Pallet types that change what you order
Types plate
Three types
- Fire-rated
- FM 4996 and UL 2335 listings
- Injection moulded
- One of six moulding processes
- Pooled or rental
- Owned by the pool operator, not the user
Three types raise questions that footprint and rating do not answer: the fire-rated pallet, the injection moulded pallet and the pooled or rental pallet. Each page gives the specs, the listings and the cautions from the sources.
Style questions, such as nestable, stackable and rackable designs, belong to a specialist site. Here we cover the types that affect insurance, repair and ownership.
Why these three
A fire listing changes how your sprinklers are designed. A moulding process changes how a pallet fails and how it is repaired. Ownership changes whether you may resell a pallet at all. None of these appears in a footprint or a rating, and each has caught buyers out.
If you are comparing models, put the fire listing, the process and the ownership rule in the same table as the three ratings. The truckload planner shows example ratings beside the published trailer counts.
From request to trailer
- Send the ship-to. A delivery ZIP, a footprint and a quantity, in pallets or in trailers. If you do not know a rating, describe the load.
- We match a model. We pick a maker and model whose published static, dynamic and racking load fit the load, and say so when only one maker fits.
- You get a count. The quote carries the maker's own per-trailer figure where one is published, and says plainly where none is.
- Papers and delivery. For food or pharma we attach the resin and colourant documents. A standing supply repeats the same line on every order.
What a complete request carries
- The footprint, in inches or millimetres, and whether it is fixed by a rack bay or a container.
- How many pallets, or how many 53 ft trailers.
- The ratings the load needs: static for the stack, dynamic for the move, racking only if the pallet sits on beams.
- Food, pharma, chemical, automotive, warehouse or export use, which sets the papers.
- One load now, or a standing supply with the same line on every order.
- Where it goes and when, and anything marked on the pallet: colour, logo, RFID tag.
In this section
| Type | What it is | A published example |
|---|---|---|
| Nestable plastic pallet | Legs fit into each other when empty. Standard-duty nestables carry no rack rating on this spec; check the model. | Example weight (48x40, standard duty): 26.5 lb; Example static / dynamic: 10,000 lb / 3,000 lb; Nest increment: 2.50 in; Per 53 ft trailer (empty): 1,260 |
| Rackable plastic pallet | Built to sit on rack beams. Rack rating is the lowest of the three ratings. | Example weight (48x40): 44.2 lb; Example static / dynamic / edge rack: 10,000 lb / 4,000 lb / 2,000 lb; Material: Co-polymer polypropylene, high-pressure injection molded; Per 53 ft trailer: 540 |
| Nestable, stackable and rackable pallet | One model combining all three; check ratings per model. | Example (48x40x4.8 in): 18.0 lb, high-density polypropylene; Static / dynamic / racking: 10,500 lb / 3,100 lb / 2,700 lb; Nesting: About 60 per stack, 1,800 per truck |
| Stackable plastic pallet | Bottom pallet bears the stacked load, so static rating matters. | 48x40 models listed: Dynamic 2,500 to 5,000 lb; static 3,000 to 30,000 lb; Materials listed: HDPE, PE, PP, FM-approved blends; Entry: 4-way on all but one listed model |
| Export or one-way pallet | Used where the pallet is not expected back. Plastic is ISPM 15 exempt. | Material example: Advanced composite material: 100% recycled polyolefins; Trade-off: Lower price, shorter lifespan; Rack rating: Nestable and lighter export designs generally not rated for racking |
| Hygienic or food-safe pallet | FDA does not approve pallet models; ask the supplier for resin and colourant documentation. | Direct contact: Stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE; Colour options: FDA-approved colours offered on some models; Used 48x40 example: Listed pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact |
| Fire-rated (FM 4996 or UL 2335) pallet | Unlisted plastic pallets can raise the commodity classification. | FM 4996 pass: Fire controlled at 5.9 mm/min (0.15 GPM/ft2) within a 10-minute test; UL 2335: Idle pallet test and commodity storage test; Code treatment: Listed and labeled pallets may be treated as wood for sprinkler design |
| Pooled or rental plastic pallet | Owned by the pool operator, not the user. Not for resale. | Example: iGPS: pool of all-plastic, RFID-tagged pallets; Fire listings (iGPS): UL 2335 in 2007; FM approval announced 2008 |
| Injection moulded pallet | One of six processes the encyclopedia lists; the others are structural foam, thermoforming, compression molding, rotational molding and profile extrusion. | Process: High-pressure injection molding (Rehrig 40x48 rackable); Example: Two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair |
- Fire-ratedFire-rated plastic pallets: what FM 4996 and UL 2335 test, how the fire code treats a listed pallet, and what an unlisted one can do to sprinkler design.
- Injection mouldedInjection moulded plastic pallets: one of six processes, what the Rehrig rackable shows about it, and what repair, weight and price mean for a buyer.
- Pooled and rentalPooled and rental plastic pallets: who owns them, why they cannot be bought for resale and what a recycler or a buyer needs to know before handling one.
Terms on this page
- Nestable
- Empty pallets stack inside one another, cutting empty storage space by up to 75 percent.
- PP
- Polypropylene. More rigid than HDPE and better with heat and harsh chemicals; used where rack stiffness matters.
- Stackable
- Loaded pallets can sit on top of each other, up to the static rating.
- Rackable
- Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
- 4-way entry
- Forks or a jack can enter from all four sides.
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- Nest ratio
- How many empty pallets fit in the height of one.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.