Custom pallets for loads that do not fit a standard size
A custom pallet is built to a drawing: odd length and width, extra deck boards, a reinforced frame or a four-way entry that a stock pallet does not have.
- Size
- Any length and width
- Build
- Stringer, block or skid
- Grade
- New
- Trades
- Furniture, fixtures, machinery
- Towns
- Grand Rapids, Zeeland, Holland
Loads that do not fit a stock size
West Michigan still builds office furniture, and furniture does not ship on a 48x40. Desks, cabinet runs, seating frames and fixtures are long, light and awkward. Their pallets and skids are built to a drawing, so the request is a cutting list rather than a size name.
The same goes for machined parts, heavy castings and assemblies that sit better on a custom footprint. If your product has a footprint of its own, the pallet should too.
How a cutting list reads
A furniture shop writes a cutting list as a table: part, length, width, thickness, quantity. A pallet is the same table. The tool on the cutting list page fills one in for you from a few choices and shows the parts exploded.
| Part | Qty | Length, in | Width, in | Thick, in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top deck board | 7 | 40 | 5.5 | 0.75 |
| Stringer | 3 | 48 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| Bottom deck board | 3 | 40 | 5.5 | 0.75 |
These are common nominal lumber sizes. Actual lumber is smaller than its name: a 2x4 is 1.5 by 3.5 inches. The list shows no price.
What to include with a custom request
- Length and width of the pallet, or of the product that sits on it
- Weight of a loaded pallet and how it is stacked
- Entry: two-way, or four-way for pallet jacks and forks on every side
- Deck coverage: open, standard or near-solid
- Whether heat treatment is needed, if the load crosses a border
- Count and how often
Deck coverage, in plain words
Deck coverage is how much of the top is solid board. Open decks save lumber and let air through. Near-solid decks support small cartons, bagged goods and furniture feet that would fall between wide gaps.
If a drawing or a customer packaging sheet already exists, send it with the request. It saves a round of questions.
See also skids for simple builds without a bottom deck and new pallets for stock sizes built from new lumber.
Three quick tests for a custom pallet
| Test | If yes |
|---|---|
| Does the packed load overhang a 48x40 by more than an inch or two? | Ask for a larger footprint |
| Is the load too small to be stable on a 48x40? | Ask for a smaller footprint or a skid |
| Does a rack or a machine set the footprint? | Send the dimensions of the opening |
| Will it be used once? | Say so; a one-off build need not last |
What a drawing adds
A cutting list names parts. A drawing shows where they go. The cutting-list tool draws a pallet for you and tells you the part counts, and a sketch on paper with dimensions marked serves the same purpose. A builder reading either one can say what it will cost to make and how long it will take.
Typical custom builds in West Michigan
Office furniture plants in Zeeland and Holland ship long, flat items on footprints built for the product. Aerospace and foundry plants in Muskegon ship dense parts on skids and block pallets with a stated weight rating. Both are covered under office furniture and aerospace and foundries.
Quantity changes the answer
Ten custom pallets cost more per pallet than a thousand, because setup is the same for either. Say how many, and whether the design will repeat.
A worked example of a cutting list
Suppose a product packs to 60 inches long by 30 inches wide, weighs 800 pounds and will ride in a rack. A builder might propose a 62 by 32 inch stringer pallet with three stringers, ten top boards and three bottom boards at standard coverage, or eleven top boards at near-solid if the product has a small footprint. Another might propose a block build. Either answers the same drawing.
| Part | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Stringers | 3 | 1.5 x 3.5 in, cut to the length |
| Top boards | 10 | 5.5 x 0.75 in, spaced across the length; 11 at near-solid |
| Bottom boards | 3 | 5.5 x 0.75 in, one at each end and one in the middle |
| Fasteners | By pattern | Nails or screws, named by the builder |
The numbers are an illustration. The cutting-list tool produces them for your own dimensions.
Questions to put to a builder
- Do you build this footprint, or would it need a new jig?
- What lumber, and how dry?
- What rating, in writing?
- What lead time for the first lot?
- Can the design repeat in the same lot size?
The cost of being vague
A request that says 'a pallet for our fixtures' brings back questions. A request that gives the packed size, the weight, the entry and the quantity brings back a quote. The difference is a day or two, sometimes a week.
If the fixture is not yet designed, say so and give the best estimate. A builder can work with a range.
What a builder will ask
Expect questions about the packed dimensions, the weight per load, how the load is lifted, whether the pallet must be stamped, how many are needed and by when. Having these ready shortens the exchange.
If you have a drawing or a photograph of the product, attach it to your message. A builder can often suggest a simpler or stronger design than the first sketch, and a good brief makes that possible.
Samples and first runs
For a new design, ask for a single sample before a full run. Load it with the actual product, run it through your own handling and storage, and check how it stacks, wraps and travels. A change at this stage costs little.
When the sample works, order a small first run and keep a record of the specification. A written spec lets any later order match the first, whoever builds it.
Lead time and lumber
A custom build starts from your drawing: the lumber is cut and assembled to it. Plan for a sample, revisions and the final run, and give the date the first load is needed.