{"id":133,"date":"2019-08-19T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T06:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.3dbinpacking.com\/?p=133"},"modified":"2023-07-13T16:37:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T14:37:41","slug":"types-of-pallets-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.3dbinpacking.com\/en\/types-of-pallets-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Wood or plastic? The advantages and disadvantages of different pallet types"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There is no such thing as an ideal pallet which has a suitable size for all applications. Neither is there such a thing as an ideal material for producing a pallet. Despite the well-known advantages of plastics, it is wooden pallets that have been predominant in shipping for years. Why? Because after their useful life they can be Wooden pallets or plastic pallets? The decision you make seems obvious: the cheapest one. And here the stumbling blocks arise, because purchase price is not the only cost you incur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wooden pallets offer hard-to-beat benefits:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You may reuse only pallets which are designed for that. You can easily recognize them thanks to EPAL mark<\/strong> or, in the case of reconditioned ones, thanks to the repair nail<\/strong> placed on the middle block. These markings guarantee that the pallet has been manufactured and repaired at a certified plant, and thus possesses the required parameters (dimensions, capacity) and is safe to be used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To sum up: wooden pallets are a winner because of their price and versatile simplicity<\/strong> \u2013 they are easy to manufacture, repair, resell and recycle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there really is nothing free of charge. Every rose has its thorns and a wooden pallet has its splinters, protruding nails and is heavy<\/strong>. Furthermore, it is hygroscopic<\/strong> (which means potential weight gain and lowered strength parameters), susceptible to fungi or mould development, as well as to mechanical damage <\/strong>which may result in frequent repairs<\/strong>. Wood gets dirty easily and is difficult to clean which sometimes may preclude further reuse. As a result, it may not turn out as economical as it appears with regard to only the purchase price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you transport, for example, building materials or machinery parts, the disadvantages of wooden pallets discussed above will not keep you awake at night. However, if you are interested in shipping food, plastic pallets may be your only choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The list of advantages of plastic pallets is worth paying attention to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Plastic pallets and containers are particularly predominant in the food industry where resistance to dirt and to reaction with various organic substances is particularly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But you have to pay for each of these properties. It makes a plastic pallet a few times more expensive than similar sized wooden one. A damaged plastic pallet is practically useless as it is not repairable<\/strong>. The cost of making customized plastic pallets is disproportionally high compared to the price of non-standard wooden pallets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the not too distant future, plastic pallets will squeeze out the wooden competition<\/strong>. This will be due to rising prices of wood, potential new ecological regulations (e.g. within the EU), and most probably due to the economic viability. This applies mainly, in our opinion, to the Polish market, as wooden pallets have been in retreat for a long time in western Europe. Wooden pallets will continue to be traded as long as there is a supply of cheap wood. When will this change? The answer goes far beyond the scope of packaging and forwarding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There is no such thing as an ideal pallet which has a suitable size for all applications. Neither is there such a thing as an ideal material for producing a pallet. Despite the well-known advantages of plastics, it is wooden pallets that have been predominant in shipping for years. Why? Because after their useful life … <\/p>\nWooden pallets \u2013 the power of price and simplicity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Plastic pallets \u2013 made to last<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wood in retreat<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n