Pallets for the pharmaceutical industry

Common pallet sizes

Pharmaceutical products usually follow the destination market's standard size. Pooled pallets and customer-owned pallets are common, so check whether the customer supplies pallets before quoting.

Construction and spec notes

Cleanliness

Pharmaceutical customers care about what the pallet carries into their building. Common requirements:

• Clean, bright lumber. No bark, no visible mold, no stains, no dirt or oil.
• No loose material. Minimal splinters and loose fibers; sound boards with limited wane and splits. Use a reusable-grade lumber spec rather than a single-use grade.
• No shiners. Nail points or heads that stand proud catch on packaging and gloves.
• Clean storage and transport of new pallets, so they arrive as clean as they left the mill.

Put these in the spec as acceptance criteria, so both sides agree what a rejectable pallet looks like.

Moisture and mold

Mold is the most common problem with wood pallets in clean supply chains. Green lumber holds a lot of water and can grow mold within days in warm, closed conditions. Specify kiln-dried lumber with a moisture target (for example 19% or lower) and, if needed, a check with a moisture meter at receiving. Heat treatment to ISPM 15 kills pests but does not dry the wood or keep it mold-free. See moisture content and kiln dried vs heat treated.

Wood, plastic or metal

Hygienic plastic pallets, with closed decks and no cavities, are made to be washed and are used in pharmaceutical and food plants. Aluminum pallets are also used in cleanrooms. Some sites keep wood pallets out of controlled areas and transfer loads at the boundary; ask the customer where the pallet will go. Plastic, metal and presswood pallets are also exempt from ISPM 15. See plastic pallets and metal pallets.

Change control and consistency

Pharmaceutical customers often qualify a packaging configuration and then expect it not to change. Treat the pallet as a controlled component:

• Give it a part number, drawing number and revision
• Agree the species, grade, fastener, moisture and treatment, and do not substitute without approval
• Notify the customer before any change of design, material or supplier

A to-scale drawing, parts list and cut list make the spec unambiguous. palletdesign.ai produces these from a design; the customer's approved specification still governs.

Loads, racking and export

Pharmaceutical cases are usually light to moderate, uniformly distributed loads, often racked in distribution centers. State the rack span and stacking. Treat capacity from palletdesign.ai as indicative until confirmed with a PDS analysis or a test to ASTM D1185 or ISO 8611. Exports need ISPM 15 treatment and marking.

What to put in the RFQ

• Footprint and construction, or the customer's drawing and revision
• Cleanliness and acceptance criteria (bark, mold, stains, shiners)
• Lumber species, grade and moisture content, with a verification method
• ISPM 15 treatment for export
• Change-notification requirement
• Load, racking span and stacking height
• Whether plastic or metal pallets are acceptable or required in controlled areas
• Packaging and delivery of the empty pallets (wrapped, covered)

See how to write a pallet RFQ.