Plastic pallets are superior to wood pallets in many different areas. Wood has been the accepted material of pallets for many years, but plastic pallets are now starting to gain traction and for good reason.
While the upfront investment may be slightly higher, the quality, durability and dependability that plastic pallets offer can provide an ROI that cannot be matched. The question is not what a pallet costs to buy, but what it costs per trip over its working life.
They last, and they keep their shape
A timber pallet degrades from the first journey: boards split, nails work loose, and a broken pallet in an automated warehouse stops the line. Plastic pallets hold their dimensions trip after trip, which is what automated handling and racking systems depend on. If a load is going into racking, see the heavy duty range.
They can be cleaned
Timber absorbs moisture, and with it bacteria, blood and spillage. It cannot be properly washed. Plastic can be washed down and returned to service, which is why food, beverage and pharmaceutical operations move to plastic first. Beecraft’s hygienic food grade pallets are built for exactly this.
They weigh less, so freight costs less
Every kilogram of pallet is a kilogram of product you are not shipping. On export lanes the saving compounds across a full container. The lightweight range exists for this reason.
No splinters, no nails, no fumigation
Plastic pallets carry no protruding nails or splinters, which matters for handler safety and for products that snag. They also sit outside ISPM 15, so there is no heat treatment or fumigation certificate to chase before an export shipment moves.
They are made from recycled material, and recycled again
Over 95% of Beecraft’s new plastic product range is made from recycled material, and a pallet at the end of its life goes back into the stream rather than to landfill. A timber pallet that has carried food waste usually cannot.
Where plastic is not the answer
For genuinely one-way, low-value shipments that will never come back, the economics can still favour timber. Plastic earns its cost back through reuse, so the more trips a pallet makes, the wider the gap.
Read more
- How long do plastic pallets last?
- Are plastic pallets worth the investment?
- Plastic vs wooden pallets in food production
Not sure which type suits your operation? Contact Beecraft with your load weights and how the pallets are handled, and we will point you to the right range.