What Are Plastic Pallets Used for?

Plastic pallets are rapidly becoming the platform of choice for many companies. As supply chain managers see them used more and more frequently in place of traditional wood pallets, they may wonder what plastic pallets are used for, when they should be used, and what logistics problems they solve.

The short answer is that plastic pallets are used for shipping every product that wood pallets ship. However, plastic pallets are particularly competitive over wood pallets when the product being shipped is food, pharmaceuticals, or another item that is particularly vulnerable to contamination, damage, or spoilage. The unique characteristics of plastic pallets also make them an ideal choice for automated systems.

Plastic pallets derive their advantages from the material out of which they are made. Plastic is light, strong, durable, and nonabsorbent and isn’t subject to degradation due to the action of moisture or microorganisms. High-quality plastic pallets have a sturdy unitized construction that does not use nails or boards, which in wood pallets often pull loose and leave behind debris in production and transport areas. The material and construction of plastic pallets make them an ideal shipping platform for industries where hygiene, safety, and strength are priorities, such as:                                                  

Food: Cleanliness in food production, storage, and transportation is vitally important in order to keep consumers safe and to avoid load rejections by retailers and the associated fees. Using plastic pallets helps food producers and transporters meet and even exceed Food Safety Modernization Act requirements.

Pharmaceuticals: Pharmaceutical products like drugs, vaccines, and biologicals have even stricter hygiene requirements than those in place for food. Many pharmaceuticals require a stringent cleanroom environment during manufacturing and packaging; non-absorbent, sanitizable plastic pallets are the only shipping platforms that can meet the hygiene requirements for cleanroom pallets and can also withstand the rigors of shipping outside of the cleanroom.

Paper Products: Products like paper towels and diapers need to arrive at the retailer with their packaging intact so that they are safe and sanitary for use. The resilience and unitized construction of plastic pallets do away with debris, splinters, and sharp edges that can damage the packaging of paper products.

Heavy Items: Water, beverages, and other liquid products have a great deal of weight for their volume. Industrial products like auto parts can also be quite heavy. High-quality plastic pallets are significantly more robust than their wood equivalents and capable of carrying a dynamic load of 5000 pounds.