Pallets for the dairy industry
The footprint most associated with dairy is the 40 x 40 in (1016 x 1016 mm) square pallet, with 48 x 40 in used for shipments into grocery distribution. Dairy pallets live in coolers and wet processing areas, so the spec should cover moisture, mold risk and cleanliness as well as load.
Reviewed
Common pallet sizes
| Size | Metric | Typical dairy use |
|---|---|---|
| 40 x 40 in | 1016 x 1016 mm | Crated and cased milk and dairy products |
| 48 x 40 in | 1219 x 1016 mm | Shipments into grocery and retail distribution centers |
| 48 x 48 in | 1219 x 1219 mm | Drums and bulk ingredients |
| 1200 x 1000 mm | 47.24 x 39.37 in | Exported dairy ingredients |
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.
Questions
- What size pallet does the dairy industry use?
- 40 x 40 in (1016 x 1016 mm) is the size most associated with dairy crates and cases. Shipments into grocery distribution usually use 48 x 40 in.
- Are wood pallets OK in a dairy cooler?
- Yes, if they are specified for wet service. Use kiln-dried lumber to limit mold, threaded nails, and a design checked for the lower strength of wet wood.
- Is heat treatment the same as kiln drying?
- No. Heat treatment for ISPM 15 heats the wood core to 56 °C for 30 minutes to kill pests; it does not guarantee a target moisture content. Kiln drying is specified separately.
Related
- 40 × 40 pallet40 × 40 in (1016 × 1016 mm) pallet specs with drawings: stringer pallet 53 lb, block pallet 88 lb, skid 67 lb. Nail counts, board feet and parts lists for each build.
- Pallet lumber moisture contentPallet lumber moisture content drives weight, shrinkage, mold and nail holding. Kiln drying to 19% (KD19) cuts a GMA pallet from about 59 lb to about 39 lb.
- Kiln-dried vs heat-treated palletsKiln drying lowers moisture (often to 19%); heat treatment is the ISPM 15 export treatment (56 °C core for 30 min). KD alone is not ISPM 15 compliant.
- 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.
- Pallets for the grocery industryGrocery pallets are 48 x 40 in: a GMA-style stringer pallet or a pooled block pallet. Sizes, construction, retailer rules and what to put in the RFQ.
- Pallets for paper and printingPaper and printing pallets are commonly 48 x 36 in, with 48 x 40 in for retail and wing pallets for rolls. Sizes, dry lumber specs, RFQ checklist.