Five Terms for Pallet Pupils

Unlike those of us in the packaging industry, most professionals hope to avoid (or at least find unnecessary) the unique details that go into making a pallet. For many buyers, basic packaging lingo can be confusing, alienating or just plain frustrating.

Our job is not just to offer the best pallet for the job, but to help you understand why. That's where our packaging lab comes in, where pallets and packaging equipment can be tested on your merchandise to determine that perfect balance between cost savings and protective thriftiness.

So next time you need to talk with a pallet expert, be sure to ask if you don't understand!

1. Deckboard – An element or component of the pallet deck, oriented perpendicular to the stringer or stringerboard.
2. Lip – A small top-deckboard overhang for load support by wood pallet and wrapping anchorage; also, an element of plastic pallets, perpendicular to deckboard length on top of deckboards, to keep unit load from sliding off the pallet.
3. Threaded nail – A pallet nail with thread rolled onto the shank.
4. Squareness – Conformance to rectangular configuration, as measured by the difference in length of two principal diagonals of the square portion of the pallet.
5. Load duration – The period of time supporting a given load.

Did you enjoy this mini-pallet lesson, or do you have bigger and bolder questions that need answered? Let us know in the comments and we'll do our best to address your questions as they come!

Note: These terms and their definitions were provided by the Approved American National Standard on Pallets, Slip Sheets and Other Bases for Unit Loads.