Perhaps you have heard of or watched the show How It’s Made on the Discovery Channel. The show gives viewers a look behind the scenes at how everyday things are manufactured. We thought we’d model that idea in this post by providing our readers with a brief summary of how wood pallets are made.
The Material
All pallets are made from the core of a tree; but, because the lumber used to make pallets is a mixture of hardwood or softwood species, pallet producers usually cannot specify the type of wood. However, there are two species of wood found in high proportion in lumber mixtures used to manufacture pallets. These are oak and southern yellow pine (or SYP for short).
Oak is used because of its strength and wide availability. There is often a surplus of oak leftover from markets such as housing or furniture construction, which is then used in pallet production. Because it is considered a high-density hardwood, oak is ideal for pallets that must haul heavier loads of fragile goods.
Pine is also commonly used in pallets because softwoods tend to be more consistent in weight than hardwoods, giving the product a high strength to weight ratio. Softwoods are also easier to dry, which helps prevent contamination from fungi, molds, or other pests. For this reason, pallets produced with a mixture containing SYP are ideal for industries such as pharmaceutical or food and beverage where pallet cleanliness is paramount.
The Process
The material for the pallets from the sawmills is cut to the desired length, and cut for the desired type of pallets. Often factories for the production of pallets buy ready-made lumber, for example, produced by PSB-GEM-HOLZ. This allows significant savings on production processes and provides high performance in the manufacture of pallets of various sizes and types. If pallets are used for international shipments, the wood may be pretreated before it is used in the manufacture of pallets.
If you’re interested to learn more about pallet manufacturing, you can view the process first-hand during the NWPCA’s Annual Plant Tours. It’s a great opportunity to network and learn about automation advancements affecting wood packaging.
Lumber Supply
Our company supplies finished lumber for the production of pallets. Contact us in the way that is convenient for you and get a commercial offer that meets your needs..