The following terms are useful for understanding and ordering pallets. The definitions are provided through the courtesy of the NATIONAL WOODEN PALLET AND CONTAINER ASSOCIATION.

A

Annular nail

Pallet nail with annular (circular ring) threads rolled onto the shank.

B

Banding Notch

See Strap Slot

Bin

Four-sided superstructure to be mounted on a pallet base, with or without a cover; also known as a box or container bin pallet

Block

Rectangular, square or cylindrical deck spacer, often identified by its location within the pallet as corner block, end block, edge block, inner block, center or middle blocks

Block Pallet

A type of pallet with blocks between the pallet decks or beneath the top deck

Butted Deckboard

An inner deckboard placed tightly against an adjacent lead deckboard during pallet assembly

Bottom Deck

Assembly of deckboards comprising the lower, load bearing surface of the pallet

C

CAD

Computer-aided-design software that allows the design of the “right” pallet at the best value; see Pallet Design System (PDS)

Captive Pallet

A pallet intended for use within the confines of a single facility, system or ownership; not intended to be exchanged

Chamfered – Deckboards

Deckboards with edges of one or two faces beveled, either along the full or specified length of board or between the stringers of blocks, allowing easier entry of pallet jack wheels

Closed distribution – system

Shipping system restricted to moving goods between specified plants and facilities

Collar

Collapsible wooden container or bin which transforms a pallet into a box

Cost-Pass-Through

A cost-share system where the partial cost of a pallet is passed-through from the purchaser to the receiver of the pallet

Cost-Per-Trip

Average cost of pallet use for a single one-way trip

D

Deck

One or more boards or panels comprising the top or bottom surface of the pallet

Deck Mat

Assembly of deckboards and stringerboards, forming the deck of a block pallet

Deckboard

Element or component of a pallet deck, oriented perpendicular to the stringer or stringerboard

Deckboard Spacing

Distance between adjacent deckboards

Deckboard Span

Distance between deckboard supports (stringers, stringerboards or blocks)

Deflection

The amount of deformation or bending in a pallet or pallet component under load

Dimensions

See Pallet Dimensions

Double-Face Pallet

A pallet with top and bottom decks

Double-Wing Pallet

A pallet with top and bottom deckboards extending beyond the edges of the stringers or stringerboards

Drive Screw Nail

Helically (continuous spiral) threaded pallet nail

E

Economic Life

Output from PDS program which identifies the number of trips the pallet will make, provided it is properly repaired, which maximizes a return on investment

Exchange Pallet

A pallet intended for use among a designated group of shippers and receivers where ownership of the pallet is transferred with the ownership of the unit load; common pool pallet

Expendable Pallet

A pallet intended for a series of handlings during a single trip from shipper to receiver; it is then disposed; see Shipping Pallet

F

Fastener

A mechanical device for joining pallet components such as nails, staples, bolts or screws

Fastener Shear – Index

Relative measure of shear resistance of the pallet fastener

Flush Pallet

A pallet with deckboards flush with the stringers, stringer-boards or blocks along the sides of the pallet

Fork Entry

Opening between decks, beneath the top deck or beneath the stringer notch to admit forks

Four-Way Block – Pallet

A pallet with openings at both pallet ends and along pallet sides sufficient to admit hand-pallet jacks; full four-way entry pallet

Free Span

The distance between supports in a warehouse rack

H

Hand (Wheel) Jack

Space provided in the bottom deck to allow pallet jack wheels to bear on the Opening floor

Handling

A single pick-up, movement and set-down of a loaded or empty pallet

Hardened-Steel Nail

Heat-treated and tempered steel pallet nail with a MIBANT angle between 8 and 28 degrees

Hardwood

Wood from broad-leaved species of trees (not necessarily hard or dense)

Helical Nail

Helically (continuous spiral) threaded pallet nail, see also Drive Screw Nail

I

Inner Deckboard

Any deckboard located between the end deckboards

J

Joint

Intersection and connection of components, often identified by location within the pallet as the end joint, center joint and corner joint

L

Length

Refers to the stringer or stringerboard (in block pallets) length; also refers to the first dimension given to describe a pallet i.e., 48″ x 40″, where 48″ is the pallet stringer/stringerboard length

Life To First Repair

Output from PDS program which is equivalent to the number of trips the pallet will last before needing repair

Line Load

The weight of a unit load concentrated along a narrow area across the full length or width of the pallet

Load Bearing – Surface

Actual area of material in contact with and supporting a unit load

M

MIBANT angle

The bend angle in a fastener shank when subjected to a MIBANT test

MIBANT Test

(Morgan Impact Bend Angle Nail Tester) – Standard impact nail tester used in the pallet and lumber industry as an indication of impact bend resistance of nails or staples

N

NWPCA

(NATIONAL WOODEN PALLET AND CONTAINER ASSOCIATION) A national association with the goal of promoting the design, manufacture, distribution, recycling, and sale of pallets, containers, and reels

Nail

Fastener made from endless wire by cutting a point and forming a head at the shank end opposite the point

Non-Reversible – Pallet

A pallet with bottom deckboard configuration different from top deck

Notch

Cutout in lower portion of the stringer to allow entry for the fork tine, usually 9″ in length, 1 1/2″ in depth

Notched Stringer

A stringer with two notches spaced for fork-tine entry, (partial four-way entry)

O

Opening Height

The vertical distance measured from the floor to the top side of the top deck

Overhang

The distance the deck extends from the outer edge of the stringer or stringerboard; wing; lip; distance the unit load extends beyond the deck

P

Pallet

A portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and transporting goods as a unit load, often equipped with a superstructure

PALLET DESIGN

Reliability-based computer-aided design (CAD) program, for determining the safe SYSTEM – (PDS) load carrying capacity, performance, life and economy of wooden pallets

Pallet Dimensions

Reliability-based computer-aided design (CAD) program, for determining the safe SYSTEM – (PDS) load carrying capacity, performance, life and economy of wooden pallets

Pallet Jack

Hand-propelled wheeled platform, equipped with a lifting device for moving palletized unit loads

Pallet Life

The period during which the pallet remains useful, expressed in units of time or in the number of one-way trips

Panel Deck Pallet

Pallet constructed with composite or structural panel top deck

Partial Four-Way –
Stringer Pallet

A pallet with notched stringers

Post Pallet

A pallet fitted with posts or blocks between the decks or beneath the top deck. See Block Pallet

Q

Quality

Consistent performance of a uniform product meeting the customer’s needs for economy and function

R

Racked Across – Deckboards

Output from PDS program describing the maximum load carrying capacity and deflection of a pallet where the rack frame supports the pallet only at the ends of the deckboards

Racked Across – Stringers

Output from the PDS program describing the maximum load carrying capacity and deflection of a pallet where the rack frame supports the pallet only at the ends of the stringers or stringer boards

Repair

To remake in order to use again

Recycling

A pallet, container or reel that has been used, discarded, salvaged, repaired and which passes through a cycle again

Rental Pallet

A pallet owned by a third party, different from the actual pallet user

Returnable/Reusable – Pallet

A pallet designed to be used for more than one trip

Reversible Pallet

A pallet with identical top and bottom decks

S

Shipping Pallet

Pallet designed to be used for a single one-way trip from shipper to receiver; it is then disposed; see Expendable Pallet

Shook

Cut-to-size pallet parts to be assembled into pallets

Shook Grade

The classification of the quality of pallet parts relative to performance haracteristics based on size and distribution of defects, independent of wood species

Single-Wing Pallet

A pallet with the top deckboards extending beyond the edges of the stringers or stringer-boards with the bottom deckboards flush (if present)

Skid

A pallet having no bottom deck

Slave Pallet

Pallet, platform or single, thick panel used as a support base for a palletized load in rack-storage facilities or production systems

Soft Nail

Pallet nail with a MIBANT angle equal to or greater than 47 degrees

Softwood

Wood from coniferous or needle-bearing trees (not necessarily soft or low density)

Solid Deck Pallet

A pallet constructed with no spacing between deckboards

Span

The distance between stringer or block supports

Stevedore Pallet

A pallet designed for use on seaport shipping docks, normally of heavy-duty, double-wing construction

Stiff-Stock Steel Nail

Pallet nail made of medium-high carbon steel without heat treatment and tempering with MIBANT angle between 29 and 46 degrees

Strap Slot

Recess or cutout on the upper edge of the stringer or the bottom of the top deckboard to allow tie-down of a unit load to the pallet deck with strapping/banding, also called the banding notch

Strapping

Thin flat bands used to secure load to pallet

Stringer

Continuous, longitudinal, solid or notched beam-component of the pallet used to support deck components, often identified by location as the outside or center stringer

Stringerboard

In block pallets, continuous, solid board member extending for the full length of the pallet perpendicular to deckboard members and placed between deckboards and blocks

T

Take-It-Or

A pallet fitted with fixed cleats on the top deckboards to permit fork truck tines to Leave-It Pallet – pass beneath the unit load and remove it from the pallet

Top Cap

Panel to be placed on top of a unit load to allow for tight strapping without damaging the unit load

Top-Deck of the Pallet

The assembly of deckboards comprising the upper load-carrying surface of the pallet

Trip

Consists of four to six handlings of a pallet

Two-Way Entry Pallet

A pallet with un-notched solid stringers allowing entry only from the ends

U

Unit Load

Assembly of goods on a pallet for handling, moving, storing and stacking as a single entity

W

Warehouse Pallet

A double-face multiple trip returnable pallet intended for general warehouse use

Wing

Overhang of deckboard end from outside edge of
stringer or stringer-board

End of Glossary