Runner
A runner is the long base member of a skid or single-face pallet, effectively a stringer that rests directly on the floor. On plastic pallets, runners are the continuous rails under the deck (often 3, 5 or 6) that make the pallet rackable and conveyor-friendly.
Also called skid runner, base runner
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Runners on wood skids
On a skid the runners do the job of stringers, but with no bottom deck they carry the load straight to the floor. They are sized as width x height x length like stringers. Heavy machinery skids often use solid timbers (for example 4x4 or 4x6 nominal) and chamfer the runner ends so the skid can be dragged.
Runners on plastic pallets
Plastic pallet catalogs describe the base by runner count: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 runners, versus 6 or 9 feet. Continuous runners give the pallet a surface that spans rack beams and rides roller conveyors. A nestable pallet with runners snapped on or molded in can still nest, while supporting conveyors and floor stacking better than a plain nine-foot design.
Runners in pallet standards
The CP1 to CP5 chemical-industry pallets are runner types, with bottom boards running in one direction under the blocks. See CP pallet.
Why it matters
Runner count and direction decide which way a pallet can be racked and conveyed. When a spec says "3-runner", confirm the runner direction relative to the pallet length.
Questions
- Is a runner the same as a stringer?
- On a wood skid, yes: the runners are the stringers. The word runner is used because they sit on the floor with no bottom deck.
Related
- SkidA skid is a pallet with no bottom deck: deckboards fastened across runners that rest on the floor. Skids are used for machinery, crate bases and floor handling.
- StringerA stringer is the continuous beam that runs the length of a stringer pallet under the deckboards. A GMA 48x40 uses three 1-3/8 x 3-1/2 x 48 in stringers.
- Unidirectional baseA unidirectional base is a block-pallet bottom whose boards all run in one direction, with no crosswise bottom boards, giving full four-way pallet-jack entry.
- Skid: the pallet with no bottom deckA skid is a single-face pallet with no bottom deck: a top deck nailed to runners. Learn when a skid beats a pallet, typical runner sizes and how to specify one.
- Plastic pallet: types, load ratings and how to specify onePlastic pallets are HDPE or PP catalog products rated three ways: static, dynamic and rack. Nestable, stackable and rackable types, costs and how to specify.
- Safe working loadSafe working load (SWL) is the rated load for a pallet in a stated support condition, with a safety margin. It is not the breaking load and varies by condition.