What Type Of Plastic Pallet Do I Need?

Choosing a plastic pallet is not as straightforward as you might think. All plastic pallets are not created equal! Depending on the application you might go from the cheapest, a lightweight nestable pallet like the AIC SF1000L (See LINK) all the way to the most expensive, a Hygienic plastic pallet, AIC TC3 (See LINK). There are more expensive types out there but they are for specialist applications which we will look at in the next posting.

What size plastic pallet?

  • Plastic pallets are normally manufactured from an injection moulding process with the most common sizes being 1200×1200 mm, 1200×1000 mm, 1200×800 mm, and 800×600 mm. Other sizes are also available but with a reduced selection. Contact us if you are looking for a size outside the above range and we will get you the closest production size.

What do you want the plastic pallet to do?

  • Sending your goods out on one trip?
    • When you are not getting the pallet back you should consider the cheapest plastic pallet to take your product weight. This is a lightweight nestable plastic pallet – See LINK. You can get these new or second-hand.
  • Want to reuse it within your warehouse?
    • You will want to choose a plastic pallet that is robust and that will stand up to multiple uses. Depending on the operating conditions you will either choose a Heavy plastic pallet (See LINK) or a Hygienic plastic pallet (See LINK). These are also available new or second-hand (depending on the pallet).
    • Just a quick note on the Hygienic plastic pallet, this is basically a heavy-duty plastic pallet that has no nooks or crannies and is easily cleaned, hence the “Hygienic” title! This is more of a requirement for the pharmaceutical or food industry.
  • Want to re-use outside your warehouse
    • As well as the internal warehouse considerations you will want to be able to differentiate your plastic pallet. You can do this through a different colour, printing your name, or printing a unique number on the pallet to enable tracking. It is also possible to embed an RFID chip in the plastic pallet.
    • Experience has shown that a closed loop is best suited for keeping track and possession of your plastic pallet.

What operating temperature?

  • This is not normally a big issue as most plastic pallets are made from High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) which has a lower operating temperature than alternatives but if your plastic pallet is to operate at extreme temperatures make sure you take this into account.

Summary

  • The above is a summary of the considerations that you need to take into account in choosing your most suited plastic pallet. If you have any questions please feel free to contact AIC Plastics and we will make sure we match you with the right plastic pallet.