Plastic pallets for meat and poultry processing, bought by the load

• Whether the pallet sees washdown, and the maker's cleaning guidance for the model.
• The temperature range, because freezing can make some materials brittle.
• Static load for stacked cartons, and dynamic load for the forklift cycle.
• Resin and colourant papers, in writing, before the first truck.
• Whether the plant's product ever touches the pallet, which may call for non-blended virgin HDPE.

The pattern for this dock is washdown and cold chain. Ask for the resin, whether it is virgin or recycled, the colourant, the temperature range and the maker's cleaning guidance. FDA does not approve pallet models, so a claim of approval needs the document behind it.

A plant with a steady outbound schedule is a candidate for a standing supply: one model, one colour, written down. Trailer counts come from the maker's published figure for that model and are examples, not promises.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 556,647 average private jobs in meat and poultry processing (NAICS 3116) across 4,689 establishments in 2025. That is 119 jobs per establishment on average, a computed figure (jobs divided by establishments) that shows whether the industry is made of large plants or many small sites.

Texas alone holds 8.0% of the national total, and the five leading states together hold 34.3%. Shares are computed from the BLS figures shown. They show where the freight and the docks are, not how many pallets the industry buys.

By share of a state's private jobs, meat and poultry processing is largest in Nebraska (3.7%), Arkansas (3.1%), Iowa (2.6%), Delaware (2.4%), Mississippi (2.0%); the national share is 0.42%.

Start with the cleaning cycle. Say whether pallets are washed in place, sprayed on the dock or wiped, and ask the maker what its guidance says for the model. Then give the cold-room range, because freezing can make some materials brittle and reduce performance, and ask for the temperature range in writing.

Plants this size reorder steadily: the industry employs 556,647 people at 4,689 establishments, about 119 per establishment. A standing supply with one model and one colour keeps the pallets that went into the freezer apart from the ones that did not.