A stackable plastic pallet, line by line

The lines

Reading the example

The used HDPE example weighs 49 lb, which is a heavy pallet, and its 30,000 lb static is at the top of what makers list. Its dynamic rating is 5,000 lb, one-sixth of static, and its racking rating is 2,200 lb. If it sat on a rack, 2,200 lb is the number that counts, not 30,000.

The page for the listing calls it a reconditioned pallet. Used pallets can carry the same figures as new ones, but ask the maker whether the figures apply to the used unit or to the new design, because wear and repairs can change what a pallet carries.

A stack worked out

Take a stackable rated 8,000 lb static. The bottom pallet carries the pallets above it, so with each loaded pallet weighing 2,584 lb it can hold 3 above, a stack of 4. With 6,626 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.

A beam load worked out

Take a pallet with a 2,200 lb racking load. A loaded pallet of 1,402 lb uses 63.7 percent of it and leaves 798 lb; one of 3,020 lb is 820 lb over. Rack engineers also apply their own safety margins, so treat the figure as a ceiling.

Questions to put to the maker

• Does stretch wrap or a top frame change the stacking guidance?
• Does the stack rating assume a closed deck on the pallet above?
• What is the pallet's empty weight, so the load on the bottom pallet can be added up?
• Is the dynamic rating printed next to the static one, and for which handling method?
• Is the rating the same on a slick floor, a conveyor and a rack?
• What stack height does the maker print for the loaded stack, and what is the tilt limit?
• Which deck pattern gives the best grip for the load, and what does it do to the rating?
• Does the sheet give a rating at the cold end of the temperature range you work in?

From the dock

• Label every stack with its pallet model so the rating being relied on is the one on the sheet.
• Forklift tines catch deck edges; closed decks with chamfered edges suffer less from rough entry.
• Weigh a sample loaded pallet before trusting any estimate; stacked weight grows faster than people expect.
• Pallet jacks need clear entry on the bottom; feet and runners that block a wheel make a slow dock.
• Warehouse floors are rarely flat; a slight slope turns a safe stack into a tall lever.
• Slick film wrap and a smooth deck make a skating surface; a gripping deck pattern holds cartons still.
• Mixed loads stack worst: a heavy case on one corner can cost more than a light load on the whole deck.

Words on this page

HDPE

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

Stretch wrap

Elastic film wound around a loaded pallet to hold the load together.

Creep

Slow, permanent bending of plastic under a steady load. A pallet can hold a load for an hour and bow under it after a month.

Open deck

A deck with slots or a grid, which drains water, sheds dust and weighs less than a solid one.

Slip sheet

A thin sheet of plastic or fibreboard used under a load in place of a pallet, handled by a push-pull attachment.

Footprint

The length and width of a pallet deck. It is chosen to fit the container, the drum, the bag or the receiving rack.

Bulk bag

A large woven bag, often sold as a Super Sack, that holds a ton or so of powder or granules and sits on a square pallet.

4-way entry

A pallet that forks or a pallet jack can enter from all four sides.