Heavy duty pallets by static load
Four bands of static load, from up to 3,500 lb to over 18,000 lb, with the styles that reach each and what they cost in stack height.
The four bands
| Static load band | Styles that reach it | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3,500 lb | Light nestable, export | Up to 3,500 lb |
| 3,500 to 8,000 lb | Standard nestable, light stackable | 3,500 to 8,000 lb |
| 8,000 to 18,000 lb | Heavy nestable, stackable, multi-use | 8,000 to 18,000 lb |
| Over 18,000 lb | Heavy stackable, one-piece | Over 18,000 lb |
Why bands, not a single number
Static load is the rating that moves most between styles. Dynamic and racking move too, but they cluster: a stackable rated 30,000 lb static is still rated 5,000 lb dynamic on a used HDPE example. So the bands sort the choice by the one number that separates a light nestable from a heavy stackable, then each page names the dynamic and racking questions to ask next.
Pick the lowest band that safely clears your heaviest stack. A rating that is higher than the job asks for buys weight, cost and fewer empties per trailer, and nothing in return.
A stack worked out
Take a stackable rated 10,000 lb static. The bottom pallet carries the pallets above it, so with each loaded pallet weighing 1,810 lb it can hold 5 above, a stack of 6. With 5,852 lb per pallet it can hold 1 above. This is a ceiling on a flat floor for a still stack, not a promise for a stack that moves or waits.
| Loaded pallet, lb | Pallets above the bottom | Stack height | Load on the bottom pallet, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,810 | 5 | 6 | 9,050 |
| 2,317 | 4 | 5 | 9,268 |
| 2,824 | 3 | 4 | 8,472 |
| 3,331 | 3 | 4 | 9,993 |
| 3,838 | 2 | 3 | 7,676 |
| 4,845 | 2 | 3 | 9,690 |
| 5,852 | 1 | 2 | 5,852 |
How to pick a band without over-buying
Start from the heaviest stack you will actually build, not the heaviest one you can imagine. Weigh one loaded pallet, multiply by the number of pallets that will sit above the bottom one, and add a margin for a load that is not spread evenly. That number is the static rating you need, and the band that contains it is the one to read.
Then check the two ratings that are not static. Dynamic is what the pallet carries on forks or a conveyor, and it is lower than static by a factor that varies a lot between makers. Racking, if the pallet goes on beams, is lower again. A band tells you the static class; it does not tell you the other two, so ask for them by name.
- Weigh a loaded pallet on a scale, not from a packing list.
- Count the pallets above the bottom one in your tallest stack.
- Ask whether the stack waits for weeks, since long holds call for margin.
- Ask for dynamic and racking figures for the exact model.
What each band holds up
To make the bands concrete, take loaded pallets of 3,000 lb each and ask how many the bottom pallet could carry above it at the top of each band. This is arithmetic on the static rating alone, for a still stack on a flat floor, and it leaves out the margin that stability and creep call for.
| Band, top of range | Static rating, lb | Pallets of 3,000 lb above the bottom | Stack height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 3,500 lb | 3,500 | 1 | 2 |
| 3,500 to 8,000 lb | 8,000 | 2 | 3 |
| 8,000 to 18,000 lb | 18,000 | 6 | 7 |
| Over 18,000 lb | 30,000 | 10 | 11 |
One more check before you buy
Ask whether the band you landed in is the band the maker rated the pallet in for your temperature and your hold time. A static figure taken at room temperature for an hour is a different promise from one that holds in a cold store for a season.
How to use the bands
Pick the band that holds your loaded pallet weight with margin, not the band that merely touches it, then open that page for the pallets and ratings listed there. A pallet near the bottom of a band has less headroom than one near the top, and a load that moves on forks is judged by the dynamic rating, which sits lower on the same sheet.
Why static ratings are the common ground
Dynamic and racking figures are measured in different ways by different makers, and many sheets omit them, so the static rating is the one number almost every sheet prints. That makes it a fair basis for sorting models into bands, and an unfair basis for choosing between them.
Words on this page
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.
- UL
- Underwriters Laboratories, a safety testing body that publishes fire test standards, including one for storage pallets.
- Dunnage
- Loose material used to support or secure cargo inside a trailer or container.
- Nest ratio
- How many empty pallets fit in the height of one: pallet height divided by nest increment.
- 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.
- Stretch wrap
- Elastic film wound around a loaded pallet to hold the load together.
- Footprint
- The length and width of a pallet deck. It is chosen to fit the container, the drum, the bag or the receiving rack.
- Cube utilisation
- How well loaded freight fills the volume of a trailer or container. Taller or wider-than-floor pallets waste cube.
Tell us the footprint and how many stacks you move.
We work out the empty trailer, then take the request for a load.