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Wooden pallets fall into two broad categories: block pallets and bearer pallets.
In a block pallet, the top deck is supported by 9 blocks. The blocks leave spaces into which
the forks of a forklift or pallet truck can enter from any side. The bottom deck, or base, of a block pallet
can be laid out in many different ways, for example, perpindicular or parallel boards only, a full base,
or no base. Currently, the most widely used sizes of block pallet
are 1200 x 1000mm
and 1200 x 800mm. The Euro
pallet is a 1200 x 800mm
block pallet that conforms to EPAL size and construction specifications.
A bearer pallet is constructed from three parallel pieces of timber (called bearers) onto which the
top deckboards are attached. Bearer pallets are often called two-way pallets, because forklifts and pallet trucks
can access them only from two sides. Some bearer pallets have notched bearers that allow for four-way access to
the pallet. Currently, the most widely used size of bearer pallet
is 1200 x 1000mm.
There are many factors that determine what type of pallet is appropriate for a particular application.
Typically, these factors include the amount of weight the pallet is expected to bear, whether it will be
moved by a forklift or pallet truck, whether it will go on a conveyor belt, what products will be stored
on it, its destination, reuse, and cost.
The weight-bearing capability of pallets can vary depending on factors such as the number of bearers and how
the load is distributed, but the following is an approximate guide:
| Weight limit |
Thickness of deck boards |
| 700 kg |
16 mm |
| 1000 kg |
18 mm |
| 1500 kg |
20 mm |
All of our pallets are manufactured from high-quality kiln-dried native timber.
In addition to these off-the-shelf designs, we offer a pallet design service whereby
we work collaboratively with customers to design and manufacture bespoke pallet types.
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