Glossary of pallets and reel packaging

In briefIndustry terms explained in one or two sentences, with the synonyms used in warehouses and the Italian term in brackets. Where a term has its own guide, the link takes you there.

A-B

2-way / 4-way entry (IT: 2 vie / 4 vie). The number of sides from which the forks of a forklift or pallet truck can enter under the pallet. A 4-way pallet can be picked up from all four sides, a 2-way pallet only from two opposite sides.

Anti-slip (IT: antiscivolo). Rubber insert or coating on pallets, chocks or mats that increases friction between the load and the surface it rests on. See Load securing.

Antistatic (IT: antistatico). A widely used word with no threshold in ohms: the authors of IEC 61340-5-1 advise against using it ^[13]. See ESD.

Bancale, pedana. Italian synonyms for pallet, common in warehouse speech; a bancale portabobine is a reel pallet. See Plastic pallets by class.

Beams (load beams; IT: correnti, travi, longheroni). The horizontal members of pallet racking that the pallet rests on, two per pallet position: one at the front and one at the back. The Italian guide by INAIL, the national workplace safety institute, uses correnti; travi is the more common synonym ^[20]. The beams are fixed to the uprights, the vertical frames.

C-D

Closed deck (IT: piano chiuso). A pallet deck with no openings: it is easier to wash and supports small items better.

Concentrated load (IT: carico concentrato). Weight bearing on a small area of the pallet, such as a reel resting on two lines. Declared load capacities do not cover it, because they apply to a distributed load ^[1].

Conductive (IT: conduttivo). For ESD packaging (IEC 61340-5-3), a material with resistance below 10⁴ Ω: the charge drains quickly ^[13]. See ESD.

CONAI (Consorzio nazionale imballaggi). The Italian packaging recovery consortium, which manages the environmental contribution on packaging. On a new plastic pallet the contribution is paid on first sale in Italy and shown on the invoice: in 2026 pallets are in band A1.1, at €40 per tonne ^[15]. See CONAI, plastic tax and EPR.

Converter (adapter; IT: trasformatore, adattatore). A saddle or cradle insert that turns a flat 800×1200 pallet into a reel pallet, with no screws or modifications ^[10].

Core (tube, mandrel; IT: anima, mandrino, tubo). The cardboard or plastic tube a reel is wound on. The most common inside diameters are 76 mm (3 inches) and 152 mm (6 inches) ^[9].

Core plug (IT: tappo per anime). Plastic insert that fits into the reel core; built into the flanges or sold separately ^[9].

Cradle (saddle; IT: culla, sella). Concave support that holds a reel with its axis horizontal. It can be built into the pallet or be an insert placed on a flat pallet. See Reel pallets.

Cradle pallet / saddle pallet (IT: pallet a culla, pallet a sella). See reel pallet.

Creep (IT: scorrimento viscoso). Slow deformation of plastic under a constant load. For plastic pallets, load capacity depends more on creep than on breakage, and ISO 8611 includes 24-hour and 48-hour tests ^[1].

Curved cradle (IT: culla ovalizzata). A cradle with a curved profile instead of a V: it touches the reel along an arc and spreads the pressure on the outer layers better.

Deflection (IT: freccia, inflessione). How far the pallet sags under load. In the ISO 8611 racking test, a deflection of 2% of the span between supports is allowed ^[1].

Dissipative (IT: dissipativo). For ESD packaging (IEC 61340-5-3), a material with resistance from 10⁴ to less than 10¹¹ Ω: the charge drains gradually ^[13]. See ESD.

Distributed load (uniformly distributed load, UDL; IT: carico distribuito). Weight spread evenly over the whole deck. Pallet load capacities are declared under this condition ^[11].

Dynamic load capacity (IT: portata dinamica). The maximum load during handling with a forklift or pallet truck, with the load distributed ^[2]. See Plastic pallet load capacity.

E-F

End flange (IT: flangia, testata). Plastic plate with a plug that fits into the core at both ends of the reel, so the reel hangs suspended and its outer surface touches nothing ^[9].

EPAL (EPAL Euro pallet). The mark of the 1200×800 mm wooden euro pallet, working load 1,500 kg ^[6]. Plastic 1200×800 pallets have the same dimensions but are not EPAL.

EPR (extended producer responsibility; IT: responsabilità estesa del produttore). The principle that whoever places packaging on the market funds or organises its end-of-life management. Each country applies it in its own way: in Italy through the CONAI contribution, in Germany through registration in the LUCID register. See CONAI, plastic tax and EPR.

ESD (electrostatic discharge; IT: scarica elettrostatica). An ESD pallet is made of plastic rendered conductive, for moving sensitive electronic components. It is classified in ohms: conductive below 10⁴ Ω, dissipative from 10⁴ to less than 10¹¹ Ω, insulating above that ^[13]. See ESD pallets.

Euro pallet (IT: europallet). In everyday speech, any 1200×800 mm pallet. Strictly speaking, the wooden EPAL pallet.

Food contact materials (FCM; IT: MOCA). Materials regulated by Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 ^[8]. In Italy they go by the acronym MOCA.

Friction coefficient (μ; IT: coefficiente d'attrito). A number that measures how strongly one material resists sliding on another. The EN 12195-1 tables give 0.2 for a plastic pallet on plywood and 0.45 for sawn wood; a rubber mat reaches 0.6 ^[14]. See Load securing.

G-L

GRAI (Global Returnable Asset Identifier). GS1 code that identifies the pallet as a returnable asset and stays with it for life; it is read with application identifier (8003) ^[16]. See RFID pallets, GRAI and SSCC.

HDPE (high-density polyethylene; IT: polietilene ad alta densità). The plastic used for pallets, cradles and chocks. It stays stable at low temperatures, down to about −45 °C, and suits cold stores and frozen goods ^[5].

HT (heat treatment; IT: trattamento termico). The ISPM 15 treatment for wood: at least 56 °C at the core for at least 30 minutes ^[3].

Hygienic pallet (IT: pallet igienico). A pallet with closed surfaces and no cavities, which can be washed. See Hygienic and food-grade pallets.

Interlayer cradle (IT: culla intercalare). A support, often in cardboard, placed between one layer of reels and the next when small reels are stacked with their axis horizontal.

ISO 6780 (pallet sizes). The standard that lists pallet sizes for intercontinental handling, including 1200×800, 1200×1000 and 1100×1100 ^[7]. See Pallet sizes.

ISPM 15 (NIMP 15, NIMF 15). The international FAO/IPPC standard on wood packaging in international trade: treatment and marking are mandatory. Plastic pallets are outside its scope; wooden chocks are not ^[3]. See Export pallets and ISPM 15.

LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). A method that calculates a product's environmental impacts from production to end of life. In the independent LCAs we have read, the wooden pallet has a lower carbon footprint per trip than plastic; the result changes with the number of trips, losses and end of life. See Pallet carbon footprint.

M-O

Methyl bromide (MB; IT: bromuro di metile). A fumigant listed in ISPM 15 for wood ^[3], no longer authorised in the European Union. See Export pallets and ISPM 15.

Nestable (IT: inseribile, annidabile). A pallet with feet that nest into those of the pallet below when empty, so the stack takes up less space. Typical of lightweight shipping pallets.

NIMP / NIMF. The French and Spanish acronyms for ISPM 15 (norme internationale pour les mesures phytosanitaires, norma internacional para medidas fitosanitarias). See ISPM 15.

Nominal load (IT: carico nominale). In ISO 8611, the lowest safe load for the given support conditions. It covers many products, but not concentrated loads ^[1].

One-piece pallet (IT: monoblocco). A pallet moulded in a single piece, or in two halves welded together, with no screwed or clip-together parts. See Plastic pallet types.

Open deck (grid deck; IT: piano grigliato). A deck with openings: it weighs less, lets air circulate and drains water, but it is less suited to hygiene and to small packages.

P

Pallet (IT: pallet, bancale, pedana). A platform that goods rest on so they can be moved with a forklift or pallet truck.

Pallet box (bin; IT: cassone, cassa pallet). A pallet with walls, fixed or collapsible, for bulk goods or loose parts. In the data sheets we checked, a 1200×1000 pallet box holds 610-905 litres and carries 500-700 kg. See Plastic pallet boxes.

Pallet racking (beam racking; IT: scaffalatura portapallet, rack). A structure of vertical uprights and horizontal beams where the pallet rests only on its ends, spanning two beams ^[20]. Here the racking load applies, not the static load. For the 1200×800 the European configuration puts the 800 side on the aisle and the 1200 side into the bay: the runners sit at 90° to the beams, crossing them, and the pallet overhangs by about 50 mm at the front and back ^[21]. Racking and shelving are often confused: shelving usually means shelves where the pallet rests on a solid surface.

Pooling (pallet rental; IT: noleggio pallet). A system in which an operator keeps ownership of the pallets: it delivers them, collects them at destination, inspects and repairs them, and the customer pays for the service. See Rent or buy.

PP (polypropylene; IT: polipropilene). A plastic used for pallets and chocks. Compared with HDPE it handles heat better (up to about 82 °C, with peaks of 127 °C) and cold worse (about −23 °C) ^[5].

PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging, applicable from 12 August 2026. From 2030 it requires at least 40% of transport pallets to be reusable within a re-use system ^[4]. See Reusable pallets and the PPWR.

R-S

Rackable (IT: scaffalabile). A pallet with a declared racking load, so it can go on the beams of pallet racking.

Racking load (IT: portata su rack). The maximum load with the pallet standing in pallet racking: it rests only on the two beams and is unsupported in between, so it works as a bridge and deflects ^{[1] [2]}. It is generally the lowest of the three load capacities, because deflection over time (creep) counts and plastic loses stiffness in the heat. ISO 8611 tests it in both directions and takes the weaker one: ask your supplier which direction it was measured in. Only pallets designed for racking declare it ^[11]. Do not confuse it with the capacity on a solid shelf, where the static load applies. See Rackable plastic pallets.

Recycled (regrind; IT: riciclato). A pallet moulded from reground plastic. A catalogue example: a pallet listed as regrind, weighing 6.2 kg, declares the same load capacities as a 7.5 kg version ^[12]. See Plastic pallet materials.

Reel (roll; IT: bobina, rotolo). Web material wound on a core: film, paper, aluminium, fabric. On the shop floor reel and roll mean the same thing; the parent reel is the large one coming off the line, the slit reel the one cut from it.

Reel pallet (roll cradle pallet; IT: pallet portabobine). A pallet with a deck shaped into a saddle or cradle, where the reel stays still with its axis horizontal, without chocks. See Reel pallets.

Roll chock (chock, stopper; IT: cuneo, zeppa, fermo). A block with a sloping face placed on both sides of a reel to stop it rolling. Not to be confused with wheel chocks for vehicles. See Roll chocks.

Roll rack (IT: rack portabobine). A stackable metal frame that holds reels suspended or supported on several levels, without racking.

Roller conveyor (IT: rulliera). A bed of rollers that pallets or reels run along. Pallets for roller conveyors generally have continuous runners underneath.

Rotational moulding (IT: rotostampaggio). A process in which the plastic melts inside a rotating mould. The mould is cheap, the cycle slow: about 40 minutes on conventional machines ^[18]. See Custom pallets.

Runners (skids; IT: slitte, pattini). Continuous members under the pallet, usually 3 or 5, that spread the weight and let the pallet sit on the beams of pallet racking and on roller conveyors. In racking, runners go at 90° to the beams ^[21]. In the Italian trade the usual word is slitte rather than pattini.

Saddle (cradle; IT: sella, culla). See cradle. Some catalogues use saddle for the insert fitted on a wooden pallet ^[10].

Shelf (solid or mesh decking; IT: ripiano pieno o grigliato). A surface placed on the racking beams, made of sheet steel, wood or wire mesh. On a solid shelf the pallet rests on its whole base, as on the floor: the static load (standing) and the dynamic load (when you move it) apply. Mesh decking is an intermediate support that no ISO test describes: if the data sheet gives no value for this support, the cautious choice is the racking load. The shelf has its own capacity, which does not raise that of the racking. Not to be confused with a pallet's open deck.

Span (IT: luce). The clear distance between two supports, for example between the two beams of pallet racking. For the same load, more span means more deflection: that is why the racking load of a 1200×800 changes depending on which side rests on the beams ^[1].

SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code). An 18-digit GS1 code that identifies the shipment on the pallet and changes with every trip; it is read with application identifier (00) ^[17]. See RFID pallets, GRAI and SSCC.

Stackable (IT: sovrapponibile, impilabile). A pallet that, when loaded, carries the weight of other loaded pallets on top. The limit is the static load capacity of the bottom pallet.

Static load capacity (IT: portata statica). The maximum load with the pallet standing on a flat, solid surface: the floor or a solid shelf. If pallets are stacked, the weight on the bottom pallet counts ^[2]. It is generally the highest of the three values.

Structural foam (IT: schiuma strutturale). Low-pressure injection of PE or PP with a gas, usually nitrogen, which lightens the part. It uses less material and has a good strength-to-weight ratio; the mould costs less than one for high-pressure injection ^[18]. See Custom pallets.

T-Z

Tare weight (IT: tara). The weight of the empty pallet. It ranges from about 4 kg for a lightweight plastic pallet to about 25 kg for a heavy-duty one; a 1200×800 wooden pallet normally weighs about 10-20 kg.

Twin-sheet (twin-sheet thermoforming; IT: termoformatura a doppia lastra). Two polyethylene sheets heated and formed together: the pallet is hollow and light, and if punctured it can trap water ^[18]. According to a manufacturer that uses this process, the mould takes 6-10 weeks to develop, against 3-6 months or more for injection ^[19]. See Custom pallets.

Wedge (IT: zeppa). See roll chock.

Found a mistake or an outdated figure? Write to us at info@roll-packaging.com