What Are The Different Types of Pallets?

Pallets can sometimes be mistaken as all being the same due to their familiar wooden structures – but on closer inspection, you can see that no two pallets are alike. These pallets are essential to your warehouse as they provide the foundation for the storing and transporting of your goods, and are made from a variety of materials: from recycled wood, to metal and plastic.

There are a number of ways to distinguish between the different types of pallets, and as such figuring out which works best for you. We’ll take a deeper look into some of the most-common type of pallets using in storage spaces, considering some of the advantages and disadvantages of these different types of pallets.

Distinguishing by Entry Points - Two-way and Four-way Entry Points

Considering pallets based on entry points is important due to forklift access to these pallets. There are two-way entry points, and four-way entry points – choosing which one depends on the number of entry points you require for your forklift.

As is suggested by their names, a two-way entry pallet has entry opening on two sides of the pallet for forklift access, and a four-way entry pallet has entries on all four sides of the pallets.

Open Deck Pallet

An open-deck pallet, otherwise known as a ventilated pallet deck, has openings in its surface which allows for gaps between the deckboards. These gaps allow for the pallets to be lighter, and in turn less expensive. Naturally though, this type of pallet is not suitable for the storage and shipping of smaller items because it risks them falling through the cracks

Solid Deck Pallet

Unlike the open deck pallet, solid deck pallets consist of one large sheet of wood, plastic or metal with no spaces. Amongst many customers, these pallets are preferred due to their aesthetically appealing structure, as well as being easy to transport and clean. This makes this type of pallet the perfect option for those wanting to store smaller objects, as the design of the continuous flow of the pallet prevents small items falling through any cracks.

Double-Face Pallets

When it comes to pallets, they exist in two general styles: single-face pallets and double-face pallets. Most pallets come with just the top deck, but you can opt for pallets that also have a bottom deck, as well as a top one. These are known as double-faced pallets, and are most beneficial for their ability to be used with any side facing up. These double-face pallets provide increased strength due to the even distribution of the entire load, enabled by the existence of the bottom-deck.

The bottom and top deck boards on these pallets extend pass the stringers, giving the appearance of wings on either side, and can be made to be either reversible, or reversible.

Block Pallets

Block pallets are known for their four-way entry, making access to them by forklift far easier as they can be accessed on all four sides. This type of storage solution can be made from a variety of different materials: wood, plywood, plastic, and so forth. A benefit of block pallets is the ability to have them either with a bottom board, or without – depending on your requirements. Block pallets are widely accepted as being very convenient and efficient for handling purposes, due to both the perpendicular and parallel stringers in its design.

Generally, these pallets use 4 to 12 blocks to support the top deckboards, and are often used along with string pallets as a foundation for transport structures with the purpose of lifting goods and materials.

Stringer Pallets

Considered mostly a two-way pallet due to the two boards that run between the bottom and top decks on opposite sides of the pallet blocking the entry from those ends, the stinger pallet is a rather popular form of pallet. Despite this, there are also four-way stringer pallets that are available, allowing forklifts to enter from the otherwise non-accessible sides, also.

Comparing the stinger pallets to block pallets, the former provide additional support due to the two boards that run between the bottom and top deck at opposite sides.

Why Choose Us?

At DC Space & Storage Solution, we provide our customers with a top-quality service, offering a bespoke end-to-end service for your installation requirements. You can rely on the team at DC to never let a question go unanswered, so get in-touch today to start the discussion on the type of pallet that will work perfectly in your storage space.