Delivering on Promises with Pallets

How it Starts

All wood pallets are made from the core of a tree. The type of wood is usually a mixture of hardwood or softwood. Oak and southern yellow pine (or SYP for short) are two species found in most pallets.

Oak is used because of its strength and wide availability. There is often a surplus of oak leftover from markets such as housing or furniture construction, which is then used in pallet production. Because it is considered a high-density hardwood, oak is ideal for pallets that haul heavier loads.

Pine is also commonly used because softwoods tend to be more consistent in weight than hardwoods, giving the product a high strength to weight ratio. Softwoods are also easier to dry, which helps prevent contamination from fungi, molds, or other pests.

How it Transforms

Last October, at the NWPCA Fall Plant Tours, we got a behind-the-scenes glimpse into pallet manufacturing at a hardwood sawmill and a new pallet manufacturing facility in Augusta, Georgia.

Pallet cants from local sawmills are trimmed to the proper length, ripped into boards, and sawn into the proper-sized deck boards and stringers for whatever type of pallet is needed. Following this, notches are cut into stringers to allow 4-way entry with forklifts or 2-way entry with pallet jacks. If the pallet will be used for international shipping or in sanitary applications, the wood may be treated prior to assembly.

Finally, it’s time to put the pieces together. This can be done by hand with pneumatic nailers and staplers (for small orders—typically less than 200 units) or, more commonly, by automated machines that can nail together and produce pallets at high volumes. There are a wide variety of machinery on the market, including board stackers, pallet nailers, pallet stackers, robotic dismantlers, and saws to help maximize production and efficiency. Click to view our nailing machine in action at one of our facilities in Indiana.

Where to Buy

Let’s face it, Santa’s sleigh can only carry so much.  To get the rest of his goodies where they need to go requires pallets. And lots of them! For that, Rose Pallet is ready to help. Whether you need wood or plastic, crates, or containers, we’re your number-one source for pallets nationwide.