Reversible
A reversible pallet is a double-face pallet whose top and bottom decks are identical, so either face can carry the load. It appears in the classification string as Double-Face Reversible and uses more wood than a non-reversible design with a lighter bottom deck.
Also called reversible pallet, double-face reversible, flush reversible
Reviewed
How it differs from non-reversible
On a non-reversible pallet the bottom deck is lighter than the top: a GMA-style 48x40 has 7 top boards and 5 bottom boards. A reversible pallet repeats the top deck underneath, board for board.
Pros and cons
- Pro: either face can be the top, so pallets can be loaded without checking orientation
- Pro: a full bottom deck spreads load well when unit loads are stacked
- Con: roughly doubles the deck lumber and nails of a single deck
- Con: a full bottom deck usually leaves no wheel openings, so pallet jacks generally cannot be used
When to specify it
Reversible pallets suit closed loops handled only by forklift, where stacking stability or the ability to use either face matters more than the extra wood. For mixed forklift and pallet-jack handling, a non-reversible double-face pallet with chamfered lead boards is the usual answer. See reversible pallet.
Questions
- Can you use a pallet jack on a reversible pallet?
- Usually not. The full bottom deck leaves no openings for the jack wheels to reach the floor.
Related
- Double-faceA double-face pallet has both a top and a bottom deck. It can be non-reversible (fewer bottom boards, like a GMA 48x40) or reversible (identical decks).
- Bottom deckThe bottom deck is the set of boards on the underside of a pallet that bears on the floor or the load below. A GMA 48x40 has 5 bottom deckboards.
- Pallet jackA pallet jack is a wheeled hand or powered truck whose forks lift a pallet a few inches. Its wheels need openings in the bottom deck and chamfered lead boards.
- Reversible pallet: identical top and bottom decksA reversible pallet has identical top and bottom decks, so either face carries the load. How it's built, why it is usually 2-way, and when it is worth it.
- ShinerA shiner is a nail that misses the stringer or block and leaves its shank or point exposed. The Uniform Standard allows no shiners on exposed faces of a pallet.
- ShookShook is lumber cut to finished size for pallet parts: deckboards, stringers and blocks ready to assemble. Pallet mills cut shook from cants or rough lumber.
Sources
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets (NWPCA, now Woodpack Global), 2012 edition
- Crate Pro: pallet terminology