Securing Pallet Loads: How to Keep Product Contained
Securing Pallet Loads: How to Keep Product Contained
Every day, thousands of pallets are loaded onto trucks and shipped to locations across the world. One of the most common ways to ship material is by palletizing it. However, depending on what you are shipping, you might need to do different things to make sure your shipment is properly stabilized and fully protected. Now more than ever, with the world’s supply chain as backed up as it is, it is crucial that your shipments arrive safe and free of damage. Luckily, there are many different products that we can use to stabilize and secure a load onto a pallet before it can be safely shipped across the world.
Identifying a Sturdy Pallet
First and foremost, you must identify a sturdy pallet. Some pallets are in better shape than others. Depending on your load, you may need to use a brand-new pallet, or you may be able to get away with using an old, recycled pallet. Used pallets are typically classified as Grade A, Grade B, or Grade C.
- Grade A –These pallets have nearly zero blemishes and have required no repairs.
- Grade B –These pallets have typically had damaged boards in the past that have been replaced. They are still in fine condition to transport most loads.
- Grade C – These pallets are currently damaged. They have received multiple repairs and may no longer be structurally sound.
Make sure you understand where your shipment is going and what type of shape your pallet needs to be in to get your shipment to its destination safely.
Stabilizing Your Pallet
Whether you have a single box, a group of boxes, or unboxed material loaded directly onto a pallet, it is important to make sure your load is stable before shipping. For lighter loads, stretch wrap might be the only thing you need to keep it together. For heavier loads that need additional support, you might need to utilize additional materials to be sure the pallet reaches its destination safely.
If you are stacking material or boxes on top of each other, you might want to place slip sheets between each layer. Slip sheets provide a protective layer between the products you are stacking. They strengthen the pallet and provide a grippy surface between layers so that the material does not slide around while in transit. They also help prevent stacked items from causing damage to one another. Additionally, they can be placed beneath the bottom layer of material to make for a solid base at the surface of the pallet.
Corner boards are great to use when you are shipping a box or a group of boxes on a pallet. Corner boards are placed at the corners of a pallet before the stretch wrap is applied to help strengthen & stabilize the load. They can also protect the sides of the boxes from being damaged by stretch wrap that is wrapped too tightly.
Corner boards are recommended to those who plan on stacking pallets on top of each other. When you double stack a pallet without using corner boards, the weight of the entire top pallet rests on the load of the bottom pallet. If your bottom pallet is made up of single wall boxes, those boxes might not be sturdy enough to hold the weight of the top pallet. Corner boards help relieve some of the pressure off the bottom load, which makes the pallets more stackable.
TIP: It can be tricky for a single person to wrap a pallet using corner boards, so it is best to have a second person hold the corner boards in place while wrapping the pallet.
Along with corner boards, many people use plastic edge protectors to help protect their loads if they are strapping the load to the pallet. Edge protectors protect the boxes from being damaged by the strapping. Unlike corner boards, which are placed vertically on each corner of the pallet, edge protectors are typically placed around the top edges of a box/load of boxes.
Protecting Your Pallet from the Elements
Along with making sure your load is stable, you need to make sure that your load is properly covered so it is not damaged by the elements. There are different types of covers that can be used to help protect loads from costly damage by keeping out dust, dirt, and moisture during shipping or storage.
Pallet top sheeting is used to cover the material at the top of a pallet. They are typically a flat poly sheet that is laid over top the load before it is stretch wrapped. The stretch wrap is used to help hold the top sheet in place.
Pallet Covers & Gusseted Poly Bags
Pallet covers & gusseted poly bags are pallet covers that cover the entirety of the pallet. These bags are put over top of the load and protect the material from all sides. These bags are available in clear and black. Black bags are often used for security purposes so people cannot see through to the contents of the pallet.
Heat Shrink Pallet Cover
Another way to protect your pallet from the elements is with a heat shrink pallet cover. A heat shrink pallet cover fits over the entire pallet and protects it from all sides. The bag will fit loosely around the load at first, similar to the way a pallet cover fits. A heat shrink pallet cover is meant to tighten up around the load when heat is applied. Starting from the bottom and working your way up, take a heat gun and apply heat to the entire pallet until the bag is shrunk tightly around the load.
The most important thing is that your shipment is transported safely from point A to point B. You should use whatever materials you have at your disposal to assure that your load is secured and protected. If you have additional questions, please contact a Benchmark Product Expert at 844-423-646.