How are New Wooden Pallets Constructed – Pallet Manufacturing

How New Standard Size Wood Pallets Are Made

Wooden Pallets also referred to as Skids revolutionized the shipping industry. Dating back to to1925, the wooden pallet was officially invented. Now today almost nothing is loaded into a truck or shipping container without being palletized. Below is an overview of the process of creating new 48 x 40 wooden stringer pallets

How New Standard Size Wood Pallets Are Made

While we are primarily a used pallet company, we also have experience building new and custom skids for customers in the united states.

The Wood Material Used to Make Pallets

Pallets are made from  a mixture of hardwood and softwood species. Although often times they are used with a mix of the two and  pallet producers usually cannot specify the wood type. Primarily they are made two types of wood/lumber mixtures used to manufacture pallets. These are oak wood and southern yellow pine (YPP). Also sometimes referred to as white pine.

Oak is used because of its well known strength and affordability. There is often a surplus of oak in the north american market. Often leftover from projects such as industrial building developments or furniture construction companies, Oak is considered a high-density hardwood which makes it perfect for hauling heavier loads of fragile goods.

Pine is also commonly used because softwood pine tend to be more reliable and consistent in weight than hardwoods. Softwoods is also easier to dry or heat treat, which helps prevent contamination from mold, pests, or fungi. This reason leads to pallets produced with a mixture containing hardwood and softwood and makes them better for industries such as pharmaceuticals or food and beverage where pallet cleanliness is needed.

The Process of Creating Pallets

Wooden cants from local sawmills are trimmed to a a certain length length, cut into boards and stringer, and built into the deck boards and stringers for whatever type of pallet size is needed. Typically the standard 48 x 40 size but also other custom builds. Notches are then  cut into stringers to allow 4-way entry with forklifts or 2-way entry with pallet jacks. If the pallet will be used for international shipping or for medical or food applications, the wood may be treated to meet international legal standards.

Now it is time to all the pieces together. This can be done by hand with nailers and staplers (for small orders) or by automated machines that can nail stringers and boards together and produce pallets at large volumes. There is a wide variety of machinery including pallet nailers, board stackers, pallet stackers, dismantlers, and saws to help maximize efficiency and output.