Injection moulded plastic pallets: what a buyer should know
Injection moulded
- Process
- High-pressure injection moulding
- Example
- Rehrig 40 x 48 rackable
- Resin, example
- Co-polymer polypropylene
- Weight, example
- 44.2 lb
- Per 53 ft trailer, example
- 540
- Repair, example
- Two-piece snap-lock design
Injection moulding forces molten resin into a steel mould at high pressure. It is one of six processes the Wikipedia article on pallets lists for plastic: structural foam moulding, thermoforming, compression moulding, rotational moulding and profile extrusion are the others.
A buyer does not choose a process; a buyer chooses ratings. The process explains why the numbers look the way they do, and why one maker's rackable is heavy and another's nestable is light.
A pallet seen from the side: the top deck, three blocks, the bottom boards and, between the blocks, the two fork openings marked with arrows. Schematic, drawn at one scale.
What the process is and is not
The six processes differ in what they make cheaply. Rotational moulding makes hollow shapes; thermoforming draws sheet over a mould; profile extrusion makes long sections that are then assembled. Injection moulding makes a complex part in one shot, with thin ribs and sockets that can be placed where strength is needed.
The rackable example in this site's data is injection moulded. That is a fact about one model, not a reason to prefer the process: a pallet is only as good as its ratings.
- Co-polymer polypropylene
- A polypropylene made with a second monomer; the resin of the Rehrig rackable.
- Snap-lock
- A joint where two halves click together, so a damaged half can be replaced.
- Edge rack
- The rating when a pallet sits on beams at its edges.
A published example
Rehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 rackable pallet is high-pressure injection moulded co-polymer polypropylene. It weighs 44.2 lb, is rated 4,000 lb dynamic, 10,000 lb static and 2,000 lb edge rack, and Rehrig lists 540 per 53 ft trailer. It has a two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair, and options for FDA-approved colours, RFID and up to 15 percent black recycled content.
| Item | Rehrig rackable | Rehrig heavy-duty nestable |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 44.2 lb | 28.5 lb |
| Static | 10,000 lb | 10,000 lb |
| Dynamic | 4,000 lb | 3,500 lb |
| Racking | 2,000 lb edge rack | none listed |
| Per 53 ft trailer | 540 | 1,200 |
The comparison shows the cost of a rack rating. The rackable is 15.7 lb heavier, and a trailer holds 660 fewer of them. The static rating is the same; the extra weight buys the racking figure and the dynamic increase.
What a buyer weighs
- Repair: plastic pallets can deform under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair, per Wikipedia, so a design built to be repaired by part is worth asking about.
- Weight: plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy.
- Price: plastic can cost roughly ten times as much as hardwood, and is often described as lasting 100 trips or more.
- Recycled content: ask what share and what colour it limits you to.
- Colour and marks: hot-stamped logos and RFID are options on several models.
Asking for one
Name the footprint, the three ratings and whether the pallet racks. If you want injection moulding specifically, say why: repair by part, a particular resin, or a mark moulded into the deck. Otherwise ask for the ratings and let the maker propose the process.
See new plastic pallets for how a new-pallet order runs, and the load quote tool to start one.
What the moulding process decides
Injection moulding pushes molten resin into a closed steel mould under pressure, so the shape of the deck, the runners and the feet is fixed by the mould. A change to the shape needs a new mould, which is why custom footprints are a longer conversation than standard ones. The same fixed shape is why two pallets from one mould are the same to the millimetre.
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.
Terms on this page
- Static load
- Weight a pallet carries at rest, or the bottom pallet carries when stacked. The highest of the three ratings.
- 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.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Rackable
- Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Creep
- Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
- Injection moulding
- Pallet made by forcing molten resin into a mould at high pressure.
- Structural foam
- Low-pressure moulding where a blowing agent expands the resin in the mould.
- Thermoforming
- Heated plastic sheet formed over a mould; lighter pallets.
Questions at the dock
Is injection moulded better than other plastic pallets?
Not by itself. It is one of six processes; the ratings of the model decide.
Why is the rackable heavier than the nestable?
Rehrig's rackable weighs 44.2 lb against 28.5 lb for its heavy-duty nestable; the weight carries the racking rating.
Can I repair a plastic pallet?
Plastic pallets are hard to repair; a snap-lock design lets a damaged half be replaced.
Keep reading
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.