Nestable and Stackable Pallets: Michigan

Michigan, by road

Michigan is a place where it borders Ohio and Indiana by land and Canada by bridge and tunnel at Detroit, where auto parts cross the river daily. Pallets here follow I-75, I-94, I-96 and I-69, and the distance they travel empty is the cost a nestable cuts.

The counties with the most warehousing jobs are Wayne (22,255), Oakland (4,113) and Macomb (3,556), which is 73.4 percent of the state's 40,753. It shares a land border with Ohio and Indiana.

Warehousing in numbers

Refrigerated space matters because a freezer is hard on plastic; the cold guide says what to ask for. Michigan held 88 million cubic feet of gross refrigerated warehouse capacity on October 1, 2025.

Reading the numbers

• Wayne County has 22,255 warehousing jobs, 54.6 percent of Michigan's 40,753, the most in the state.
• Oakland County has 4,113 warehousing jobs, 10.1 percent of Michigan's 40,753, 18,142 fewer than Wayne County.
• Macomb County has 3,556 warehousing jobs, 8.7 percent of Michigan's 40,753, 18,699 fewer than Wayne County.
• Motor vehicle parts manufacturing employs 111,465 people in Michigan, 2.74 for every warehousing job.
• Motor vehicle manufacturing employs 44,870 people in Michigan, 1.10 for every warehousing job.
• Plastics product manufacturing employs 32,916 people in Michigan, 0.81 for every warehousing job.
• Refrigerated warehousing employs 3,158 people in Michigan, 0.08 for every warehousing job.
• Fruit and vegetable preserving employs 7,444 people in Michigan, 0.18 for every warehousing job.
• Michigan holds 2.14 percent of US warehousing jobs, about one in every 47, spread over 576 establishments averaging 71 jobs each.
• Detroit accounts for 30,083 warehousing jobs, 73.8 percent of Michigan's.
• Grand Rapids accounts for 3,125 warehousing jobs, 7.7 percent of Michigan's.
• Ohio has 98,354 warehousing jobs, 2.41 times the 40,753 in Michigan.
• Indiana has 67,506 warehousing jobs, 1.66 times the 40,753 in Michigan.

Who ships pallets here

In Michigan, motor vehicle parts manufacturing employs 111,465. Suppliers weigh the dynamic rating against the way parts move, and ask whether the pallet nests when it comes back empty. It tends to lean on heavy-duty stackable pallets, nestable on the empty return, usually in 48 x 45 in or 48 x 40 in, and to ask about the dynamic load, since parts travel on forklifts and conveyors all day.

Motor vehicle parts manufacturing is the trade where Michigan is most concentrated, at 7.5 times the national share of employment. A buyer in that trade will tend to ask the questions in the last column first.

The empty return

An illustration, not a forecast: if each of 576 warehouse establishments in Michigan sent back 800 empty pallets in a week, that would be 460,800 pallets. The table counts the 53 ft trailers that takes at three makers' published nestable figures, beside the 540 per trailer of a rackable.

Next door

Metros in Michigan with their own page: Detroit and Grand Rapids.

Words on this page

Pallet jack

A hand or powered truck with two forks, used to move a pallet short distances.

UL

Underwriters Laboratories, a safety testing body that publishes fire test standards, including one for storage pallets.

Closed loop

A route where pallets return to the sender after delivery, so the empty trip is a standing cost.

Reefer

A refrigerated trailer or container.

FM Approvals

A testing and certification body whose classifications insurers and sprinkler designers read.

Gross cubic feet

The total volume of a refrigerated warehouse. Usable space is smaller once aisles and equipment are subtracted.

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.

Last mile

The final leg of a delivery, from a local depot to the customer.

Beam span

The open gap between two rack beams. The longer the span, the lower the load the pallet can carry across it.