3 Most Important Pallet Tests

Is your Pallet Design up to the Challenge?

Everything from transportation and handling hazards to natural enemies like moisture and temperature can put pallets at risk. A failure anywhere in your supply chain immediately disrupts operations and jeopardizes profits. Scary, right?

Reduce Risk with these 3 Important Pallet Tests

1. Strength
   Will the pallet hold the expected load?

   Testing the strength and stiffness of the pallet is vital for the unit load. This is commonly categorized into three load ratings:

   Static Compression
   The amount of weight the pallet will hold in a stationary position on a flat, fully-supporting and non-yielding surface. Example: pallet on the floor of a warehouse.

   Dynamic Compression
   The amount of weight a pallet will hold while subjected to active stresses. Example: pallet in a truck subjected to the additional load strains produced from vibration.

   Racked Compression
   The amount of weight a pallet will hold while not fully supported. Example: pallet in a storage environment partially supported, as in a warehouse rack or conveyor system.

2. Durability
   Will the pallet last throughout the expected handling environment?

   During the handling environment the unit load will encounter many hazards: forklifts, vibration, compression and more. The pallet must be durable enough to withstand multiple threats at the same time during one trip. One-way pallets are not intended to be recovered; therefore they only need to withstand one trip. Multi-trip pallets will be used for multiple trips, either as a captive pallet or expected to be returned and reused.

3. Functionality
   Will the pallet be compatible with the handling environment?

   Though functionality may not be “tested” within the laboratory, the results are critical for the pallet to meet the expectations. The pallet may need to meet specific regulations such as government, pests, heat treated and fire safety. The pallet will need to work within a specific set of limitations such as size, automated equipment and warehouse space.

Is it Time to Test your Pallet?

Maybe you’ve already experienced a pallet failure. Maybe your customers are filing damage complaints. Or maybe, you’re launching an exciting new product. Minimize your risk of future loss or needless damage by testing your pallet.

Share your pallet failure details down below and let’s connect. One of our Nelson Technical Center experts will be happy to evaluate and help identify any issues within your system.