Pallets for energy and equipment makers

01 Who is here

Cranberry Township's employers include nuclear engineering, coatings and safety equipment firms, and Southpointe in Cecil Township houses energy, software and pharmaceutical offices.

02 Spec habits

• Custom footprints to match a crate.
• A stated load rating.
• New lumber, not graded used stock.
• HT and the ISPM 15 mark for exports.

03 Spec sheet

The new and custom page lists the lines a sheet should hold.

04 Lead time

Custom pallets take longer than sorted used stock. State the date the freight must leave so the build is scheduled against it.

05 What an equipment crate asks of a pallet

A pump skid, a switchgear cabinet or a bundle of cable drums is heavy, narrow and often taller than the pallet is wide. That changes what the pallet has to do. Deck boards sit close together so small parts do not drop through. Stringers or blocks are sized to the lift points on the crate, and the footprint may be cut to the crate rather than to 48 x 40.

Where a crate rides on a skid inside a container, the pallet is often built once for that crate and used once. A single-use build is a reason to ask for a price on new lumber instead of hunting for graded used stock that happens to fit.

06 What to send with a request

• The crate's footprint and its height.
• Its gross weight and whether the weight sits evenly or over one end.
• Whether a forklift enters from the long side, the short side or both.
• Whether the crate leaves the country, which brings in treatment and a mark.
• The date the freight must leave.

07 Documentation

Equipment makers often attach packing lists and weight certificates to the crate. A pallet that is clearly marked with its rating makes the crate easier to approve.

08 Crate pallets and the standard

MIL-STD-1660 sets a 40 x 48 inch pallet under 4,000 lb stacking to 16 feet for the US Department of Defense, and steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15. A crate on a plywood-decked pallet of about 44 x 48 inches and 135 lb is the heavy-duty case PHS describes.