Metal pallet: steel, stainless and aluminum pallets
A metal pallet is a steel, stainless steel or aluminum pallet, usually welded and fabricated to order, used for heavy, hot, outdoor, hygienic or long-life closed loops. Metal pallets are exempt from ISPM 15, weigh roughly 50 to 150 lb in the 48 x 40 class and cost several times more than wood.
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What is a metal pallet?
Metal pallets are fabricated from carbon steel, stainless steel or aluminum. Unlike plastic, they are commonly made to order, so custom sizes are practical at modest quantities.
palletdesign.ai does not design metal pallets. It designs wood stringer, block and skid pallets. This page helps you decide between metal and wood and specify metal to a fabricator.
How metal pallets are built
| Element | Options |
|---|---|
| Construction | Welded, seal-welded (fully sealed, washable), or bolted knock-down |
| Deck | Solid, corrugated, checker plate, perforated, expanded metal, wire mesh, grating |
| Base | Channels or stringers, runners, cruciform bottom, legs with stacking cups |
| Gauge (steel) | 16 ga light, 14 ga medium, 12 ga heavy |
| Finish | Hot-dip galvanized, electro-galvanized, powder coat, paint, passivated stainless, bare aluminum |
| Accessories | Removable posts, sides, lifting lugs, drain holes |
Published examples (manufacturers' and vendors' figures):
| Pallet | Ratings | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Galvanized steel | 8,000 lb static, 4,000 lb dynamic, 2,200 lb unsupported rack | Vendor figures |
| Steel-Pallets.com 1000 x 1200 x 120 mm | 3.5 t static | About 46 kg, 100 mm fork pocket |
| PHS aluminum, 40 x 48 x 5.7 in | 30,000 lb static, 6,000 lb dynamic | Seal-welded, 4-way, ventilated top, cruciform bottom; listed at $330 |
When to use a metal pallet
- Heavy loads: coils, dies, castings and machinery.
- Heat: oven and heat-treat processes where wood and plastic fail.
- Hygiene: aluminum or stainless for cleanrooms, pharma and food washdown.
- Long-life closed loops, such as interplant automotive returnables.
- Export without ISPM 15, since metal is exempt; see export pallets.
When wood is the better choice
- One-way shipments: a metal pallet costs roughly $150 to $600 or more against about $10 to $25 for a new GMA wood pallet (indicative).
- Moderate loads that a heavy-duty wood design can carry.
- Weight-sensitive freight, where 50 to 150 lb of tare adds up.
Metal vs heavy-duty wood pallet
| Metal | Heavy-duty wood | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom geometry | Yes, fabricated | Yes |
| Tare weight, 48 x 40 class | About 50 to 150 lb | About 30 to 70 lb |
| Rackable | Yes | By design |
| ISPM 15 | Exempt | Treatment required |
| Service life | Very long | Limited by repairs |
| Lead time (indicative) | About 3 to 8 weeks | About 1 to 3 weeks |
How to specify a metal pallet
- Metal: carbon steel, stainless 304 or 316, or aluminum.
- Construction: welded, seal-welded or bolted.
- Deck type and gauge or thickness.
- Frame members and base style.
- Footprint, height, entry and rackable or not.
- Finish and color.
- Accessories: posts, sides, lifting lugs, stacking cups, drain holes.
- Load: weight, distribution and support conditions, including rack direction and beam span.
- Quantity.
For a wood alternative, a heavy-duty stringer pallet or skid with deeper runners is the usual comparison; see the machinery and equipment page.
Questions
- Are metal pallets ISPM 15 exempt?
- Yes. ISPM 15 applies to wood packaging, so steel and aluminum pallets need no treatment or mark.
- Can metal pallets be custom sized?
- Yes. Most are fabricated to order, so custom footprints and features are practical at modest quantities.
- Does palletdesign.ai design metal pallets?
- No. It designs wood stringer, block and skid pallets.
Related
- 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.
- Stringer pallet: construction, sizes and when to use oneA stringer pallet carries its deck on 2 or more continuous lengthwise beams. The 48x40 GMA version uses 3 notched stringers, 7 top and 5 bottom boards.
- Pallets and skids for machinery and equipmentMachinery usually ships on custom skids: heavy runners, a thick deck and bolt-down points, sized to the machine base. Specs, sizes and an RFQ checklist.
- Pallets for the automotive industryAutomotive pallets are commonly 48 x 45 in, a size also used under bulk bins, plus 48 x 40 in. Construction, AIAG RC9 testing and an RFQ checklist.
- Block pallet: how it's built and when it beats a stringer palletA block pallet rests on 9 blocks joined by stringerboards, giving full 4-way fork entry. See how it is built, when to use it and what a quote needs.
- Single-face pallet: top deck onlyA single-face pallet has a top deck only, with no bottom deckboards under its stringers or blocks. Skids are the common example. When to use one, and specs.