Block pallets
A block pallet is built on blocks, with parallel and perpendicular stringers between them, so a forklift can enter from any side.
How it is built
- Frame
- Parallel and perpendicular stringers on blocks
- Entry
- Any side
- Search interest
- About 1,600 US searches a month for block pallets
- Weight
- Usually heavier and more durable than a plain stringer pallet
A block pallet puts blocks at the corners, along the edges and in the middle, and ties them together with stringers that run in both directions. The result has open faces on all four sides, so a pallet jack or forklift can approach from wherever there is room.
Why Detroit docks like them
Supplier docks around Warren, Sterling Heights and Auburn Hills are tight, with parts staged in cells and a lot of lift-truck traffic. A pallet that can be taken from any side saves a turn. Block pallets also hold up under heavy, concentrated loads, which suits machined parts, castings and tooling.
- Automotive parts. Often paired with the 48 x 45.
- Machined and cast components. Heavy and concentrated.
- Automated systems. Open on every face.
The trade-off
More wood and more fasteners make a block pallet cost more and weigh more. Repairs are harder, because a damaged block is not a quick fix. Used block pallets come up less often than used stringer pallets, so if you need a count of them, say so early.
Buying and selling
Block pallets are often specified, so a new or custom order is common: new and custom pallets explains what to write down. If you have a stack of used block pallets to sell, say that they are block, not stringer; many buyers search for them by type. See also four-way pallets.
Questions about block pallets
Are block pallets always four-way?
Yes in principle, since the open faces between blocks admit forks from any side.
Why are they heavier?
They use more wood and more fasteners. That is also why they last longer under hard use.
Is the price much higher?
New ones cost more than a plain stringer pallet. Used block pallets are scarcer, so expect to ask for them by name.
Repair is harder
A cracked deck board on a block pallet is replaced easily. A broken block is a different matter: the joint carries load in two directions, and a patch there is rarely as good as the original. A block pallet with a damaged block is better sold as a core than shipped as a repaired one.
Choosing by load
If your heaviest pallet weighs more than a thousand pounds loaded, start your search at block builds. Below that, a good stringer pallet will often serve.
Lifecycle
Block pallets last longer in service, which is why they are common in loops where each pallet returns to its owner.
Block count
Most block pallets have nine blocks, in three rows of three.
Block materials
Some blocks are solid wood, others are compressed wood chips. Ask which if load matters.