Long Pallets and Custom Pallets – What To Know

On the face of it, a pallet is a pretty straightforward item. In its standardized form a US pallet is 40” by 48”. It consists of deck boards and stringers, with space for the forks of a lift. You can find pallets in just about every corner of the world as they have become one of the most ubiquitous items in the shipping industry. It has even become trendy to make furniture out of them.

But though standard pallets are common, that doesn’t mean that they are always the right size or style for your application. Standard pallets are sized to best accommodate truck loading and warehouse racking. They are not necessarily designed to best fit the product being loaded onto them.  One sure fire way to invite shipping damage is to allow your item to overhang the pallet.

While standardized pallets work for many industries, there are certain applications in which a custom pallet is a better fit. Just look around your own home at how many items are longer than 48”.  Here are some of the reasons why you may need a custom pallet.

• Custom dimensions or weights: The product you are shipping is too long, too wide or too heavy to sit on a standard pallet and requires a custom pallet to accommodate it. Many industries require special pallets for their over-sized or over-weight products, especially the aerospace, electronics and defense industries.

• Smooth Compatibility: Your pallets should enable the smooth running of your manufacturing, storage and shipping systems. Sometimes pallets must be customized to fit into the automated systems at a manufacturing facility.

• Spatial Optimization: Custom pallets can be used to optimize space, in manufacturing facilities, in transport systems, or in storage. Often the cost of a custom pallet will be absorbed by the cost-savings related to optimizing floor or vertical space.

There are many industries in which custom pallets are more common, for various reasons. Here are some examples of different industries that might require custom or long pallets.

• Aerospace Industry: The aerospace industry relies on custom pallets to transport and store large, intricate aircraft components. These pallets are often designed for long-term storage and transportation under precise conditions.

• Electronics Industry: Delicate electronics components require custom pallets designed with anti-static properties and precision dimensions to prevent damage during transit.

• Home goods: Fine art, rugs, sofas, furniture and other home goods sometimes require long pallets or custom pallets for transportation.

• Automotive Industry: The automotive sector relies heavily on custom pallets to transport and store car parts efficiently. These pallets are designed to handle heavy loads and ensure the safe transport of delicate components.

Reid Packaging Provides Export-Ready Long and Custom Pallets

Reid Packaging fills the gap by providing custom sized pallets that are ready for export needs. We’ll explain why we are well-suited for this gap in the market.

Export-ready pallets need to be stamped in compliance with ISPM-15 regulations and that means they need to either be kiln dried (or fabricated using kiln-dried lumber) or chemically treated with methyl bromide. To do this, most pallet manufacturing companies put fully assembled finished pallets in their kilns to achieve proper heat treatment and then stamp them for export-readiness.

When a customer requires long pallets, or pallets with oversize requirements, there’s a good chance those pallets won’t fit in the pallet manufacturer’s kilns efficiently. This makes it cost-prohibitive to manufacture long and custom pallets at those facilities.

Filling a Demand for Custom-Sized Pallets That Are Export-Stamped

Reid Packaging specializes in custom construction of export-ready crates, skids, bases and pallets. Instead of kiln drying the finished product, we keep a supply of ISPM-15-stamped lumber that we use to create custom pallets that are export-ready without having to go to the kiln. We’re able to take your specific dimensions and make one or one-thousand oversized custom pallets for you. Our prices are competitive at all volumes, as custom work is our niche.

Get in touch if you have a custom pallet requirement and you’d like to discuss with us. We’re happy to design and fabricate any kind of long or custom-sized pallet for your manufacturing and/or transport needs.