Pallet Styles for Automotive
Automotive runs closed loops with fixed footprints. 48 x 45 in matches heavy-duty auto parts bulk containers, and the heaviest part sets the dynamic rating.
Closed loops and containers
Assembly plants and their suppliers ship parts in returnable containers on a fixed route. The container sets the pallet footprint: 48 x 45 in matches heavy-duty auto parts bulk containers. The pallet comes back empty, so the return leg is a cost to be counted.
Auto buyers pick the footprint from the container and the rating from the heaviest part that rides the pallet. The dynamic rating matters most: parts travel on forklifts and conveyors all day.
The empty return
A loop that returns 3,000 pallets a week needs different trailers for different styles. Here is the arithmetic with the maker figures on file for 48 x 40 in; the 48 x 45 in pallet, being larger, will hold fewer, and the maker's own figure should replace these.
| 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) | Rackable (540 per trailer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 7,500 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 14 |
| 15,000 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 28 |
Questions to put to a maker
- Dynamic load for the heaviest part, with the part on its feet or in a bin.
- Static load, if the bins stack in storage.
- Per-trailer figures at 48 x 45 in.
- Whether the customer specifies the model or just the size.
A stack worked out
Take a stackable rated 12,000 lb static. The bottom pallet carries the pallets above it, so with each loaded pallet weighing 1,675 lb it can hold 7 above, a stack of 8. With 5,717 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.
| Loaded pallet, lb | Pallets above the bottom | Stack height | Load on the bottom pallet, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,675 | 7 | 8 | 11,725 |
| 2,182 | 5 | 6 | 10,910 |
| 2,689 | 4 | 5 | 10,756 |
| 3,196 | 3 | 4 | 9,588 |
| 3,703 | 3 | 4 | 11,109 |
| 4,710 | 2 | 3 | 9,420 |
| 5,717 | 2 | 3 | 11,434 |
How tall the empties stand
Stack height is the other half of the return leg. For the Rehrig Pacific heavy-duty nestable, a stack of 5 stands 16.70 in and a stack of 29 stands 77.90 in, against 188.5 in un-nested.
| Pallets in the stack | Nested height, in | Un-nested height, in | Saved, in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16.70 | 32.5 | 15.80 |
| 9 | 26.90 | 58.5 | 31.60 |
| 13 | 37.10 | 84.5 | 47.40 |
| 17 | 47.30 | 110.5 | 63.20 |
| 21 | 57.50 | 136.5 | 79.00 |
| 25 | 67.70 | 162.5 | 94.80 |
| 29 | 77.90 | 188.5 | 110.60 |
Words on this page
- 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.
- Recycled content
- The share of a pallet moulded from reground plastic. Makers print it as a range, often by colour.
- 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.
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, a tough resin used in many plastic pallets, valued for strength against its weight.
- 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.
- Nest increment
- The extra height each additional empty pallet adds to a nested stack, measured in inches. A small increment means a short stack.
- 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.
Tell us the footprint and how many stacks you move.
We work out the empty trailer, then take the request for a load.