Used Wooden Pallets

Through the use of highly efficient and fully automated production lines, Unit Pallets Limited can manufacture new timber pallets to customer specifications.  We provide free assistance in the design of your new pallets, we have full pallet testing facilities, and will happily supply samples for customer assessment.

Unit Pallets Limited has invested significantly in pallet making machinery, most notably 2 ‘Cape Mechanica’ automated four-way assembly pallet lines incorporating block cutting or composite block de-stacking, chamfering, cornering, spraying and block drying.

Unit Pallets Limited has 2 fully operational Cape Lines, which incorporates the latest pallet technology. The latest technology has proven and robust engineering, complete with robotic feed for composition blocks. Both Cape lines have a state of the art spray booth with part drying facility for the highest quality pallets.

This assembly line meets exact nailing pattern requirements of customers, which is of critical importance to life cycle costs as pallets are increasingly recovered and re-used. Other benefits include reduced changeover times and greater flexibility, and combined with Cape 1 gives Unit Pallets Limited a significant capacity to manufacture high volumes of top quality pallets. This is combined with by far the highest drying capacity in the United Kingdom, which gives our company the capability to meet the demands of major clients for dried and ISPM15 compliant pallets on competitive lead times.

Timber Pallets Types

Advice for the New Pallet Buyer

Two way or four way entry?

Your first consideration is to decide the basic type of pallet you need, and whether it is necessary for you or your customer to be able to enter the pallet from all four directions, or from two directions only.
A four way entry is more versatile, especially when required to be used in warehouses where space is limited. Also in many instances a four way pallet is useful when loading and unloading vehicles, and when it is important to fully utilise box-vans, freightliners or sea containers.
A two way entry pallet however, generally forms a stronger construction and can be purchased at a somewhat lower price. In addition to these standard pallet designs there are a number of other pallet types which may be considered.

What will you wish to palletise?

Consider carefully the product(s) you intend to palletise, and if the pallet is to be used for a general range of products, the best stacking pattern you will need to incorporate.
It may of course be necessary for you to think whether your general packing sizes need review so that one particular size of pallet can be utilised.
Dependent on the product and stacking pattern you should then have a good idea of the pallet size you require, and also the top deck coverage you need.
Standard pallets are usually constructed with an approximate 60mm gap between boards, but this can be adjusted to suit your requirements. You may of course have the top deck close boarded.
The larger the gap on the top deck the less timber will be needed to construct the pallet, resulting in a lower priced pallet.

Life span of your pallet

At this stage in your thoughts consider what application you pallet will be used for:-

If the pallet is to be used for internal requirements only, or distributed within a close-circuit, it will pay dividends to have a robust pallet designed, which under normal conditions should then last you many years.
If however, you are going to distribute your products on a general basis, with little guarantee of when your pallet will be returned, if at all, your pallet should be designed accordingly.
If a one trip pallet is required the lowest possible specification must be incorporated, ensuring that same will safely carry your product from start to finish.

As a general guide to specification of timber thickness to be used please consider:-
16mm boards = 750 kilos
18mm boards = 1000 kilos
22mm boards = 1500 kilos

Of course the thickness of boards does depend also on the overall dimension of the pallet, and consequently the space between bearers on two way pallets and blocks on four way pallets.

Also keep in mind the product your are handling and whether it forms a well spread load or is 'point loaded', and will the loaded pallet be stored in pallet racking?