What Material is used for Plastic Pallets?

Wondering about the material used for manufacturing plastic pallets?

​You may want to flip that question around and ask, what plastic material does my pallet application need? That's because plastic pallets can be made from a variety (and blends) of different materials to support specific environments.

These popular plastic pallet materials (and others) provide unique properties for specific job requirements.

Plastic Pallet Materials

This quick guide provides an overview of popular pallet materials and is part 3 of a 10-post series on plastic pallets 101. (Part 2 addresses plastic pallet functions and designs.)

Pallet materials are often divided into two broad categories:

• Recycled
  Recycled plastic made from a blend of post-industrial materials will cost less AND can play a big part in your company’s sustainability efforts.
    
• Virgin
  Virgin plastics are unblended resins often reserved for specialty applications. Yes, they come with a higher price tag. BUT... factor in longer-term reusability and not only will the CFO be happy, the virgin material qualifies as an environmentally-friendly choice.

How do I choose a Plastic Pallet Material?

Let’s get back to our earlier point of selecting a material based on how you'll use the plastic pallet:

• Export
  Look for ACM or PO. Short for advanced composite material, ACM is 100% recycled. ACM is comprised of certain polyolefins (PO), the most widely used type of plastic. This material has a low price point but also a lower lifespan making them a popular choice for when you don't expect to get the pallet back.
    
• Warehouse
  Ask for HDPE or high density polyethylene. HDPE (sometimes called just PE) is the most common resin in plastic pallets. This material has all the properties most standard applications demand: durability, stiffness and moisture resistance. HDPE is a great choice for the demanding and repeated use found in warehouses.
    
• Unsupported Racking
  Your best choice is HDPP (high density polypropylene) which is often simply identified as PP. PP holds up well to heat and harsh chemicals. It has properties similar to PE but PP is more rigid, making it an excellent choice for racking when no center support is available. For more info, see our post on Racking: Is your pallet material up for the job?
    
• FDA or Pharma
  Plastic pallets made from recycled materials often satisfy general FDA requirements for food and pharmaceuticals: easy to clean, non-toxic and in good repair. If your product is making direct contact with the pallet, you may need to limit your search to a non-blended HDPE virgin material to meet stricter federal requirements for sanitizing and more.
    
• Freezer
  Most plastic materials can survive freezing temps, but deep freeze applications can make some materials brittle. Start your search with unblended HDPE or LDPE and check out our post on When do I Need True Freezer Grade Plastic Pallets?

Plastic Pallet Materials as a Sustainable Choice

Along with the popular materials noted above, molders are experimenting with all sorts of recycled plastic blends with a goal of keeping physical properties solid while saving cost. Because plastic pallets can be made from recycled material and are eminently recyclable, they can play a big part in your company's sustainability efforts. And, as a reminder, even virgin materials can meet sustainability goals due to long-term usability.

Have a question about which plastic pallet material you should choose? Get in touch or post your question below. Also, be sure to catch our quick video on Plastic Pallets 101. In just 10 short minutes, we introduce you to even more basics about choosing plastic pallets.

​Post by: Hartson Poland, Business Development - Plastic