Pallets for steel and metals
Steel and metal freight is heavy, so it wants strong pallets and honest load ratings. The river terminals of Wayne County and the port at Monroe are where it moves.
The trade along the river
The Port of Detroit handled 13,738,737 tons of cargo in 2011, with steel as its most valuable commodity and ore its largest by tonnage. That figure is from 2011, so it describes the port's scale rather than today's volume. Zug Island covers 0.93 square miles of the city of River Rouge and is heavily industrialized, with port terminals lining the Rouge. Dearborn has Cleveland-Cliffs Dearborn Works. Monroe has Gerdau Macsteel and Michigan's only Lake Erie port.
What heavy metal needs
- A rating that matches the load. A standard 48 x 40 supports 2,000 to 2,800 pounds under dynamic loading and 2,500 to 4,600 pounds under static loads. Steel can exceed that. Capacity guide.
- Block or reinforced builds. Block pallets spread a load better.
- New or custom for the heaviest. New and custom pallets are built to a stated load.
- Skids and dunnage. Much metal moves on skids or in cradles, not on a pallet at all.
The used stock this trade produces
Metal docks collect pallets that are oily, rusted at the nail heads, or cracked under weight. Some are repairable. Many are cores. Being honest about which is which makes a stack easier to place: pallet cores and mixed and broken piles cover both.
Where
River Rouge and Zug Island, Wyandotte, Dearborn, Southwest Detroit and Monroe. Pallets that enter by ship may carry foreign stamps; see the stamp guide.
Questions from metal docks
Can a pallet that carried steel be reused?
If it is straight and unbroken, yes. Check the deck for sag and the stringers for splits.
Should we use skids instead?
For the heaviest loads, many shops do. A skid is a different product from a pallet.
Do rust stains matter?
They mark the pallet but not its strength. Say so, and a photo helps.
Valuable freight, tough handling
Steel is the Port of Detroit's most valuable commodity, and it is treated roughly in handling. A pallet that has carried coil or bar for a few trips shows it. Be honest about the wear, because the buyer will find it in minutes.
Stacking heights
Metal does not stack like cartons. A pallet of bar may sit on two supports with its ends hanging off. Describe the load so a buyer can judge whether a stringer pallet will serve.
Rust
Rust stains the deck but does not weaken it. Say so.
Scrap
Metal strapping and bands go to scrap, not to the pallet pile.
Weight
Weigh a typical load.