Wooden Vs Plastic Pallets – Discover The Differences Between These Two Materials.

Traditional wooden pallets are indispensable today in the modern distribution, because of their stability and universal character. Yet the number of plastic pallets is constantly increasing and they are used worldwide in the most diverse sectors. Plastic pallets have many features (interlocking, longevity, reduced dead weight) and details (rounded corners, additional stops or functional openings) that allow them to fulfill almost any wish and be mass-produced. We help you find the perfect palette.

Plastic pallet

Now, we shall be looking at various features and qualities which distinguish the plastic pellets from the traditional wooden pellets thus:

Weight:

Wooden: Often heavy and difficult to handle without a machine.

Plastic: Generally lighter than their counterparts in wood.

Constancy:

Wooden: In contact with water and/or humidity, their size and weight vary.

Plastic: Stable in terms of size, whatever the environment or situation.

Wooden pallet

Hygiene:

Wooden: They can harbor infections and parasites.

Plastic: The plastic is waterproof and cannot be penetrated.

Cleaning:

Wooden: It is not recommended to wet them and they are difficult to clean and/or sanitize.

Plastic: Perfect for cleaning with water and/or any cleaning product.

Life cycle:

Wooden: With use, their components lose elasticity and splinters come off.

Plastic: The plastic pallet is stable until the end of its useful life. Being more resistant, its life cycle is longer.

Maintenance:

Wooden: As they get older and without proper maintenance, they have splinters, boards move, nails come out, and other items require maintenance of the pallet but also the facilities where they are used.

Plastic: The plastic pallet does not require maintenance (washing if necessary) of the product and it does not deteriorate or soil the installations in which it is used. For repairable models, its repair is very simple and requires no specific machine or specialized personnel.

Discharges:

Wooden: Damaged wooden pallets cause troublesome discharges on the production lines.

Plastic: More resistant, with dimensions and shapes unchanged over time, releases are less frequent on production lines.

Treatments:

Wooden: Chemical treatments are sometimes applied to the wood and their duration is limited, in order to avoid the proliferation of fungi and parasites inside.

Plastic: No specific treatment is required.

Exports:

Wooden: For some exports, it is necessary to provide documents concerning their treatment (ISPM 15) and to manage this documentation.

Plastic: No documentation or treatment is needed.

Traceability: 

Plastic: Specific areas for product traceability, RFID chips, barcodes, etc.

Recycling:

Wooden: In some cases, their disposal represents a cost to the owner.

Plastic: 100% recyclable. The plastic pallet has a high residual value that allows the owner to recover a portion of his investment at the end of the life cycle.

Environment:

Wooden: Its production is done by cutting trees.

Plastic: Use of recycled and recyclable materials from other plastic residues which is a key element of the plastic recycling chain.

Impression:

Wooden: Wooden pallets give the feeling of being in a warehouse at the point of sale. Improves the visual impact of the store.

Plastic: They go unnoticed.

CO 2:

Wooden: It’s relatively heavy meaning that there are higher CO2 emissions during transportation.  

Plastic: Its lower weight reduces fossil fuel consumption during transportation as well as CO2 emissions

Residual value:

Wooden: At the end of its useful life, it has no value for its owner and its disposal sometimes involves a cost.

Plastic: The owner recovers part of his investment thanks to the residual value of the raw material. This value increases if reused for new plastic pallets.

Risks:

Wooden: Risk of the accident at work due to splinters during handling.

Plastic: Ergonomic and easy to handle.