Best Type of Pallet for Your Shipment – Wooden Pallets?

The courier service you called for same day pick up, has arrived. As this is your first time using pallet delivery, you want to know which of the different types of pallet is most suitable: traditional wood, plastic and aluminium.

Which pallet will best suit your shipping needs?

The answer lies in the type of goods you’ll be sending and your shipping budget. Pallets come in numerous shapes, sizes, and materials, from varying wooden base dimensions to highly stackable plastic pallets. In the first of a three-part series we’ll be taking a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of wooden pallets in order to help you choose the best platform on which to send your goods.

Standard wooden pallets

Standard wooden pallets are the most common, and also the most affordable. They’re very sturdy and will hold heavy loads of up to 1000 KG. If you’ve ordered same day pick up from National Pallets, you can request a standard wooden pallet be sent with the driver for a nominal charge of £12.50.

Advantages

• Affordable and readily available
• These pallets are very durable
• They can be recycled into paper, mulch, or reused as DIY projects
• The pallets themselves can be made of recycled wood
• Easily fix a broken pallet as boards and parts are replaceable
• Simple construction

Disadvantages

• Difficult to keep the wood clean, contact with water can encourage wood-eating bacteria and fungi
• These pallets are not the lightest option
• Pallets must be frequently replaced due to shrinkage, sprinters, and protruding dangerous nails

Presswood pallets

There is more than one type of wooden pallet. Presswood pallets are very different from standard wooden pallets in that they are moulded into shape. Dried wood chips are pressurised at high temperatures to form these lightweight durable pallets.

Advantages

• Design allows pallets to be stacked efficiently
• Strong and lightweight, weighs 60% less than standard wooden pallets
• Rounded corners make pallet easier to manoeuvre and decrease wear
• No dangerous protruding nails and staples
• Environmentally responsible construction

Disadvantages

• Warehouses are set up with specific storage facilities, not many warehouses facilitate this type of pallet making it difficult to ship to multiple storehouses.
• Can decompose if left out in the rain too many times

Plywood pallets

Plywood pallets are often simpler in their construction than standard wooden pallets, consisting of a single board on top.

Advantages

• Perfect for light and medium loads that require sturdy, reliable support
• Strong and lightweight
• Smooth clean surface
• Doesn’t absorb water as much as other wooden pallets
• Multiple ways to stack and store

Disadvantages

• Not as easy to store on warehouse racks as standard wooden pallets
• As with presswood pallets, not all warehouses have the storage facilities to keep these pallets

Stay tuned for the second part of our pallet guide, where we’ll be taking a look at plastic pallets and how they may be better suited to meet your shipping needs.