If you are a business owner, you must know that one of the most difficult parts of business is getting the items from the supplier to the customer. And all of this must be done safely and doesn’t cost you an arm or a leg. If you need to ship a large quantity of goods at once, palletized freight is likely your best option.
In this article, we will guide you about what exactly palletized freight is and how pallets can improve your business.
What Does Palletizing Mean?
A pallet is a strong, flat structure used to place heavy goods so that they can be lifted easily using a forklift for transportation. Stacking up cargo on the pallet and wrapping it with stretch wrap or strapping (if necessary) is called palletizing.
Pallets are commonly made from wood; however, they can also be made from plastic and metal and used to hold and transport different types of goods. Note that for exporting, wooden pallets must be heat-treated (or HT stamped) to comply with international regulations.
When using or buying pallets for your freight, consider a few important factors:
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The strength and load capacity of the pallet need to be strong enough to bear the load of your cargo.
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Pallet material must be stiff and durable enough so that it can resist bending and deforming over time, and forklift blades can easily slide in without damaging your palletized products
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Choose 4-way entry pallets for operational efficiency because forklifts can lift them from all sides.
Related Reading: Compare Pallets, Skis, and Crates
Size and Dimensions of Pallets
Some countries, like the United States, Spain, Canada, and Portugal, have set a standard size for pallets. This is to ensure that pallets can easily fit through typical entrances, as well as into trucks and containers without any issues. The most common standard pallet size is 48″ x 40″.
According to standard pallet shipping practices in North America, a 40-foot container can hold up to 20 to 21 pallets. And in a 20-foot container, 10 standard pallets can easily fit in.
Related Reading: How Many Pallets Fit in a 20ft/40ft Container?
When Is Palletized Freight the Best Option?
Palletized freight can be the best solution in two situations: oversized products and bulk orders.
Fragile or Oversized Products
Heavy, oversized, or irregular items are more likely to shift or fall over during transport. In this case, palletized freight ensures goods get securely stacked by strapping, wrapping, or bracing items in place, reducing the risk of movement. Besides, these palletized goods can be moved by machines rather than people, reducing labor and time during loading and unloading.
International Shipments
International shipping takes time and much planning. To make transport easier, palletized freight is usually a better choice than sending loose boxes. When your goods are on pallets, it’s much faster for port workers or other logistics workers to move them, and palletized shipment also makes good use of space inside shipping containers without affecting the handling efficiency.
Bulk Orders
Standard shipping can be the best option if you are transporting a few lightweight products. In case of bulk orders that need to be transported to one place, palletized freight can be the best and cost-effective solution. For instance, when a business needs to ship over 20 boxes to a retail store, palletized freight helps consolidate the load and make it easier and safer to transport.
What Cargo Requires Palletized Freight?
Every business wants its products to reach the client or consumer without any damage. For this, they seek the best possible solutions. We are here to list several products that require the use of pallets to ensure safe and secure delivery.
- Machinery.
- Furniture.
- Fragile items like glass.
- Material for construction sites, such as bricks.
- Household appliances, for example, washing machines.
- A large quantity of small and stackable items that are packed together.
How to Make Cargo Palletization Easier?
There are several methods to make palletized freight efficient. Preparation of the palletized freight before shipping definitely helps.
Where is the destination? What’s the space like at the delivery location? Are the streets too narrow? Is there a loading dock or not? Gather this info beforehand. The following steps may help you in preparing your pallet for a smooth transit:
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Choose the right pallet size. The pallet must be big enough to fit in all your load without hanging over the corners.
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Arrange the load strategically, always put bigger boxes on the bottom, and distribute the weight as evenly as possible. Multiple layers of corrugated cardboard ensure that the weight of your contents is evenly distributed on the pallets.
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Do not leave any extra space between the boxes. They should be tightly packed together.
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To stabilize the load, corner boards should be used. Ideally, these corner boards should run along the full height and length of the cargo placed on the pallet. Use the material for all the corners carefully.
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Using shrink wrap or stretch wrap. Wrap it around the pallet base first, then cover the items placed on the pallet, and finally move upward around the load. This helps keep goods tightly secured, preventing the load from shifting during long-term transit.
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Along with stretch wrap, you can also use strapping and bending techniques to firmly secure the goods on the pallet.
Handling and Loading Palletized Items
Whether or not to palletize your cargo is entirely up to you.
But for goods shipping to Amazon FBA warehouses, they should be palletized in most cases, unless you are shipping small parcel delivery (SPD) or a small quantity of boxes that don’t justify palletizing.
Similarly, deciding at which point in the shipping process to palletize is also your call. However, this decision depends on several factors, such as the types of items in your cargo, their weight, the destination, and the mode of shipment.
Here are the ways of handling and loading palletized freight on different transportation modes.
FCL
If you’re shipping via FCL (Full Container Load) sea freight, you have the entire container to fill with your cargo. But if you choose to palletize your cargo, you won’t be able to fit as many cartons inside, since pallets themselves take up space in the container. However, palletized freight is much easier for workers to unload at the destination, especially when using machinery.
On the other hand, ff you’ve floor-loaded your shipment, it will need to be unloaded manually, which can take more time than the trucker might expect, causing additional fees. This also means live unloading may not be possible, and some warehouses don’t even accept floor-loaded shipments. That’s why it’s important to consult with the destination warehouse before sending out your shipment.
LCL
If you’re shipping via LCL (Less than Container Load) freight, palletized freight is highly recommended. In LCL shipping, your shipments are consolidated with other people’s cargo in the same container. Supposing our boxes might be placed next to heavy or oddly shaped freight, pallets add a protective buffer, preventing damage from shifting or rough handling.
However, keep in mind that palletized freight can increase your freight cost due to the added weight and volume of the pallets. On the other hand, floor loading is a better option if you’re on a tight budget or looking to minimize your shipping costs.
Air
If you’re shipping by air freight, palletizing your freight usually isn’t an option because airplanes have limited space, and pallets take up too much room. Unpalletized cargo is easier to split and load onto flights. Besides, it is usually the airline that handles palletizing or ULD, and shippers just need to pack the cargo and label it well.
Conclusion
In simple words, palletized freight is a smart shipping solution that saves your money, time, and effort. But you must consider certain factors while choosing palletization in logistics: the size and shape of your products, the value of your products, and also the means of transportation.
Partnering with an experienced freight forwarder like Foresmart can save you from all the shipping hassle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is palletized freight used for?
In simple words, it means placing goods on pallets for easier storage, handling, and transportation, optimizing space and enhances loading ability.
What is palletized logistics?
Logistics with palletized goods involves the right selection of pallets, handling and loading cargo on the pallet, and optimizing their use to maximize space in storage and transport. This plays an important role for businesses that are catering to the large volume of goods, as pallets ensure safe, organized, and efficient handling.
How heavy is a pallet?
This largely depends on the type and material of pallet you are using. Normally, a wooden pallet can weigh around 15-70kg. Plastic pallets are lightweight and can be as little as 4kg. However, heavier models of pallets can weigh somewhere around 140kg.
