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Pallets, be they plastic or wood, are probably the most common item you can find in a warehouse or any factory. A pallet is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable manner while being lifted by a machine. It can be lifted by material handling tools: forklift, pallet jack, front loader, work saver, jacking device, cranes etc. It forms the structural base of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies.
Pallets are often placed below goods and containers and are secured with strapping, stretch wrap or shrink wrap and shipped. The modern usage of pallets has superseded older forms of crating like the wooden box and the wooden barrel since its invention in the twentieth century. The widespread use of pallets can be explained by one very practical reason — it works well with modern packaging such as corrugated boxes and intermodal containers commonly used for bulk shipping.
Wood and plastic pallets are common and widespread. Metal pallets, paper pallets and pallets made from recycled materials are less common and have very specific use cases. Each material has advantages and disadvantages.
Plastic Pallet vs. Wood Pallet
Let’s us try to understand why some companies prefer the use of wooden pallets while others prefer the plastic.
Wood Pallets
Many people consider low-cost pallets, which often use softwood, disposable. Logistics companies usually throw them away as trash together with other wrapping parts, at the end of the shipment. These disposable pallets are often simple stringer pallets, and raisable from two sides.
Hardwood block pallets are slightly more complex and costlier to make. As such, the recipient usually sends the pallet back to the sender or pays a deposit is prior to shipment. Otherwise, the pallets are sold after shipment. Hardwood block pallets are able to withstand a heavier load compared to it’s softwood counterpart.
However, wood pallets can pose terrible biological problems as they are vulnerable to chemical and biological contamination, such as growth of bacteria in food and produce transportation, and even pest infestation. Food and produce industries tend to avoid using wooden pallets and instead opt for plastic pallets which they consider a more hygienic alternative.
Wooden pallets are vulnerable to biological risks like bacterial contamination and insect infestation. They can be mitigated by using ISPM 15 certified wooden pallets which have been debarked and then heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and then branded with a mark of compliance.
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