Technical guide with sources · a ROLL project
Plastic pallets: how to choose the right one
People look for a plastic pallet for three reasons: to ship without treatment, to work hygienically, to reuse it for years. Each reason points to a pallet class. Here you find which one, with the figures and the sources.
The game
PALLET FACTOR
Find the right pallet in 4 questions: the pallets that do not fit drop out, and yours is left.
Choose by sight
Tap the picture closest to what you need.
Which pallet do I need?
Three questions, twenty seconds. The answer gives you the pallet class and where to read more.
Three classes, three reasons
Between a light and a heavy pallet the use changes: weight, capacity and price rise together. Typical values for 1200×800 and 1200×1000, from manufacturers’ datasheets[1–3, 6].
| Light | Medium | Heavy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet weight | 4–9 kg | 14–20 kg | 18–25 kg |
| Dynamic load capacity | 650–1,000 kg | about 1,500 kg | 1,250–1,500 kg |
| Static load capacity | 1,500–2,500 kg | 5,000–6,000 kg | 4,500–7,500 kg |
| Racking load capacity | usually not rated | 800–1,250 kg | 1,000–1,400 kg |
| Relative price | € | €€ | €€€ |
| Shipping and export | the usual choice: light, nestable, one-way | if the load is heavy or the pallet comes back | rarely worth it |
| Hygiene and food | yes, for light loads | yes, closed deck and raised edges | yes, for warehouses and cold stores |
| Reuse and PPWR | short life in pooling loops | good service life | the usual choice for closed loops |
Capacities with a uniformly distributed load; with steel profiles some heavy pallets reach about 1,750 kg in racking. A reel is a concentrated load and a separate case: see reel pallets. For details on each class: light, medium and heavy plastic pallets.
Three reasons to choose plastic
Ship without phytosanitary treatment
ISPM 15 applies to wood. A plastic pallet needs no treatment or marking for export.
Work hygienically
No splinters, nails or absorbed moisture. It can be washed and, with the manufacturer’s declaration of compliance, used in contact with food.
Reuse for years
A plastic pallet withstands many trips. From 2030 the PPWR requires reusable pallets within a reuse system.
The guides
How to choose in 9 steps
From the load to the cost per trip: the full procedure with a checklist.
How much a plastic pallet costs
Indicative price ranges by class, new or used, and cost per trip.
Static, dynamic and racking load capacity
What the three datasheet figures mean and which one to check.
Plastic or wood
Cost per trip, service life, hygiene and environment, including the studies that favour wood.
Export without ISPM 15 treatment
Why plastic falls outside ISPM 15 and what remains mandatory.
Hygiene and food contact
Regulations 1935/2004 and 10/2011, HACCP, virgin or recycled.
Reuse and PPWR
What Regulation (EU) 2025/40 requires of pallets from 2030.
Standard sizes
1200×800, 1200×1000, 1100×1100: the ISO sizes and where they are used.
Materials
HDPE or PP, virgin or recycled, behaviour in fire and cold.
Types
Nestable, stackable, rackable, runners, 2-way or 4-way.
1200×800 pallets
The European size in plastic: classes, capacities, how many per truck.
1200×1000 pallets
The industrial size: containers, racking, examples.
Pallets for racking
Racking load capacity, deflection between the beams, steel reinforcement, runner orientation.
Cold stores and frozen food
Which material withstands cold and washing.
Pallet sizes worldwide
Europe, USA, Asia, South America: the standard in each country.
Automated warehouse
Weight, deflection in the rack and tolerances for stacker cranes.
AGVs, pallet trucks and forks
Fork dimensions and what automation requires of the pallet.
Plastic pallet manufacturers
The main manufacturers by market, with their websites.
Regulations, costs and services
EPR and plastic taxes
Who pays the packaging levy on plastic pallets and when, in Italy (CONAI) and across Europe.
Rent or buy
The cost-per-trip formula including losses: when pooling pays off.
Used pallets, repair and recycling
How to check a used pallet, what can be repaired, where a broken pallet ends up.
Specification and testing
The 20 items to put in the order and the checks on delivery.
Fire safety
FM, UL, NFPA and VdS: why plastic weighs on the sprinkler system.
Load securing
Friction, EN 12195-1 and anti-slip: plastic usually slides more than wood.
Washing
Methods, machines, temperatures and HACCP checks.
Carbon footprint
What LCA studies on wood and plastic actually say.
RFID and traceability
GRAI, SSCC and embedded tags: how a pallet is tracked.
Custom pallets
Moulds, colours, marking and minimum batches.
Plastic pallet boxes
Pallet boxes: sizes, capacities and stacking.
ESD pallets
Resistance classes and IEC 61340 standards for electronics.
ROLL pallets: easy to order
ROLL does not sell generic pallets. If your case is one of these, you can order them directly online.
Reels and rolls
Paper, film, aluminium and technical textiles travel on reels. Here the right pallet depends not only on load capacity but on diameter, weight and core.
Frequently asked questions
How many kg can a plastic pallet hold?
It depends on the class and the use. In manufacturers’ datasheets a light pallet holds 650–1,000 kg when handled and 1,500–2,500 kg standing on the floor; a medium pallet about 1,500 kg when handled, 5,000–6,000 kg on the floor and 800–1,250 kg in racking; a heavy pallet 1,250–1,500 kg when handled, 4,500–7,500 kg on the floor and 1,000–1,400 kg in racking. These values assume a uniformly distributed load. In pallet racking the pallet spans two beams and the racking load capacity applies, the lowest of the three; on the floor or a solid shelf it sits on a full surface and the static (stationary) and dynamic (handled) capacities apply. Read more
Can a plastic pallet be used for export without phytosanitary treatment?
Yes. ISPM 15 only covers wood packaging, so a plastic pallet falls outside its scope and needs no treatment or marking. Any wooden accessories shipped with it remain subject to the standard. Read more
Plastic or wooden pallets: which is better?
Wood is cheaper to buy and, per single trip, a 2020 scientific study gives it a lower carbon footprint. Plastic pays off when the pallet comes back many times, when hygiene matters or when you ship outside the EU without treatment. Read more
Does the PPWR make reusable pallets mandatory?
Regulation (EU) 2025/40 applies from 12 August 2026. From 1 January 2030 companies that use pallets for transport must have at least 40% reusable within a reuse system, and 100% for flows between sites of the same company or to another operator in the same Member State, unless exempt. Read more
How are reels transported on pallets?
With the axis horizontal, on a pallet with a saddle or cradle that stops the reel from rolling, or on a flat pallet secured with chocks. The figure to check is the maximum weight per reel, because a reel is a concentrated load. Read more
Who is behind it
plasticpallet.info is a project by ROLL, an Italian company specialising in packaging for industrial reels and rolls, with three granted patents and customers in flexible packaging, paper and aluminium. ROLL sells reel pallets and chocks: that is why the guides cite their sources and also report the studies that favour wood.
Contact us About us and how we work