blurb":224},"\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":226,"title":227,"blurb":228},"\u002Frequest","Request a Load of Plastic Pallets","Send the footprint, style and quantity of plastic pallets you need, and what the pallet will do, to start a request.",null,false,"\u002Fguides\u002Fnest-ratio-explained",18,"Nest ratio is how many empty pallets fit in the height of one. Divide pallet height by nest increment: 6.5 in over 2.55 in is about 2.5 to 1.","Guide: Nest ratio explained","guide",[237],"Article","November 12, 2026",[240,243,245],{"path":241,"name":242},"\u002F","Home",{"path":202,"name":244},"Guides",{"path":231,"name":191},{"@context":247,"@graph":248},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org",[249,259,267],{"@type":237,"@id":250,"name":234,"url":251,"description":233,"inLanguage":252,"isPartOf":253,"publisher":255,"headline":234,"dateModified":257,"author":258},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides\u002Fnest-ratio-explained#article","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides\u002Fnest-ratio-explained","en-US",{"@id":254},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#website",{"@id":256},"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F#org","2026-11-12",{"@id":256},{"@type":260,"@id":256,"name":261,"url":262,"email":263,"areaServed":264},"Organization","Nestable Plastic Pallets","https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002F","info@nestableplasticpallets.com",{"@type":265,"name":266},"Country","United States",{"@type":268,"itemListElement":269},"BreadcrumbList",[270,272,275],{"@type":271,"position":4,"name":242,"item":262},"ListItem",{"@type":271,"position":273,"name":244,"item":274},2,"https:\u002F\u002Fnestableplasticpallets.com\u002Fguides",{"@type":271,"position":276,"name":191,"item":251},3,1794519998192]