palletdesign.ai

Glossary

Single-face

Also called: single-faced pallet, single-deck pallet

Reviewed

Definition

A single-face pallet has only a top deck: its stringers, runners or blocks rest directly on the floor with no bottom deck. A skid is the most common example. It uses less wood than a double-face pallet but gives less support for stacking and conveyors.

On this page
  1. Where single-face fits in the classification
  2. Pros and cons
  3. When to use it

Where single-face fits in the classification

Deck style is one of the fields in the standard pallet classification string, with three values: Single-Face, Double-Face Non-Reversible and Double-Face Reversible. A single-face stringer pallet is often called a skid, and its stringers are often called runners.

Pros and cons

Single-face Double-face
Wood and nails less more
Pallet jack entry between runners easy, nothing on the floor side needs wheel openings
Bearing on floor or load below only the narrow runner faces spread by bottom deckboards
Conveyors, stacking limited better

When to use it

Single-face construction suits loads that are moved by forklift or dragged into place and stay on the floor, such as machinery bases and crate bases. When unit loads will be stacked or run on roller conveyors, a bottom deck is usually worth the extra wood. See single-face pallet.

Questions

Is a skid the same as a single-face pallet?
Effectively yes. A skid is a pallet with no bottom deck, which is what single-face means.

Sources