Are Plastic Pallets Better Than Wood?
Are plastic pallets better than wood?
It’s fair to say that pallets have been a crucial part of moving the modern supply chain. We use pallets for storage, transportation, and store product displays. Typically, pallets are made of wood or plastic, with the large majority still made of wood. Plastic pallets offer numerous advantages over traditional wood pallets for a wide range of applications, from moving and storing products within your facilities to reusing them in closed-loop distribution systems. Both materials have advantages and disadvantages, and below I have listed a couple of benefits of plastic over wooden pallets. This list will help you to understand the differences and make an informed decision when purchasing pallets for your business.
Benefits of Plastic Pallets versus Wood Pallets
- Durable and long-lasting. Plastic pallets stand up well to the bumps and scrapes of repeated use in transit. They’re an excellent, cost-saving choice for close-looped systems, where you can use them repeatedly. While wood pallets typically provide less than a dozen uses, plastic pallets can be reused more than 200 times.
- Earth friendly. When you replace wood pallets with plastic pallets, you save trees. And because they last longer than wood pallets, plastic pallets require fewer resources. And because they’re recyclable, plastic pallets greatly reduce the amount of waste your company produces. Recyclable plastic pallets don’t end up in landfills, reducing your disposal and landfill costs.
- Lightweight. Plastic pallets weigh less than pallets made of wood. This makes them easier to handle and reduces shipping costs.
- Easy forklift access. Plastic pallets offer four-way access, making them easy to pick up with a forklift.
- Available in a range of designs. These include nesting models that nest neatly together for easy handling and saving floor space between uses; and rackable pallets that fit in open pallet racks, supporting the weight of their loads across an open span.
- Clean. Plastic pallets meet requirements for food-grade applications and reduce the risk of contamination in pharmaceutical applications.
- Weather-resistant. Moisture doesn’t affect plastic pallets. They won’t warp. So, they’re a good choice for outdoor applications or indoor applications where water is an issue. Plastic pallets also are resistant to many chemicals and can be used in all climate conditions.
40 x 48 Plastic Pallets - In stock and ready to ship
RPP Containers now carries plastic pallets. We offer the two top-of-the-line pallets, so it’s easier for our customers to find the right fit for their application. Both are the standard wood pallet dimensions of 40” x 48”. One is a nestable pallet, and the other is a heavier-duty rackable pallet. Our nestable pallet weighs less than 23 lbs. but is still very robust with a static load capacity of 15,000 lbs. and a dynamic load capacity of 2,700 lbs. which makes it a great fit for a wide variety of industrial and warehouse distribution applications. Our 40” x 48” Rackable Plastic Pallet weighs only 23 lbs. but still has a whopping 30,000 lb. weight capacity for static loads. It has a capacity of 4,000 lbs. for dynamic loads, but the real value proposition for this pallet is that it can be edge-racked up to 1,800 lbs. this pallet was designed to hold up to the demands of almost any industrial application.
GREAT NEWS!! Who doesn’t like a contest? In the months of August and September, for every plastic pallet you purchase, you are entered to win an RTIC 20 can soft pack cooler! Place an order for either plastic pallets through our catalog website Bulk Container Express, and you are entered to win the RTIC soft pack cooler.
Do you have questions?
If you think you have an application that requires plastic pallets, or if you have questions, call us at 513-489-2244 or contact us and send us a message.