As a plastic pallet factory founded in 2002, we think it’s a responsibility to make a guide to purchasing plastic pallets.
This guide will be constantly updated and covers all the vital aspects that must know before purchasing. The corrections or suggestions are always welcome! You can easily contact us by leaving a message on our website.
1. the Benefits of Plastic Pallets
Durable. Plastic pallets are about 10 times longer than wooden pallets. In fact, steel pallets and plastic pallets are hard to distinguish in terms of life expectancy.
Reliable. It’s acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, corrosion-resistant, non-perishable.
Security. It’s nail-free, non-toxic, tasteless, non-combustible, no electrostatic sparks.
Lightweight. Plastic pallets are lighter than the same size wooden pallets, thus reducing the weight and cost of transport.
Health. Plastic pallets can be cleaned and reused, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is promoting companies
to use plastic pallets to carry products.
Applicability. It’s not only suitable for stacking each other in warehouses and on a wide range of shelves, but also suitable for all types of truck transportation, convenient material series, unitized transportation.
Convenient for international trade. The plastic pallet is fumigation-free and can be used directly for export.
Irreplaceable. It’s irreplaceable in some industries such as food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and other industries.
Insurance. As a result of the damage resistance of plastic pallets, workers’ compensation claims were reduced accordingly. And the reduction in the use of wood in the factory is equal to the reduction in fire insurance premiums.
2. Find out the real factory — Not a trade company
In the pallet industry, most factories’ network promotion ability is much weaker than trade companies.
And you’ll find many trade companies in the results when you google “plastic pallet manufacturer”.
After we get the suppliers list, the first step is to check their website whether including the factory information such as,
- factory name,
- address (most trade company’s address is in the office buildings),
- picturers of the factory, machines, etc. (check the modification trace),
- videos of introducing.
Tips:
Pallet factory can provide us cheaper prices, better consistent products quality & delivery time and more professional technical support than trade company. And Liyang Group has an independent international trade sales team which can provide better service than other factories.
3. Choose the right pallet
- Custom plastic pallets;
- Standard plastic pallets.
When the quantity is large enough (about 10000 pics), we can choose the custom plastic pallets service — The manufacturer will design the unique pallet mold according to the customer’s demand.
If our quantity can not meet the custom quantity requirements, we can choose the standard plastic pallets.
4. Consider the material
A. PP or PE (HDPE)
PP and PE are both important raw materials for plastic pallets.
PP
Also known as polypropylene, it is a semicrystalline thermoplastic.
It has high impact resistance, mechanical sub-strong, resistance to a variety of organic solvents, and acid-base corrosion.
Polypropylene mainly used in the production of plastic pallets, plastic tables and chairs, plastic trash cans, plastic film, and so on.
PE
The name is polyethylene, which is one of the most commonly used polymer materials in daily life. Polyethylene is resistant to a variety of organic solvents, resistant to a variety of acid-base corrosion, but not antioxidant acids, such as nitric acid.
It could be oxidized in an oxidizing environment.
Polyethylene is used in large quantities to make plastic trays, plastic trash cans, plastic tables and chairs, plastic bags, plastic film, milk barrel products.
What is the difference between a plastic pallet of PP and PE material?
Physically, PP makes plastic trays that are more flexible than PE-made plastic trays and are impact-resistant.
PP is more resistant to high temperatures than PE and can be used at pasteurized temperatures.
B. Recycled plastic pallets or 100% virgin plastic pallets
| 100% virgin plastic pallet material | Recycled plastic pallet material | |
| Strength of the plastic pallet | Strong molecular structure hence, durable and strong | Weak molecular structure due to repeated heating |
| Cost of plastic pallet | More expensive than recycled plastic pallet | Cheaper than virgin plastic pallets |
| Performance of plastic pallets | Superior performance | Inferior performance than virgin plastic pallets |
| Mechanical strength | Strong | Brittle |
| Material consistency | Dimensionally stable and material performance is consistent | Controlling material consistency and dimensional stability is extremely difficult |
5. Consider the main parameter
For pallets, the load capacity is the most important parameter.
There are three dimensions to reflect the load capacity: Static load, Dynamic load, Racking/shelf load.
Static Load
A static load is defined as a non-varying load; when weight is placed on an object that is kept at rest.
Dynamic Load
A dynamic load refers to the weight that is placed on an object and then put in motion.
Racking/Shelf Load
A racking load is the strength load rating for when a pallet is placed in a racked system.
6. Load Capacity Test
The purpose of this test is to determine the diagonal rigidity of the top deck of the pallet and its resistance to impact.
2. Static shear test
The purpose of this test is to simulate the approximate forces induced through lateral deck shear.
3. Bottom deck bending tests
The purpose of this test is to determine the strength and stiffness of the bottom deck between block or stingers when handling on twin rack conveyors or narrow span beam rack supports.
4. Stacking test
The purpose of this test is to determine the ability of the pallet top and bottom decks to withstand the local effects of widely varying payloads on sub spans of decks between blocks and stringers in a block-stacking situation.
5. Compression tests for blocks or stringers
The purpose of this test is to determine the compression stiffness and strength of the blocks or stringers of the pallet.
6. Fork lifting tests
The limiting condition of use for non-rackable and non-stackable single or double-deck pallets is the bending of the pallet on fork arm supports under the top deck of the pallet. With a forklift test, we can measure the bending strength and bending stiffness.
7. Static airbag bending test
The purpose of this form of bending test is to simulate, as near as practically feasible, certain load applications as commonly encountered in the field.
8. Static wing pallet bending test
The purpose of these tests is to determine the bending strength and the bending stiffness of winged pallets during lifting with slings.
9. Static bending test
The purpose of these tests is to determine the bending strength and the bending stiffness of the pallet in pallet in racking situations.
References
- ^ Advantages of plastic pallets – Source: Advantages of plastic pallets over wooden pallets
- ^ Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP) pallet – Source: Which is better, Polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP) pallet?
- ^ ISO 8611 Pallet Testing – Source: Which is better, Polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP) pallet?