Plastic vs. Wood Pallets in Industrial Use: A Thorough Review

There are two main contenders in the pallet arena: plastic and wood. Each brings its own strengths and weaknesses to the table, but the trick is finding the perfect pallet type for your business operations and warehouse.

Wood Pallets for Industrial Use

Wood pallets are the classic choice for industrial businesses. Originally introduced alongside the invention of the forklift, wooden pallets revolutionized shipping and warehouse operations. While this type of pallet offers numerous benefits, it’s crucial to understand their drawbacks to determine if wooden pallets are right for your industrial business.

Advantages of Wood Pallets

1. Highly cost-effective: Perhaps the biggest advantage of using wood pallets is that they are quite cheap. With recycled pallets even coming in as low as $7-$15, smaller organizations can save a large amount of money by investing in wood pallets.
2. Quick and easy to repair: While some may see stunted durability as a downside, wood pallets are extremely easy to repair and recondition as the material is, as one would expect, quite commonly found.

Disadvantages of Wood Pallets

1. Susceptible to external issues: Unfortunately, wood pallets are extremely susceptible to mold, bugs, and moisture due to their material. This can result in problems that aren’t quite as easily fixed and ones that can quickly spread to the other pallets in your inventory.
2. Easily chipped or damaged: While they may be easily repaired, the ease with which wooden pallets can be damaged in transit may give you pause before you choose to stock your inventory with them.
3. Environmental concerns: Finally, wooden pallets remove trees from the environment and contribute to the overflow of landfills, thus helping to perpetuate the wasteful supply chain model of discarded items.

Plastic Pallets for Industrial Use

Plastic pallets, while introduced after wood pallets, have taken the industrial industry by storm due to their versatility. As with wooden pallets, though, there are a number of pros and cons that must be considered prior to adding these into your inventory.

Advantages of Plastic Pallets

1. Durability: Naturally, plastic material is far stronger than wood, which means plastic pallets can carry heavier loads for longer periods of time, thus increasing efficiency for your business.
2. Consistent material: Plastic pallets are extremely difficult to damage, which means they will stay in your inventory longer, saving you money down the line.
3. Resistant to external threats: The external threats mentioned above, which affect wood pallets (pesticides, pests, moisture, etc.), are far less devastating to plastic pallets, which can help keep your fleet of pallets intact.

Disadvantages of Plastic Pallets

1. Higher cost to purchase: Given the material, plastic pallets are more expensive than wood pallets, with an average price that can fall between $25 to $100 per unit, depending on the type.
2. Non-recyclable material: Unlike their wooden counterparts, plastic pallets are typically made of non-recyclable material with few exceptions, meaning there are arguably worse environmental concerns than wooden pallets.

Choose the right type of pallet for your needs!

Choosing the best pallet type for your industrial business can be challenging, but the primary factors weighed should be:

• Budget
• Functionality and weight of products
• Regulatory compliance
• Health and safety requirements
• Environmental impact

Whether you choose wood or plastic pallets, Rose Pallet is here to help! As a leader in quality pallets across the U.S., you can depend on Rose pallet for all of your needs. Not only do we supply plastic and wood pallets, but we also sell reconditioned pallets, combo pallets, crates, and more. Plus, we proudly offer recycling, pallet treatments, and custom designs.

Ready to find the best pallets for your industrial business? Contact Rose Pallet today!