A Detailed Guide to Choosing the Best Wood Pallets in Florida
Wooden pallets are crucial pieces of equipment in the shipping industry. Correct pallets guarantee the safety of your products as you ship to different destinations. The global wood pallet market value stands at $10.43 billion as of 2020, and it is expected to rise by a CARG of 6.0% to $15.75 billion by 2026.
With different wood pallets available, selecting the right pallet may become hectic. You’ll need to understand the various factors that determine which type is best suited for your business needs. Here are six considerations to put in mind just before you search for “wood pallets Florida.”
1. Material Used For Construction
With many species of wood available for use, new pallets are majorly categorized into two groups: hardwoods and softwoods.
Hardwoods: Wood from trees such as mahogany, maple, oak, and sweetgum are used to make these pallets. Our hardwood pallets are built with lumber straight from the sawmill and thus pricing is based hardwood log prices for that particular region. Our competitors for these logs are paper companies and the industrial markets (crossties, crane matting, etc.).
Softwoods: Include wood from pine, spruce, and fir trees. Pine is what’s used in the Southeastern US as it is readily available. All new kiln-dried pine pallets are built from lumber purchased from large pine sawmills already cut into dimensional pieces such as 2 x 4’s, 4 x 4’s, etc. While pine pricing may loosely correlate with hardwood pricing, the markets are very different.
2. Types of Pallets
The structural design of the pallets affects the strength and durability of the wood during shipping. The top deck boards sit on parallel stringer boards with different deck spacing.
Stringer pallets: The top decks are attached to parallel stringers creating a sturdy frame. The design can create a two-way entry for forklifts or four-way entry, depending on whether notches are cut into the stringers. The forklifts lift the weight by the deck boards on a 2 way pallet and via the deck boards or stringers in a 4 way pallet.
Block pallets: The top decks have parallel and perpendicular stringer boards that are attached to the blocks. Block pallets are four-way with the forklifts lifting the objects by the stringer boards instead of deck boards.
The stringer pallet is the most common pallet in the US while the block pallet is much more common in the EU.
3. Pallet Size
The pallets you choose should stack and fit in your racks, making them accessible to forklifts. Different regions and nations use different standards for their wooden pallets. In the US, the most common is the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) standard measuring 48 x 40 inches. The stringers are 48 inches long while the deck boards are 40 inches wide. The standard is one of the six accepted sizes under the International Standard Organization (ISO). Make sure your pallet meets the standard of the country you are shipping to.
4. ISPM-15 pallets
These heat-treated pallets meet an international standard for phytosanitary measures required for international shipping. Most nations have adopted the standard that prevents the transmission of harmful pests from the pallets to living trees. Heat treated pallets receive an ISPM-15 mark of certification stamp.
5. Refurbished Vs. New Pallets
New wood pallets for sale are sourced from fresh wood and can be custom modeled for unique packaging needs. Premier utilizes the Pallet Design Software system to ensure properly designed pallets for your application. Refurbished and remanufactured pallets are also available for purchase. Remanufactured pallets can be a good alternative to new pallets in that reclaimed lumber is used to build these pallets making them cheaper than a new pallet. Finally, used pallets are the best option is you use a readily available size, e.g., 48 x 40, and can accept slight variations in board and stringer thickness. Finally, all of Premier’s pallets can be heat rerated and stamped for export use.
In Conclusion
Choosing the right wood pallets in Florida may help you streamline your shipping operations. Whether you are looking for new pallets for sale or recycled wood pallets for sale, Premier Pallets is a good place to start your search for “wood pallets Florida.” Their team can also guide you in designing custom pallets for your shipping and storage needs.