plastic pallets

plastic palette in black

Plastic pallets offer special properties that clearly distinguish them from conventional wooden pallets . This includes use in hygiene-sensitive environments. The plastic pallet therefore plays an important role in the modern logistics and transport industry.

Table of contents

construction
Advantages and disadvantages
comparison to the wooden pallet
Mass

construction

Plastic pallets are made entirely of plastic , neither wood nor metal are required for their manufacture. It is possible to construct them from several pieces; high-quality plastic pallets are made from one piece. This makes the construction particularly stable.

The smooth surface of plastic pallets is typical. It allows for easy cleaning and is resistant to insect, bacterial and fungal attack.

Advantages and disadvantages

Compared to wood and other materials, manufacturing from plastic offers typical advantages and disadvantages . These relate to the surface properties as well as the stability.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Low weight No additional treatment required for export High resilience Easy cleaning Insensitive surface variety of sizes No maintenance or repairs required High durability Stackable to save space	High acquisition costs Non-renewable raw material

comparison to the wooden pallet

In logistical practice, the plastic pallet serves primarily as an alternative to the classic wooden pallet . In comparison, the following key differences emerge:

	plastic pallet	wooden pallet
cleaning and hygiene	Smooth surface allows germ-free cleaning Thorough removal of bacteria when cleaning up to 70 °C	No germ-free cleaning possible Wood absorbs water, which promotes bacterial growth
export	Can be used without marking Meets strict export requirements, e.g. of the USA, China or Canada	Must be ISPM15-certified Labeling involves costs and bureaucratic effort
durability	Over 10 years High resistance No change in shape over time No splintering	2 to 3 years Frequent replacement or repair loss of shape due to moisture absorption Splinters easily
Weight	12 to 25 kg always constant (tare weight), as no moisture absorption	20 to 26 kg absorbs liquid and thus gains weight (no tare weight)
acquisition costs	About 25 euros	About 15 euros
maintenance	No maintenance required Shatterproof and robust	maintenance required Check for chipping and deformation
material flow	Optimal load carrier for automated conveyor systems High dimensional stability prevents error messages during use	Medium suitability for automated conveyor systems Twisted pallet feet can lead to disruptions in the material flow and error messages

Mass

One of the strengths of plastic pallets is the wide variety of dimensions . They are available, for example, as Euro pallets, industrial pallets or half Euro pallets, as well as in many other dimensions.

plastic Euro pallets

Euro pallets are one of the most common types of pallet. They are available in both wood and plastic. The dimensions are 1,200 x 800 mm . They are particularly suitable for holding boxes and containers measuring 600 x 400 and 800 x 600 mm. These are widely used standard sizes.

Half plastic Euro pallet

Half Euro pallets are used in industry, retail and the food industry. And because of their compact size, they are used in retail as display pallets for presentations. With their dimensions of 800 x 600 mm, two half Euro pallets fit on one Euro pallet.

export pallets

Plastic pallets are particularly suitable for export as no further certification is required. They are recommended for packaged food, for example. Export pallets are available in many different sizes . These include the following:

600 x 400 mm
800 x 600 mm
1,200 x 800 mm
1,200 x 1,000 mm (also called industrial pallet)
1,140 x 1,140 mm (also called container pallet)