The Essential List of Pallet Parts and Terminology

In the realm of industrial wood and packaging, mastering the specific language we use to talk about pallet components is crucial for a range of purposes.

Understanding the names and functions of different pallet parts is invaluable when you're hashing out your requirements with a wood packaging provider. Clear communication of your needs ensures you receive precisely what you're looking for. At first glance, pallets might seem straightforward, yet the intricacies of pallet architecture involve numerous elements and considerations. Familiarizing yourself with the proper pallet terminology simplifies the entire process of design, estimation, and procurement, smoothing your path to the perfect pallet solution.

Now, let’s dive into some of the most frequently encountered pallet components and the terms used to describe them.

Pallet Parts and Terminology

Annular Ring Nails (also called Ring Shank) – Among the most prevalent fasteners in pallet construction are these nails, characterized by their distinctive circular ring threads that wrap around the shank.

Banding Groove – Lumber featuring a groove cut longitudinally is referred to as dunnage. This design serves a critical protective function, safeguarding unit loads from harm as bands are cinched to fasten the load securely to a pallet.

Blocks – Blocks, crafted in square, rectangular, or even cylindrical shapes, are strategically positioned within the pallet's architecture—nestled between decks or directly under the top deck. Their presence is not arbitrary; you'll find these blocks anchoring each corner, steadfast in the center of all four sides, and holding fort in the core of the pallet. This deliberate placement is key to fortifying the structure of block pallets, ensuring they can bear the burden and demands of use.

Block Pallet – This variant of pallet employs blocks as the foundational base, diverging from the traditional use of stringers.

Bottom Deck – Deck boards positioned on a pallet's underside, making direct contact with the ground or floor surface.

Butted Deck Board – This refers to the specific inner deck board that is fastened to a neighboring deck board during the construction process to enhance its strength. Such boards are frequently employed in the refurbishment and repurposing of pallets and their components.

CAD – Represents Computer Aided Design, a crucial tool enabling pallet designers to craft innovative packaging solutions.

Chamfered Deck Boards – Deck boards featuring elegantly tapered edges, typically beveled on either one or two sides, facilitating smoother entry for pallet jack wheels into the pallet structure.

Collar – A timber crate or receptacle that transforms a basic pallet into an enclosed storage solution.

Container Bin Pallet – Essentially, it's a versatile storage solution—be it a crate, box, container, or any four-sided construct, all thoughtfully perched atop a sturdy pallet foundation.

Deck – The collection of boards or panels that form the foundational top or bottom layers of a pallet.

Deck Board – The boards or panels collectively forming the surface layer of a deck.

Deck Board Spacing – The distance between deck boards on a deck.

Deck Board Span – The distance between the deck board supports.  Could refer to the distance between stringers or blocks.

Deck Mat – The collective arrangement of deck boards and stringers, seamlessly integrated to form the foundational deck of a block pallet.

Deflection – The degree to which a pallet or any of its components bends or distorts when subjected to weight. This can apply to the entire structure or to individual parts of the pallet.

Double Face Pallet – A pallet featuring construction that includes both an upper and lower deck.

Economic Life (of a pallet) –The anticipated journey count a pallet can undertake throughout its usable life, assuming it receives the necessary repairs and maintenance.

EURO Pallet – Crafted to meet the rigorous standards of the European Pallet Association, these block pallets often feature a distinctive branded logo, signifying their compliance and quality.

Fastener – Elements such as nails, screws, bolts, or staples serve as the linchpins, seamlessly uniting various parts of a pallet into a cohesive whole.

Flush Pallet – A pallet designed with deck boards that align perfectly even or level with the stringers or blocks positioned along the pallet's perimeter.

Fork Entry – The space found between the decks and right under the top deck of a pallet, designed specifically for the insertion of forklift forks to elevate the pallet and its contents. In certain instances, the stringers are crafted with precise notches to accommodate easy access for forklift entry.

Four-Way Block Pallet – A block pallet ingeniously designed with access points on all sides, allowing for seamless entry of a pallet jack from any direction.

Four-Way Stringer Pallet – A stringer pallet ingeniously engineered with notches in its stringers, designed specifically to accommodate the smooth entry of a pallet jack.

GMA or Grocery Manufacturers of America – The GMA has its own specific pallet requirements for its standard pallets.

Hardwood – The type of wood that comes from deciduous trees.  Generally, these are the trees with leaves instead of needles, but there are exceptions.  Although called hardwood, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s hard or dense.  It depends on the species of tree the wood comes from.

Inner Deck Board – Any deck board that is positioned between the end deck boards.

Joint – The point at which the components of a pallet intersect or connect.  They are often identified as the end joint, center joint, and corner joint.

Length – Typically, the initial measurement provided when specifying a pallet's dimensions corresponds to the length of the stringer or stringer board. For instance, a conventional pallet measuring 48” x 40” would have its stringer length at 48”, defining the longer side of the pallet.

Line Load – When the mass of a unit load is focused within a slender zone, spanning the entire length or breadth of a pallet.

Load Bearing Surface – The surface of the pallet that directly interfaces with and bears the load's weight.

Multiple Use Pallet – A pallet engineered for repeated use across multiple journeys, accommodating a variety of unit loads.

Non-Reversible Pallet – Refers to a pallet design in which the bottom deck boards are arranged in a distinct pattern from those on the top deck.

Notch – A precisely carved indentation in the wooden component of a pallet, which might denote features such as the groove for securing bands or the specialized cut in a stringer designed to accommodate forklift tines.

Notched Stringer – In the anatomy of a pallet, a specially designed stringer features strategically carved notches, serving as gateways for the insertion of forklift tines. These notches typically range from half an inch to one inch deep and extend across a span of 9 inches, tailored to accommodate pallets of varying dimensions.

Opening Height – This signifies the vertical span stretching from the ground up to either the pinnacle of the stringer notch or the lower boundary of the top deck, providing a measure of the space between pallet decks.

Overhang – The measurement of how far the pallet deck protrudes beyond the stringer or stringer board's outer boundary is known as the overhang. Often referred to by the more colloquial terms "wing" or "lip," overhang can also describe the extent to which a unit load juts out over the edge of the pallet deck.

Pallet Life – The duration a pallet continues to serve its purpose effectively, commonly measured in either the quantity of single-direction journeys it can endure or by specific periods of time.

Panel Deck Pallet – A pallet featuring a top deck crafted from a variety of paneling materials, such as OSB or composite, offering enhanced durability and support.

PDS – PDS, an abbreviation for Pallet Design System, represents a state-of-the-art computer-aided design software. This powerful tool empowers engineers to create pallets engineered for the safe transportation of loads, while optimizing efficiency throughout the supply chain.

Recycled Pallet – This describes a pallet that has lived a previous life, been lovingly restored, and is ready for action once more, equipped with any necessary replacement parts. Often, these pallets are celebrated as refurbished or reconditioned, a testament to sustainable practices in the pallet industry.

Remanufactured Pallet – A pallet constructed using parts that have already served a previous purpose, ingeniously combined at times with new components to breathe new life into the structure.

Skid – A pallet with no bottom deck that rests on the stringers.  It’s a little like a sled on rails.

Slave Pallet – A support base for a palletized load in rack-storage facilities or production systems.

Softwood – Softwood comes from evergreen trees.  Generally, they have needles instead of leaves, but there are exceptions.  The term softwood does not necessarily mean that the wood is a soft wood.

Solid Deck Pallet – Refers to a pallet that is constructed with no spacing between deck boards.

Span – The distance between block supports, stringer boards, or stringers.

Stevedore Pallet – Designed for seaport shipping docks, this pallet is designed with heavy-duty, double-wings.

Strapping – Flat, thin bands that are used to secure a load to a pallet.  Often used with banding groove.

Strap Slot (also called a Banding Notch) – The notch or cutout on the bottom edge of the top deck board or the top edge of a stringer.  It allows for strapping or banding to tie down a unit load.

Stringer – A solid or notched piece of lumber that is used to support the deck components on a pallet.  Stringers run perpendicular to the deck components and there is usually one on each side of the pallet and one in the center.

Stringer Board – Refers to the solid boards that extend the full length of a block pallet and run perpendicular to the deck boards.  Stringer boards are placed between the deck and the blocks.

SYP – Stands for Southern Yellow Pine, and it’s the wood most often used in wood protective packaging.

Take-It-Or-Leave-It Pallet – Refers to a pallet with fixed cleats on the top deck that provide a location for forklift tines to get under the unit load and lift the load off of the pallet.

Top Cap – A panel that is placed on top of unit load to protect it from strapping.

Two-Way Entry Pallet – A stringer pallet that does not have any notched stringers.  Forklift tines can only enter the pallet on the ends.

Unit Load – The palletized goods sitting on a pallet.

Wing Pallet – A pallet with the top and bottom deck boards extending past the edge of the stringers.  Can also be a double-wing pallet if both sides extend past the edge of the stringers.  Wing pallets can be single wing or double wing.