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Today, it is simply impossible to do without the transportation and storage of goods, cargo and materials. To speed up the processing of goods, to improve their safety, special containers were invented. They are called pallets or pallets. But in each country, the size of the pallet is different, and in the case of international transportation, you must use those that are in use in a particular country.
What is a pallet, what materials is it made of
Pallet – a pallet for transporting goods. Those. There is no difference between the concepts of a pallet and a pallet. Pallet is a transliteration of the English Pallet, which is used in English-speaking countries. Therefore, we get confused all the time in writing – a pallet or a pallet: the word is borrowed and clear rules have not yet been invented.
The prototype of a pallet or pallet was developed in the second half of the last century. More and more cargo began to be transported, the loading and unloading of which took a long time, since they had different sizes, it was difficult to place and store them. It was necessary to speed up the process and somehow standardize. Someone came up with the idea to use the same pallets on which the loads are installed. This greatly accelerated transportation and warehousing. In addition, there is less damage to the cargo – the pallet is solid and protects against impacts.
Common Standards
In general, the use of pallets or pallets in cargo transportation and storage has gradually become the norm. The pallet size is standardized, but there are several standards. For transportation across Europe, European pallets are used, they are also called euro pallets, euro pallets.
Finland has its own standards – FIN pallets or fin pallets. There are also American and Asian standards. Inside our country, Russian standards apply, but euro pallets are also in use.
Materials
Most often, pallets of any type are made of wood, and not any wood. For europallets, only high-quality wood of 2-3 grades is used, with a moisture content not higher than 24%. Approximately the same requirements for Finnish, American and Asian. According to the Russian standard, wood of different grades is used. The grade of the pallet depends on its quality. They make pallets from pine, spruce, alder, birch, aspen.
There are also pallets made of plastic and metal. Plastic pallets / pallets are convenient in that they are easy to clean and sanitize. They last longer than wooden ones, but are much more expensive. Metal pallets are made from steel and aluminum. They, of course, are many times stronger than both wooden and plastic ones, but their price is quite considerable. They are used in rooms with high temperatures, as well as for moving goods within the enterprise. The rest of the pallets fail much faster and sometimes it is more profitable to invest in metal pallets and operate them for years, rather than constantly buying / making new ones.
Cardboard pallets are used for transportation and storage of light loads. There are also small ones – mini. They are used either within the enterprise or for the transportation of small-sized products.
Euro pallet design and size (EUR)
In general, several sizes of pallets are used in Europe, but the so-called “standard” ones are most often used. The size of this type of euro pallet in millimeters is 1200*800*144 mm, the weight of a euro pallet is up to 35 kg. You can load up to 600 kg.
Structurally, the euro pallet consists of an upper and lower flooring, consisting of five boards: two narrow ones – 100 mm wide and three wide ones – 145 mm, the thickness of the boards is 22 mm. Wide are located at the edges and in the middle, narrow between them.
Two floorings are connected using pieces of timber (MDF is also used) – checkers. Their dimensions are 100*145*78 mm. They provide space for the forklift loading platform to enter.
Checkers are placed three in a row at a distance of 382,5 mm from each other. Three pieces of checkers are connected by the boards of the lower flooring in one row. The bottom deck requires two narrow boards (first and last row) and one wide board. Their difference from the material for the top flooring is the presence of a chamfer for easier entry of the loading platform. There must be a chamfer along the edges on the euro pallet.
The rows are interconnected by intermediate strips. The parameters of these boards are 145 * 22 mm and 800 mm long. They form a rectangular platform from the rows and serve as a support for laying the top flooring.
This type of euro pallet is called “standard”. There is also a euro size. It is distinguished by smaller checkers, respectively, has a lower load capacity – up to 400 kg.
A few more words should be said about labeling. To designate the standard, a stamp is burned on the corner checker: the word EUR enclosed in an oval. Other checkers also have markings. It displays information about the manufacturer, series, batch number, sanitation. Wooden containers do not pass customs without processing.
Finnish pallets: dimensions, weight, load capacity
Another standard that has become widespread is the Finnish pallet. Its size is 1000*1200*145 mm. That is, the Fin pallet is “deeper” – larger in width. Approximate weight – 15-20 kg.
The top flooring consists of seven boards. The boards are wide and narrow, but their width is 100 and 120 mm, respectively. The thickness is the same – 22 mm. The upper flooring is formed in the following order: wide, two narrow, wide, two narrow, wide. Checkers for the Finnish pallet have a size of 100 * 100 * 78 mm. They are also installed in three rows and are connected by bottom decking boards: narrow at the edges, wide in the center. Please note that the corners of the financial pallet must be chamfered.
Finnish pallets are also necessarily marked. They put the brand FIN, enclosed in a rectangular frame. The rest of the legs are also stamped with the manufacturer, production date and batch number. A stigma is also put on the passage of bacterial treatment (spikelet).
US pallet size
The new dimensions of the American pallet were installed recently – in 2012. Size – 1200*1200*150 mm. In general, there are about a dozen types of pallets in use in North America. There are one-sided and two-sided varieties. In one-sided, as in others, the bottom flooring is only a few boards. In double-sided, the lower and upper decking are the same. The double-sided tray can be turned over on either side. The weight of American pallets is not standardized, but on average, an empty single-sided pallet weighs 15-25 kg, double-sided – up to 40 kg. You can load up to 1200 kg.
According to the American standard, the following wood can be used in the manufacture of pallets: pine, poplar, alder, aspen. Moreover, the thinnest elements cannot be less than 6 mm. Boards are knocked down with nails. You can distinguish an American pallet not only by size, but also by the type of intermediate racks. These are not “checkers”, but a board with cutouts (23 cm) under the paw of a forklift.
In terms of construction, the top deck of an American-style pallet consists of 7 boards, the bottom of three (for a single deck) or seven for a double deck. The exact width of the boards is not standardized, but cannot be less than 100 mm. If you look at the drawings, most often a wide board is used around the edges – about 140-150 mm wide. All the rest are the same. A similar picture is observed for the lower flooring: there are two wide boards along the edges, three narrow ones in the central part.
Pallets according to Russian standards
Currently, two standards are in force on the territory of the Russian Federation: GOST 9078-84 and GOST 9557-87. The first defines only the size of the wooden pallet. According to the standard 9078-84, there are two options for the size of containers for warehousing and cargo transportation of the Russian sample:
- 1200*800 mm. This pallet size corresponds to the European standard.
- 1200*1000 mm. Finnish analogue.
The maximum allowable deviation from the specified dimensions is 5%. The area of the lower flooring can be 40% less than the area of the upper one. The grade and moisture content of the wood used is also determined: the first and second, as well as the highest grade, can be used. The maximum wood moisture content is 22%. There are no other guidelines for construction and lumber. So that each manufacturer can act here as he wants, it is important to observe the outer dimensions of the pallet.
The second standard – 9557-87 almost exactly repeats the standards for euro pallets. All requirements are the same. The only difference is that they are not branded, since the standard has not yet passed international certification. If the pallet is made according to the second standard, it differs from the EUR-pallet only by the absence of a stamp and chamfers on the corners may not be made. Usually such products are called reusable cargo pallets. Next is the size. They are also called BK euro pallets (without brand).
Pallet/pallet grade
Pallets of any type are disposable and reusable. Disposables are disassembled after use. Reusable (reusable) wooden pallets are divided into grades depending on the cycles of use and general condition. There are three types of wooden pallets:
- Top grade. These are wooden platforms of a normal light color, without damage, chips and cracks. Used no more than 3 times.
- First grade. The state is close to the highest, but the number of completed cycles is not limited. Separately, the inadmissibility of damage and traces of repair is noted.
So it’s easier to deal with varieties of pallets / pallets - Second grade. The wood may be dark, have traces of contamination. There may be cracks and chips, but not more than 3 * 30 cm. Pallets after repair are also included in this category.
In the domestic market, the use of containers of any grade is allowed. For shipments abroad, it is required to specify what type of container can pass the control. We can definitely say that it is certified, branded and sanitized. The rest of the requirements vary by country, but usually require only new or top grade as a last resort.
Load capacity of pallets and rules for placing goods on them
Today there is a strange situation: the possible loads on pallets and pallets are not defined. Each manufacturer sets its own figure. On the one hand, it is difficult to guarantee a certain figure, since different wood can be used. Also, the load may be different. The mass can be dispersed over the entire area of the cargo area, or it can be a point. With a point load, of course, the mass should be less.
If you follow the GOSTs of the Soviet era, the maximum load per pallet is up to 1000 kg. In real tests, it has been established that up to 1500 kg can be stored and transported. But during transportation, overload of vehicles is not allowed. So more than 700-800 kg is still not loaded. When placing goods on pallets / pallets, the following rules must be observed:
- It is necessary to distribute the load evenly over the entire area and fasten well together.
- The edges of the pallet can be free, but the load must be placed symmetrically about the center. Each row of boxes must be individually attached to the pallet with string or straps.
- If the dimensions of the cargo exceed the dimensions of standard pallets, the edges should not protrude beyond the container by more than 2 cm.
- When laying rectangular boxes, it is better to fold the rows in a checkerboard pattern (as when laying bricks). Otherwise, with a stack height of 1 meter, the load crumbles.
The general packing procedure is as follows: the cargo is placed, fastened with straps, fixed to the pallet. Then it is wrapped with polyethylene film or other material that prevents the load from shifting. Corners can be installed, which are also wrapped with a film. They serve as additional insurance for the displacement of goods during transportation. The tied bag is fixed with plastic ties to the platform.