Nelson Company Answers: What is a Nestable Pallet?

To understand nestable pallets better, think about coffee cups.

When you're not using these cups at home, you probably store them in a way that saves space in the cupboard, right? The shape of most coffee cups lets one cup to rest inside another to take advantage of vertical storage space. It's the same with plastic nestable pallets. They're just a lot more stable.

Similar to a stack of empty coffee cups, nestable pallets save space when not in use.

What is a Nestable Pallet?

A plastic nestable pallet is designed to allow each pallet to fit snugly on top of one another in tall bundles when not in use. Most designs use 9 hollow feet or legs (think nine jumbo coffee cups) to achieve this "nesting" effect.

Of course, there are design exceptions. Leg counts can vary (higher or lower depending on pallet dimensions) and some pallets use a low profile bottom deck to achieve similar space-savings. Clearly, nesting saves space, but why else is this design valuable?

3 Ways Nestable Pallets Save Money
  

1. Save on Storage Costs
   Warehouse space at a premium? Plastic nestable pallets fit many more pallets per stack (as many as 70+ per stack). Less space on the floor equals savings.
   
   
2. Save on Freight Costs
   Nestables save two ways here. First, nesting maximizes savings when you calculate the purchase of full truckloads on a cost-per-pallet basis. Second, the lightweight nature of nestable pallets reduces airfreight export costs.
   
   
3. Save on Purchase Price
   Remember those hollow legs? Nestable pallets (especially open deck styles) inherently use less raw materials to manufacture. Less material (plus those reduced storage and transport costs) translates to a lower price tag.

Well, there you have it. You now know how to define a nestable pallet. And, you understand how these cleverly designed plastic pallets with 9 feet can save money. Great job. You earned yourself a coffee break.

Will nestable pallets work for your application? Tell us about your load and requirements below or get in touch.

Post by: Mike Cunneen, Director of Sales & Marketing