Nestable and Stackable Pallets: Columbus

Columbus, by road

I-70 and I-71 cross inside the I-270 loop, so the warehouses ring the city on a beltway. The Columbus area sits in Ohio, and the freight pattern follows the roads above.

Dairy product manufacturing is where this area is most concentrated, at 2.7 times the national share of employment. The area reaches into Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hocking, Licking and Madison... counties.

Counties

ZIP codes with the most warehouses

The five largest ZIP codes hold 150 establishments between them. Lockbourne (43137) leads with 39, 26.0 percent of the five.

Reading the numbers

• Franklin County has 18,179 warehousing jobs, 53.2 percent of the 34,200 in the Columbus area.
• Madison County has 7,480 warehousing jobs, 21.9 percent of the 34,200 in the Columbus area, 10,699 fewer than Franklin.
• Licking County has 6,644 warehousing jobs, 19.4 percent of the 34,200 in the Columbus area, 11,535 fewer than Franklin.
• Groveport (43125) has 2 fewer warehousing establishments than Lockbourne (43137), 37 against 39.
• Columbus (43228) has 11 fewer warehousing establishments than Lockbourne (43137), 28 against 39.
• Columbus (43207) has 15 fewer warehousing establishments than Lockbourne (43137), 24 against 39.
• Grove City (43123) has 17 fewer warehousing establishments than Lockbourne (43137), 22 against 39.
• Franklin County's 18,179 is 18.5 percent of all 98,354 warehousing jobs in Ohio.
• Madison County's 7,480 is 7.6 percent of all 98,354 warehousing jobs in Ohio.
• Licking County's 6,644 is 6.8 percent of all 98,354 warehousing jobs in Ohio.
• ZIP 43137 in Lockbourne ranks number 1 of the five, with 39 warehousing establishments, 26.0 percent of their combined total and 1.77 times the smallest of them.
• ZIP 43125 in Groveport ranks number 2 of the five, with 37 warehousing establishments, 24.7 percent of their combined total and 1.68 times the smallest of them.
• ZIP 43228 in Columbus ranks number 3 of the five, with 28 warehousing establishments, 18.7 percent of their combined total and 1.27 times the smallest of them.
• ZIP 43207 in Columbus ranks number 4 of the five, with 24 warehousing establishments, 16.0 percent of their combined total and 1.09 times the smallest of them.
• ZIP 43123 in Grove City ranks number 5 of the five, with 22 warehousing establishments, 14.7 percent of their combined total and 1.00 times the smallest of them.
• Dairy product manufacturing employs 3,229 in the area (partial), 0.09 for every warehousing job.
• Warehousing and storage employs 34,200 in the area (partial), 1.00 for every warehousing job.
• Beverage manufacturing employs 3,154 in the area (partial), 0.09 for every warehousing job.
• Ohio's motor vehicle parts manufacturing employment, 62,025, is 1.81 times the Columbus area's warehousing jobs.
• Ohio's plastics product manufacturing employment, 42,286, is 1.24 times the Columbus area's warehousing jobs.
• Ohio's motor vehicle manufacturing employment, 19,070, is 0.56 times the Columbus area's warehousing jobs.
• Ohio's fruit and vegetable preserving employment, 10,327, is 0.30 times the Columbus area's warehousing jobs.
• Cincinnati, also in Ohio, has 19,940 warehousing jobs, 0.58 times Columbus's.
• Cleveland, also in Ohio, has 13,652 warehousing jobs, 0.40 times Columbus's.

Who ships pallets here

In Columbus, dairy product manufacturing employs 3,229 (a partial count). Cold storage and frequent washing are the two things a dairy buyer asks the maker to confirm for the exact model. It tends to lean on stackable or nestable in a cold-friendly resin, usually in 48 x 40 in, and to ask about the maker's cold performance and wash guidance.

The empty return

An illustration, not a forecast: if each of 150 warehouses in its five largest ZIP codes in Columbus sent back 1,200 empty pallets in a week, that would be 180,000 pallets. The table counts the 53 ft trailers that takes at three makers' published nestable figures, beside the 540 per trailer of a rackable.

In its state

Among the 3 metros of Ohio that have a page here, Columbus ranks number 1 by warehousing jobs.

Columbus holds 34.8 percent of Ohio's 98,354 private warehousing jobs. See the Ohio page for the whole state.

Other metros in Ohio with their own page: Cincinnati and Cleveland.

Words on this page

Nest ratio

How many empty pallets fit in the height of one: pallet height divided by nest increment.

Reefer

A refrigerated trailer or container.

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.

Commodity class

A fire-protection category for stored goods and their pallets, used to design sprinkler systems.

Drayage

The short haul of a container between a port or rail ramp and a warehouse.

3PL

A third-party logistics company that stores and ships goods for other businesses.

ZIP Code Business Patterns

A Census Bureau series that counts establishments by ZIP code and industry.

HDPE

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

Dock door

The opening where a trailer backs to a building so pallets can be loaded and unloaded.