Tips for Pallets

Shipping with pallets is not something most of us do every day. Warehouse employees have plenty of experience here, but for the average consumer, it's completely foreign. If you ever have to use a pallet for moving, it's best if you know how to load and secure it. Your belongings will move and shift during their journey. A poorly packed truck or boat may lend no support to your stack of goods, resulting in a toppled mess upon arrival.

To load a stable pallet you must start by putting the heaviest items on the bottom. If you have plastic storage boxes, make them the first layer. If not, use corrugated cardboard boxes for heavy items, and use them as your base layer. Pack from the centre of the pallet out, making sure to  distribute the weight of your moving boxes as evenly as possible. Also be sure to take the boxes as close to the edge of the pallet without extending beyond it. How high you stack depends on the weight, but it's generally advised that you don't exceed 48”.

The last piece of the pallet puzzle is to wrap your load with cellophane pallet wrap. This wrapping material comes on rolls of various sizes and thicknesses. Make sure you order the right kind when you're getting your moving supplies; the company you buy from should be able to tell you what you need. To wrap the pallet, pull the wrap from the roll an inch or two and tie it to one of the corners of the wood. Then grab the roll and start walking it around the pallet. Overlap the wood and then each successive layer all the way to the top. Tear it off and you're done. Your pallet is now secure and ready to move.