Standard pallets
Standard pallets meet most industrial requirements. Available for light, semi-heavy or heavy loads, they are either "one-way" (used only once) or "multi-rotation".
Standard pallets measure 80x120cm or 100x120cm and have two or four entrances. If the pallets are to be exported, they must be fumigated to ISPM15 standards in certain countries (USA, China, etc.).
EPAL pallets
The Europe or EUR EPAL pallet, formerly known as the Euro pallet, is a four-way wooden pallet that meets the requirements of UIC leaflets 435-2-0 (for manufacture) and 435-4-OR (for repair) and the EPAL "Technical Regulations". It also meets AQF 335 Railway Quality Assurance standards. This quality charter has enabled the Europe pallet to become an essential part of the logistics chain for handling and transporting goods.
Measuring 1200 x 800 mm and weighing around 25 kg, an EPAL EUR pallet can support a dynamic load of between 1000 and 1400 kg. [MORE]
CP pallets
Created in the early 90s by the VCI (Verband der Chemischer Industrie), CP pallets are dedicated to the chemical industry. Since then, their management has been entrusted to APME (Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe), which organises their distribution and collection on a European scale. The standard defines nine pallet models, from CP1 to CP9, which can be rotated several times.
CP pallets can be repaired one or more times if necessary. At the end of their life, like any other handling device, they are recycled or disposed of. CP pallets meet precise specifications in terms of wood quality, fastening of components, dimensional tolerances and marking.
VMF pallets
VMF pallets are reserved for handling empty glass bottles and jars. Designed for the French mechanical glassworks industry, they carry the flows of that sector between production plants, bottlers and filling centres.
The full designation of the standard is VMF D 3071. Its specification is drawn up by the trade body of the verreries mécaniques de France, which also issues the manufacturing licence: making a VMF pallet requires prior approval from the association that runs the standard. Like any wooden packaging leaving the European Union, the glass pallet falls under the ISPM 15 standard.
A returnable and reusable carrier, it travels in a closed loop: recovered pallets are inspected, repaired and put back into service, which places it close to the circular economy model of the EPAL pallet.
| Length | 1200 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1000 mm |
| Height | 154 mm |
| Payload | 1000 kg |
| Entries | Four |
| Use | Empty glass bottles and jars |
Accepted species and materials
Every wood species is accepted, apart from grades known to split during assembly or drying. Composite wood, chipboard, glued boards and agglomerated blocks stay outside the standard.
Marking
Each manufacturer marks its pallets with a hot iron only, on the two end blocks placed diagonally on the 1200 mm side. The marking brings together four pieces of information:
- the supplier's mark;
- the wording VMF or VMF D3071;
- the identification number of the glassmaker customer;
- the month and year of manufacture.
This marking ties every carrier to its manufacturer and to its glassmaking user, and underpins the tracking of the returnable fleet.
Material pallets
The "cement" pallets defined by the concrete industries and also used by lime, plaster and plaster manufacturers are the most common, but there are many other types of pallet associated with building materials and derivatives. These include pallets for breeze blocks or cement, pallets for tiles, slates, plaster bricks, plasterboard, joinery and tiles.
Pallet boxes
The food and agriculture sectors in particular, but also the petrochemical industry, have specific requirements in terms of storage and handling. The pallet box, or palox, is designed to be robust and to protect the materials or products being transported.
Traditionally made of wood, the pallet box is made up of chamfered elements with sections similar to a heavy pallet, with the box generally bolted to the base. A horizontal belt can reinforce the assembly on certain models. The maximum load is 1500kg.