Plastic Pallet Buying Guide 2022

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PLASTIC PALLETS

Many businesses are switching from traditional wooden pallets to plastic pallets with Exporta. This guide will help you make an informed decisions for your business when it comes to finding the right plastic pallet. Helping you grow profit margins, improve logistics, reduce shipping costs and more!

QUICKLINKS

• Benefits

• Wood vs. Plastic

• Pallet Types

THE BENEFITS OF PLASTIC PALLETS

• Lightweight – saving money on airfreight and easier for manual handling
• Hygienic – ideal for food and pharmaceutical settings
• Easy to Clean – can be steam cleaned or washed
• Consistency of Size & Strength – perfect for automation with guaranteed tested load capabilities
• Sustainable – made from recycled plastic, which is also recyclable!
• Aesthetically Pleasing – can be used in point-of-sale displays
• Branding Options – need a specific colour or your logo on each plastic pallet? No problem! We can even add barcoding levels for RFID Tracking, ensuring no pallets are lost in transit.
• Easy Storage – nestable plastic pallets can fit four times as many compared to wooden pallets of the same height

Find out more about the benefits of plastic pallets.

PLASTIC VS WOODEN PALLETS

Plastic Pallets are Lighter

If you’re shipping goods via airfreight and using wood, then you’re probably paying WAY too much for your carriage. You could save up to £45 per pallet per carriage, particularly with lightweight plastic pallets.

Plastic Pallets Last a Long Time

Because of their construction, plastic pallets have a bit of flex in them. This means they are less susceptible to cracks. They last much longer than wooden pallets and save you a lot of admin and time. Plastic pallets last up to 10 years and up to ten times longer in a closed-loop system than wooden pallets. How much of a saving is that for you?

Plastic Pallets are an Investment

Wooden pallets are a cost – you never see that money again. However, plastic pallets are an investment. Due to their design, durability, and returnable transit packaging potential, they are much more cost-effective overall.

Plastic Pallets Use Less Space

Nestable plastic pallets slot inside each other when they’re not in use. This means they use around one-third of the space of a wooden pallet when idle. Four times as many nestable plastic pallets can for in one stack compared to wooden pallets. What could you do with all that extra space saved?

Plastic Pallets Are Safer

Wooden pallets require careful handling, as there is a significant risk of splinters and injury from broken bits of wood. Save on PPE equipment and in costly downtime with plastic pallets, as there are no sharp edges, nails, or splinters.

Plastic Pallets are Uniform

No matter how hard they try, each wooden pallet is different. However, with Plastic, it comes out the mould the same every single time, which ensures the smooth running of production lines and safe within any storage facility. Plastic is IDEAL for automation.

Plastic Pallets Can Carry Over 7 Tonnes

Did you know that plastic pallets can hold over 7 tonnes in weight? Because wood has flaws in it, there is a theoretical load limit. Plastic suffers no such flaws. What items could you put on a heavy-duty plastic pallet?

Plastic Pallets are Hygienic

If you operate in a food or medical environment, then you’ll want to make sure you don’t get any ingress or contamination. Plastic pallets are far more hygienic than wooden pallets. With no collection points for dust, dirt, or mould, their surfaces are easier to keep thoroughly clean.

Plastic Pallets are Exempt from ISPM15 Regulations

Plastic pallets, boxes, crates, and containers are more hygienic, and parasites, bugs and fungi cannot live in or attach to them. This means that they do not require any specific treatment or certification for exporting within the EU, or any other country that accepts ISPM15 standards.

Plastic Pallets Are More Sustainable

Most plastic pallets are manufactured from recycled materials and can still be recycled. Where virgin plastic is used for food, pharmaceutical and hygienic applications, these can also be recycled at the end of their lifecycle.

Plastic Pallets Are Impervious to Moisture

Unlike wooden and presswood pallets, plastic pallets will not absorb moisture, and this eliminates damages to palletised goods and reduces mould and bacteria forming.

View our full range of Plastic Pallets.

WHAT PALLET DO I NEED?

So, what pallet do you need for your business? That depends on the application, if they are being used to export or as part of an automation system, the type of pallet, and where they will be going.

Distribution Pallets

Ideal for use in a large range of industries including logistics and automotive businesses, distribution pallets are utilised for highly efficient transportation of goods. A cost-effective and convenient transportation solution.

Display Pallets

Ideal for displaying plates in stores, customer facing settings, and all points of sale.

Automation Pallets

Automation pallets are ideal for use in multiuse and return systems.

Food Grade Hygiene Pallets

Designed to minimise contamination, these pallets are very easy to clean so are ideal for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries where sanitisation is paramount.

Container Pallets

Designed to fit two side-by-side within a standing container. Stackable and space-efficient, saving money on return costs.

H1 Pallets

Impact-resistant pallets, ideal for automation, storage, and most applications.

Pool Pallets

These plastic pallets are specifically designed to be strong enough to carry large weights and can be used within loop systems.

Try our Pallet Selector Tool to find the right pallet to suit your needs.