International pallet shipping plays a vital role of the commerce and international trading.
According to the report, the pallet market is expected to reach a volume of 9.18 Billion Units by 2024.
As one of the most common used packing types, palleting makes logistics and storage easier and more efficient.
In this guide, I’m going to show you everything you need to know about pallet shipping.
Let’s dive right in.
What is pallet shipping ?
Pallets are structures utilised for shipping, it supports goods which secured with straps and wraps in order to stabilize and prevent any unwanted movement.
In plain English, bulky cargo consignments placed on the pallets, the process being referred to as palletizing for shipping together.
It’s a opposite way to the standard shipping when the cartons are in bulk or floor loaded.
In most situation, you’re putting yourself at a advantage if you’re get your freight palletized.
1.Pallets make cargo much easier to move and handle.
Pallets can be lifted and moved by a forklift in a very simple and fast way around a warehouse or loading dock.
If cargo is floor loaded, you can image how difficult and time-consuming.
The pallets will improve the unloading and transhipp work efficiency and performance.
Check it out : How to load a container with pallet shipements ?
2.Pallets shipping can save the shipping cost a lot.
For example, suppose you have a 10 boxes in different size from differnt China suppliers.
Definitely, you won’t want to ship them separately by courier service.
Instead, when you consolidate all the boxes in one pallet, it offer you more shipping choices by LCL, or air freight.
With the knowlege of different shipping methods , you know you can save shipping cost at least 60%.
3.Pallets can protect cargo safety and reduce the risks of damage.
When the cargo is fragile, palletizing is alway recommended.
Palletizing can provides protection for your shipment during loading, transport and unloading.
What’s more, cargo won’t easily lost when all the small boxes are combined shipped by one pallet.
In short, it’s a very useful way to avoid risks besides the insurance .
When pallet is unnecessary ?
With the given benifits of pallet shipping, does that mean pallet is necessary for all shipment ?
Of course not.
Pallets are not always suitable when under certain circumstances.
When using air freight or courier service, not all carrier can accept palletized goods.
Some air freight compaines, in particular, prefer to ship cargo without pallets because pallet will effect space.
So sometimes you will find out you can’t enjoy a favorable air shipping price when cargo is palletized.
When your order is quite small and packed in good condition.
For instance,
suppose you only have 3-5 small boxes to ship, then there is no need to use a pallet as long as the box or carton is good packed.
A pallet itself can increase the volume and weight, consequently total cost will be increased.
Pallet sizes vary from country to country.
But when comes to international shipping, there are only 3 types of pallets mosted used ：
- Standard Pallets
- Euro pallets
- North American pallets.
And ISO regulated normative standardisation in their measurements.
International container shipments use mainly the standard pallets.
How big is a standard pallet ? or what’s standard pallet size ?
120 x 100 cm. Period.
| Standard Pallets | Euro Pallets | North America | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size ( inch ) | 47.24 x 39.37 | 41.24 x 37.50 | 48.00 x 40.00 |
| Size ( cm ) | 1200 x 1000 | 1200 x 800 | 1219 x 1016 |
Pallets should ideally pack tightly into the container.
The hot question is how many pallets fit in a container ?
To answer the question, firstly we need to know the dimensions of different container types.
Depending on pallet types and shipping pallet size as talked above, the number of pallets fit in a 20-foot container or 40-foot container varies.
| 20ft | 40ft | 40 High Cube | |
 |  |  | |
| Interior Dimensions ( M ) | |||
| Width Length Height | 2.35 5.896 2.385 | 2,35 12.035 2.385 | 2.35 12.035 2.697 |
| Tare Weight ( KG ) | 2300 kg | 3,700 kg | 3,800 kg |
| Cubic Capacity ( CBM ) | 33.0 cbm | 67.0 cbm | 76.0 cbm |
| Payload(KG) | 24,850 kg | 32,500 kg | 30,200 kg |
If you are shipping to Amazon FBA, pay attention to the palleting requirements.
Following Amazon’s palletization specification , so that your freight can enter the fulfillment center without no problem.
Here are 7 practical tips :
- Size : Normally use standard pallet 40 inch x 48 inch ( 1 M x 1.2 M ) . Four way access for forklift.
- Material : Wooden required. Amazon doesn’t accept plastic, cardboard or particle board Pallets.
- Height: Any single pallet must not be taller than 72″ ( 1.8 M ) .
- Standard: GMA Standard B Grade or higher
- Condition：Make sure pallets are not broken and damaged.
- Labels : Remember to attache Amazon pallet labels as well ( Each pallet with 4 pallet lables )
- Location : You’d better get the palleting job by your supplier in China, otherwise it can be costly in US side since warehouse costs incurred.
What’s Amazon pallet requirements ?
Don’t waste the benefits of shipping on pallets.
Failing to prepare pallets can spell disaster for shipping especially for FCL shipments to Amazon.
Here are some useful tips on palletize your shipments properly.
1.Select Suitable Pallets
- Use standard pallets with regular size ( 1.2 x 1 M; Height < 1.8 M )
- Make sure pallets sturdy enough to support all the freight
- Don’t use broken boards and never exceed the rated capacity of pallet.
- Pallets with four-way access to forklift are preferred.
- Confirm the condition of materials of palleting ( Wooden vs Plastic )
2. Stack boxes on pallets carefully and evenly
- Make sure all individual boxes are strong enough to be piled up .
- Ensure boxes stacked are full and have no air space which might lead to boxes easily be crushed or damaged.
- Remember the weight is distributed evenly within each individual box, otherwise it can cause shifting.
- Heavier packages put on the bottom, and lighter ones must be on top.
- Boxes do not overhang the pallets. All boxes should not extend past the pallet edges
3. Secure the palletized shipments
- Place a layer of cardboard on the top of the pallets.
- Use the high quality shrink wrap to wrap the pallet several times.
- Use enough tapes or banding to secure the palleting.
4. Affix the pallet lables
- Every pallet must be labeled accordingly.
- Apply lables to 4 side of the pallet so to ensure information is easy to locate.
- For shipment blind reason, complete consignee information ( especially phone number ) is unnecessary.
Are you looking for pallet shipping cost calculator ?
It doesn’t exist.
Because no matter what shipping methods you choose , the chargeable unit could not be pallets.
Volume and weight determin the costs to ship a pallet, not the pallet itself.
But don’t be disappointed.
Despite no shipping cost based on pallets quantities or types, you can still obtain pallet shipping cost or pallet freight quote indirectly.
How ?
Here are 3 steps :
- Use our CBM calculator to calculate the total volume of the pallet shipments.
- Choose the shipping method ( LCL, FCL or AIR ) based on the volume.
- Get the estimated shipping costs from the cost calculators.
Hello there,
Great guide on Pallet Shipping! I agree that pallets make cargo much easier to move and handle. Even, it’s much better in many other points than other shipping methods. Loved the whole blog as it contains good information on pallet shipping. Keep on sharing.
Hi
Thank you so much for loving this article and blog. Appreciate you can share it if it is useful for you.
Question about the ideal box size for both shipping and for palletizing. Is there a universal size of box that is best to use?
I’m a afraid no.There are too many kinds of boxes. The box size to choose is depend on the product.Some are customized.