Pallets for medical devices
A medical device or electronics maker ships high-value goods in small recurring batches. The pallet should be clean and consistent, and it is often new or heat treated.
- Size
- Standard or custom
- Build
- Stringer or block
- Grade
- New, A
- Trades
- Devices, electronics
- Towns
- Kent and Ottawa
Why used stock is a risk
A used pallet carries history: a stain, a splinter, a shipped-in dust. A device carton that ends up in a hospital stock room should not pick any of it up. Many manufacturers specify new lumber for that reason.
Smaller batches
A device plant does not need a trailer of pallets. It needs a pallet size that fits its racks, in lots of a few dozen at a time, with each lot identical to the last. That is the argument for a spec sheet and for new pallets.
| Question | Usual choice |
|---|---|
| New or used? | New, or Grade A if the plant allows |
| Heat treated? | If the product ships overseas, yes; see heat-treated pallets |
| Size? | The 48x40 unless a rack or an export spec says otherwise |
| Custom? | When the product is oddly shaped, see custom pallets |
What a request needs
The size, the build and whether new is required. Say whether the pallet goes into a controlled area, and how many a month. Do not assume a seller knows your customer's packaging spec; paste the relevant line.
Labels and the pallet
A medical carton carries labels and lot numbers that must stay readable. A rough deck that scuffs a label causes rework. Ask for smooth decks and recorded lot information on the pallet, if the process uses it.
Why consistency counts more than price
A packaging engineer qualifies a pallet the way a manufacturer qualifies a part. Once a design passes, any change, even a small one, can trigger a requalification. Buying from a supplier who holds a build constant for the year is therefore worth a premium.
What a device plant should ask a pallet seller
- Can you hold the same build for twelve months?
- Is the lumber dry, and how do you know?
- How do you keep pallets clean between production and delivery?
- Can you supply a lot number or a date code?
A seller who can answer those has probably built for this kind of customer before.
When a pallet is a contamination risk
Wood sheds fibres and dust. In a clean assembly area, that matters. Plants that run such areas often ban wood pallets inside and transfer cartons to plastic at the door, leaving the wood pallet in the receiving dock.
Why the rules are strict
Medical device makers work under quality systems that cover packaging as well as product. Wood pallets are usually kept out of clean areas and may be replaced by plastic at the door.
A pallet seller approaching this trade should expect questions about treatment, cleanliness and traceability, and should not promise what cannot be shown.
Source: The Right Place, 2023 Manufacturing Report (read 11 November 2026).
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