Pallets for the dairy industry

Common pallet sizes

The 40 x 40 is a square footprint, so a block pallet or a notched stringer pallet can be entered the same way from any side, which helps in tight cooler aisles. For the grocery footprint, see grocery pallets.

Construction and spec notes

Loads

Dairy loads are mostly crates and cases of liquid product. They are heavy for their size, like beverage loads, and they are often stacked in columns. That gives a load close to uniform but with a high total weight. Specify the crate or case size, count per layer, number of layers and the maximum weight.

Cold and wet service

This is where dairy differs from dry grocery:

• Service environment. Coolers, washdown areas and condensation keep wood wet. Design strength for wood in wet service (moisture content above 19%) is lower than for dry service, so a pallet that is fine in a dry warehouse may sag in a cooler. State the environment in the RFQ.
• Moisture content and mold. Green lumber holds a lot of water. In a cooler or a closed trailer it can grow mold. Kiln-dried lumber or pallets dried after assembly reduce the risk. Note that heat treatment for ISPM 15 is not the same as kiln drying. See kiln dried vs heat treated.
• Cleanliness. Specify clean, bright lumber with no bark, and state any requirements on visible mold, stains or foreign material at receiving.
• Plastic as an alternative. Hygienic plastic pallets with closed decks and washable surfaces are made for food plants. Where pallets must be washed, compare a plastic pallet with wood.

Entry, racking and stacking

Cooler space is expensive, so dairy distribution often racks and stacks tightly. Specify:

• Entry: full four-way (block) or partial four-way (notched stringer)
• Rack orientation and beam span
• Floor-stack height, including any stacking in coolers

State capacity with its support condition and treat design numbers as indicative until confirmed with a PDS analysis or a test to ASTM D1185 or ISO 8611.

Lumber and fasteners

Hardwood and softwood are both used. Wet service also affects nails: under the Uniform Standard's design equations, smooth-shank nails driven into green wood that later dries (or the reverse) keep only a fraction of their withdrawal strength, while threaded nails do not take that penalty. Specify helically or annularly threaded nails for dairy pallets. See pallet nails.

What to put in the RFQ

• Footprint (40 x 40 in, or the retailer's size)
• Crate or case size, weight, layers and maximum load
• Service environment: cooler, freezer, washdown, dry
• Moisture content target (for example kiln dried to 19%) and mold expectations
• Cleanliness and receiving inspection criteria
• Entry, racking span and stacking height
• Nail type (threaded) and lumber species
• Reusable or single-use, annual volume, delivery schedule

The pallet RFQ guide lists the full field set.