Plastic pallets: lightweight, medium or heavy duty?

In briefPlastic pallets fall into three classes: lightweight (4-9 kg, for one-way shipping), medium (14-20 kg, for storage, including in pallet racking) and heavy duty (18-25 kg, for reuse hundreds of times in a closed loop). Choose by the dynamic load you need, by whether the pallet goes in racking and by how many times it will come back.

The three classes in one table

If you are looking for plastic pallets, you will find data sheets with dozens of models. Almost all of them fit into three classes, which you can tell apart by the pallet's weight and its stated load ratings. The values come from the data sheets of three manufacturers, ROLL included ^[1][2][3][6]; the medium column is based on just two product families and should be read as an example.

For comparison, an EPAL wooden euro pallet has a working load of 1,500 kg ^[5]; a 1200×800 wooden pallet typically weighs about 10-20 kg.

How to read the three load ratings

There are three ratings because the pallet works in three different situations ^[4].

• The dynamic load is the maximum while the pallet travels on a forklift or pallet truck.
• The static load is the maximum at rest on a surface: a flat floor or a solid shelf. If pallets are stacked, the weight bearing down on the bottom one counts.
• The racking load is the maximum with the pallet suspended between the two beams of pallet racking, with no shelf underneath. The deck works as a bridge, which is why this is generally the lowest value.

In racking the runners sit at 90° to the beams: for a 1200×800 pallet, the 800 side faces the aisle and the 1200 side runs into the depth of the rack ^[13].

All three apply to an evenly distributed load ^[12]. A concentrated load, such as a reel or a machine on feet, can be carried far less. The guide to plastic pallet load capacity explains how the ratings are measured and what the ISO 8611 standard means.

Lightweight pallets: for shipping

They weigh 4 to 9 kg. In one European manufacturer's catalogue, the nestable 1200×800 pallets weigh 5.2 to 8.2 kg and state 2,500 kg static and 800-1,000 kg dynamic. Other lightweight models in the same catalogue go down to 1,500 kg static and 650 kg dynamic; the 800×600 half pallet weighs 3.7 kg and carries 250 kg in handling ^[1]. They generally state no racking load.

Many of them are nestable: the legs of one pallet fit into the one below, and a stack of empty pallets takes up a fraction of the space. This is the usual choice for one-way shipments and export, where the pallet does not come back. Because it is plastic, it falls outside the scope of ISPM 15 and needs no treatment or marking ^[9]. The details are in export pallets and ISPM 15.

Medium pallets: for storage

They weigh 14 to 20 kg. An example from one European manufacturer's catalogue: a 1200×800 pallet with runners weighing 14-15.3 kg states 6,000 kg static, 1,500 kg dynamic and 800 kg in racking; the reinforced version weighs 18.5-19.8 kg and reaches 1,250 kg in racking ^[1].

They have runners underneath, which spread the weight over more points and let the pallet sit on rack beams, at 90° to the beams. They suit companies that store in a warehouse and handle a lot, without an organised return loop.

Heavy duty pallets: for reuse

They weigh 18 to 25 kg. According to manufacturers' data sheets, a heavy duty model with runners states 5,000-7,500 kg static, 1,250-1,500 kg dynamic and 1,000-1,400 kg in racking; a heavy duty plastic euro pallet reaches about 1,000 kg in racking and 1,750 kg with steel profiles ^[2][3]. A heavy duty 1200×1000 weighs 18.8-23.5 kg ^[1].

They have 3 or 5 runners, reinforced edges and sometimes a closed deck for hygiene. They pay for themselves only if they come back many times, in a closed loop between plants or with regular customers. From 2030 the PPWR (the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) requires at least 40% of pallets used as transport packaging to be reusable within a reuse system, and 100% in flows between sites of the same company ^[10]. We cover this in reusable pallets and the PPWR.

ROLL does not sell plastic pallets for every use and does not manufacture flat pallets. It offers three, each for a specific case:

• PP69, for storage in beam pallet racking: 800×1200×155 mm, 16 kg, three steel bars, 5,000 kg static distributed load and 1,200 kg in racking according to the manufacturer's data sheet ^[6]. Data sheet: ROLL PP69.
• PPH1, for hygienic environments: H1 type with closed runners, no steel bars, washable, 19 kg ^[8]. It is made of recycled material, so it must not come into direct contact with food.
• PP08, if you need a flat deck to move on the floor with a pallet truck: closed deck, nine legs, 4-way entry, 19 kg; it does not go in racking ^[7].

The data sheets of these three models give no dynamic load. ROLL has nothing to offer in lightweight one-way pallets or heavy duty pooling pallets: the criteria on this page apply to any manufacturer. If you would rather not buy your pallet fleet, compare buying with rental or pooling.

Price: look at the cost per trip

More material and more reinforcement mean a higher price. Typically a lightweight nestable pallet costs about €5 to €30, a medium one €30 to €60, a heavy duty one with steel €60 to €80, excl. VAT. The ranges change with quantity, size and material, as explained in the guide how much a plastic pallet costs.

The comparison that matters is the cost per trip. A lightweight pallet used once costs its full price for a single shipment. A heavy duty pallet costs more but is spread over many trips. One American manufacturer's model, to be read as a commercial source, assumes plastic costs three times as much as wood and puts break-even at 33 trips, or between 15 and 30 with the wood pallet lifespans given by the NWPCA (the US National Wooden Pallet and Container Association) ^[11]. If the pallets do not come back, a heavy duty pallet is unlikely to pay for itself.

How to choose in four questions

1. Does the pallet come back? No: lightweight. Yes, many times: heavy duty.
2. Does it go in pallet racking? Yes: medium or heavy duty, with a stated racking load above your load.
3. How heavy is the load and how is it distributed? Compare the weight with the dynamic load, not the static one. If the load is concentrated, ask the manufacturer for a specific value.
4. Are there hygiene requirements? Closed deck, closed runners and suitable material, as explained in the guide to hygienic and food pallets.

For standard sizes (1200×800, 1200×1000, 800×600) see the guide to pallet sizes; for nestable, stackable and runner pallets, the guide to types of plastic pallet. If you handle reels and rolls, there is a dedicated page: reel pallets.

The three flat pallets offered by ROLL

ROLL does not sell generic plastic pallets. Among flat pallets it offers only these three, each for a specific use.

For pallet racking ROLL PP69 1200×800 with 3 steel bars, 16 kg; 1,200 kg racking load according to the manufacturer’s datasheet. Designed for rack storage, with the pallet spanning two beams.

For hygienic environments ROLL PPH1 H1 type with closed runners, no steel bars, washable. Made from recycled material: not for direct food contact.

For floor handling ROLL PP08 Closed flat deck, 4-way entry, 9 feet: for moving pallets on the floor with a pallet truck. Not designed for racking.

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