Plastic pallets for cold stores and freezers

Updated on 17 October 2026 · ROLL technical team

In briefFor cold stores and frozen food you will usually want an HDPE pallet: manufacturers' data sheets give it as stable down to about −45 °C, while PP holds up to about −23 °C and generic PP grades can turn brittle at around 0 °C. Always check the minimum service temperature in the data sheet for the model.

To choose a freezer plastic pallet for a cold store or frozen food, look at the material first, then at the minimum temperature stated in the data sheet for the model. Plastics do not all cope with the cold in the same way.

HDPE plastic pallet with cartons of frozen food in a frosted cold store — Frozen food: HDPE, stable down to about −45 °C

HDPE or PP: temperature decides

One manufacturer of plastic products gives these service ranges, and points out that they also depend on the type of load and support ^[1]:

Material	Service range	Short peaks (washing)	In cold stores
HDPE	about −45 °C / +77 °C	up to about 110 °C	chillers and freezers
PP	about −23 °C / +82 °C	up to about 127 °C	only if the data sheet allows it

A pallet distributor is blunter about PP: many generic PP grades become brittle at around 0 °C, while some grades of HDPE and low-density polyethylene stay tough down to about −45 °C ^[2]. Thicker walls partly make up for a material that is weak in the cold ^[2].

Thermometer diagram with the temperature ranges of HDPE and PP — HDPE −45/+77 °C, PP −23/+82 °C

The same distributor recommends a freezer-specific pallet when the temperature stays below about −18 °C, and considers it essential at around −34 °C ^[2]. Some HDPE pallet data sheets state the service range: a hygienic 800×1200 and a nestable 1200×1000 both give −40 °C to +70 °C (see the table below) ^[4]^[5]. The differences between materials are covered in the guide to plastic pallet materials.

Nestable or with runners

In a cold store, too, the type follows the use. For one-way shipments of frozen goods a nestable HDPE pallet will do. If the pallet stays in a cold store with pallet racking, where it spans two beams, you need a model with runners and a stated racking load capacity. On a solid shelf or on the floor, static and dynamic load capacity apply.

Use in the cold store	Type	Weight	Static	Dynamic	Racking	Service range	Example data sheet
One-way shipping	nestable 1200×1000, 9 feet, HDPE	7 kg	2,500 kg	1,000 kg	not stated	−40/+70 °C	Transoplast ^[5]
Storage in racking	hygienic H1 800×1200 with runners, HDPE	18 kg	4,800 kg	1,200 kg	850 kg	−40/+70 °C	Inka Palet ^[4]

These figures are for individual models: what counts is the data sheet of the pallet you buy. Orientation and bearing on the beams are explained in the guide to rackable plastic pallets.

Load capacity in the cold: only the data sheet counts

For plastic, load capacity depends more on stiffness over time than on breaking strength ^[6]. According to one pallet distributor, frost can make some materials brittle ^[3]. In a cold store, impact matters too, for example a fork tine hitting a frozen pallet.

There is no published factor for adjusting load capacity to temperature. So:

use the data sheet capacity only if the data sheet covers the temperature of your store;
for stores below −20 °C, ask the manufacturer for load capacity and impact resistance at that temperature;
take cracked pallets out of service before they go into the store.

What static, dynamic and racking load capacity mean is explained in the guide to plastic pallet load capacity.

Hot washing and thermal shock

In the cold chain, pallets are washed often, and hot. The permitted short peaks are about 110 °C for HDPE and about 127 °C for PP ^[1]. Check that your washing tunnel stays below that limit. Detergents, cycles and checks are covered in the guide to plastic pallet washing.

Solid-deck plastic pallet being washed with a hot high-pressure jet — Hot washing: HDPE up to about 110 °C, PP up to about 127 °C

Between the hot wash and the cold store, the pallet goes through a swing of several tens of degrees. The data sheets we consulted give no waiting time, but let the pallets dry and cool before you load them and take them below zero. A wet pallet in a freezer also builds ice on the deck.

Condensation and ice

When a cold pallet leaves the store for a warm, humid loading area, moisture condenses on the deck. If it goes back in wet, that water turns to ice. Ice makes the load slide and jams the forks in the entries.

Plastic pallet deck with condensation and anti-slip strips along the edge — Condensation that goes back into the freezer turns to ice

What helps in practice:

a solid deck with no cavities where water can collect and freeze;
anti-slip strips on the deck, which some manufacturers fit as standard ^[7] (see load securing);
a holding area where pallets can dry before they go back into the store.

Hygienic deck and food rules

Cold stores hold food, so hygiene rules apply. Regulation (EC) 852/2004 requires containers and equipment to be clean and designed for cleaning and disinfection ^[8]. For a pallet this means a smooth solid deck, rounded corners and no closed cavities.

Solid-deck hygienic plastic pallet with packaged meat in a cold store — Solid deck: easy to wash, holds no water that can freeze

If the pallet touches or may touch the food, you need a declaration of compliance with Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 ^[9]. For recycled plastic in contact with food, Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 also applies ^[10]. Recycled material raises a technical point as well: it loses properties with each cycle, and some manufacturers add elastomers to make it suitable for the cold ^[2]. All the rules are in the guide to hygienic and food-grade pallets.

Cold store checklist

Material: HDPE, or PP only if the data sheet covers the temperature of your store ^[1]^[2].
Minimum service temperature stated in the data sheet.
Load capacity at that temperature, confirmed by the manufacturer.
Solid deck, rounded corners, anti-slip.
Washing below the material's peak temperature, then drying before the pallet goes into the store.
Declaration of compliance if there is contact with food.

Frequently asked questions

HDPE or PP for a blast freezer or deep-freeze store?

HDPE, as a rule. One manufacturer of plastic products gives HDPE a service range of about −45 °C to +77 °C, against about −23 °C to +82 °C for PP, and a pallet distributor adds that many generic PP grades become brittle at around 0 °C. PP only makes sense if the data sheet for the model states a minimum temperature that suits your store.

How cold can a plastic pallet go?

It depends on the material and the model. Some HDPE pallet data sheets state −40 °C to +70 °C, and about −45 °C is quoted as the lower limit for HDPE. According to one supplier, you need freezer-specific pallets below about −18 °C, and at around −34 °C they become essential.

Does the load capacity of a plastic pallet change in the cold?

There is no published correction factor that applies to every pallet. Frost can make some materials brittle, and heat increases deformation under load (creep). If the pallet works in a store below −20 °C, ask the manufacturer for load capacity and impact resistance at that temperature.

Can plastic pallets used in cold stores be washed hot?

Yes, within the limits of the material. Short peaks of up to about 110 °C are quoted for HDPE and up to about 127 °C for PP. Going straight from a hot wash into a cold store is a thermal shock: let the pallets dry and cool before you load them and take them below zero.

Is a recycled plastic pallet suitable for frozen food?

Check it model by model. Recycled plastic loses some of its physical properties with each cycle, and some manufacturers add elastomers so it does not turn brittle in the cold. If the pallet carries unpackaged food, Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 on recycled plastic in contact with food also applies.

Sources

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