Glossary
#1/Grade A
GMA that has been repaired close to original condition. A structurally sound pallet.
#2/Grade B
GMA with repaired stringer damage by attaching additional stringer along the damaged one. Usually has two or less repaired stringers.
Annular Nail
A pallet nail with annular (circular ring) threads rolled onto the shank.
ASTM International Wood Packaging Standards (ASTM)
Located in Conshohocken, PA, ASTM develops and maintains international shipping standards, including IPPC.
Banding Notch
Recess or cutout on the upper edge of the stringer or bottom of the top duckboard to allow tie-down of a unit load to the pallet deck with strapping or banding.
Base
Structured assembly designed to support unit load.
Batten
Reinforcement on wood containers used to hold a series of bards together to create rigidity – generally set in from each end to prevent board splitting. When used flush with the end, it becomes a cleat.
Bin
Four-sided superstructure to be mounted on a pallet base, with or without a cover; also known as a box or container bin pallet.
Block
Rectangular, square or cylindrical deck spacer, often identified by its location within the pallet as corner block, end block, edge block, inner block, center or middle blocks.
Block Pallet
A type of pallet with blocks between the pallet decks or beneath the top deck.
Bottom Deck
Assembly of deckboards comprising the lower, load bearing surface of the pallet.
Butted Deckboard
An inner deckboard placed tightly against an adjacent lead deckboard during pallet assembly.
CAD
Computer-aided-design software that allows the design of the right pallet at the best value.
Captive Pallet
A pallet intended for use within the confines of a single facility, system or ownership; not intended to be exchanged.
Chamfer and Chamfer Deckboards
Deckboards with edges of one or two faces beveled, either along the full or specified length of board or between stingers of blocks, allowing easier entry of pallet jack wheels.
Cleat
A piece of lumber used to strengthen or support the framework of a container. Various forms of cleats include batten, diagonal, filler edge, framing, intermediate, support and through-edge.
Closed Distribution System
Shipping system restricted to moving goods between specified plants and facilities.
Combo Pallet
Remanufactured pallet which contains a mixture of recycled and new components.
Cost-Pass Through System
A cost-share system where the partial cost of a pallet is passed-through from the purchaser to the receiver of the pallet.
Cost-Per-Trip
Average cost of pallet use for a single one-way trip.
Crate
Comprised of wooden frame and plywood walls with stringer bottoms for entry. Used for shipping or storage.
Deck
One or more boards or panels comprising the top or bottom surface of the pallet.
Deck Mat
Assembly of deckboards and stringerboards, forming the deck of a block pallet.
Deckboard
Element or component of a pallet deck, oriented perpendicular to the stringer or stringerboard.
Deckboard Spacing
Distance between adjacent deckboards.
Deckboard Span
Distance between deckboard supports (stringers, stringerboards or blocks).
Diagonal
Angle member placed between vertical and horizontal members within a panel to provide rigidity to a wooden container or crate.
Disposable Pallet, Expendable Pallet, One-Trip Pallet, One-Way Pallet
A pallet intended for a series of handling during a dingle trip from shipper to receiver; it is then disposed.
Double-Faced Pallet
A pallet with top and bottom decks.
Double-Wing Pallet
A pallet with top and bottom deckboards extending beyond the edges of the stringers or stringerboard.
Drive Screw Nail
Helically (continuous spiral) threaded pallet nail.
Euro Pallet
A block style pallet measuring 1200 mm x 800 mm built to European Pallet Association
(EPA) specifications. Only pallets built with an EPA branded logo are considered authentic EURO pallets.
Exchange Pallet
A common pool pallet intended for use among a designated group or shippers and receivers where
ownership of the pallet is transferred with the ownership of the unit load.
Faceboard
Sheathing board used for the top, bottom, sides and ends of a container.
Fastener
A mechanical device for joining pallet components such as nails, staples, bolts or screws.
Fastener Shear Index
Relative measure of shear resistance of the pallet fastener.
Floorboard
Sheathing for the base fastened to the skids in a wood container.
Flush Pallet
A pallet with deckboards flush with the stringers, stringerboards or blocks along the sides.
Fork Entry
Opening between decks, beneath the top deck or beneath the stringer notch to admit forks.
Four-Way Block Pallet
A pallet with openings at both ends and along pallet side sufficient to admit hand-pallet jacks.
Free Span
The distance between supports in a warehouse rack.
GMA
Grocery Manufacturers of America
Hand (Wheel) Jack Opening
Space provided in the bottom deck to allow pallet jack wheels to bear on the floor.
Handling
A single pick-up, movement and set-down of a loaded or empty pallet.
Hardened-Steel Nail
Heat-treated and tempered steel pallet nail with a MIBANT angle between 8 and 28 degrees.
Hardwood
Wood from broad-leaved species of trees (not necessarily hard or dense).
Header
End cross members of the base in a container. Headers are bolted to the skids and act as fastening members for assembly of the end panels.
Helical Nail
Helically (continuous spiral) threaded pallet nail, see also Drive Screw Nail.
Inner Deckboard
Any deckboard located between the end deckboards.
Joint
Intersection and connection of components, often identified by location within the pallet as the end joint, center joint, and corner joint.
Joists
Load-supporting members of a container, spanning the width of the unit.
Lead Boards
Leading deckboards on the top or bottom of a pallet. Located on each end of the pallet.
Length
Refers to the stringer or stringerboard (in block pallets) length; also refers to the first
dimension given to describe a pallet. i.e. 48” x 40 “, where 48” is the pallet stringer/stringerboard length.
Life to First Repair
Output from the PDS program that is equivalent to the number of trips the pallet will make before needing repair.
Limited Use Pallet
A pallet designed for an average of up to 9 trips, assuming an average of five handlings per trip and an average handling environment, before first repair.
Line Load
The weight of a unit load concentrated along a narrow area across the full length or width of the pallet.
Liner
Thin board stapled to the end to reinforce the end faceboard of wirebound containers.
Logistics
The process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from point of origin or point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements.
Member
Parts that form the fundamental structure of both sheathed and open crate – members are typically boards. This terminology can also refer to export boxes where structure is inside panel or sheathing. Specific names include bottom/lower, cross, end, intermediate, longitudinal, side and top/upper member.
MIBANT Angel
The bend angle in a fastener shank when subjected to a MIBANT test.
MIBANT Test (Morgan Impact Bend Angle Nail Tester)
Standard impact nail tester used in the pallet and lumber industry as an indication of impact bend resistance of nails or staples.
Multiple Use Pallet
A pallet designed to make multiple trips under different unit load conditions.
Nail
Fastener made from endless wire by cutting a point and forming a head at the shank end opposite the point.
National Wood Pallet and Container Association
A national association with the goal of promoting the design, manufacture, distribution, recycling, and sale of pallets, containers, and reels.
Non-Reversible Pallet
A pallet with bottom deckboard configuration different from top deck.
Notch
Cutout in lower portion of the stringer to allow entry for the fork tine, usually 9” in length, 1 ½” in depth.
Notched Stringer
A stringer with two notches spaced for fork-tine entry, (partial four-way entry).
Opening Height
The vertical distance measured between decks, from the floor to the underside of the top deck, or from the floor to the top of the stringer notch.
Overall Height
The vertical distance measured from the floor to the top side of the top deck.
Overhang
The vertical distance measured between decks, from the floor to the underside of the top deck, or from the floor to the top of the stringer notch.
Pallet
A portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and transporting goods as a unit load, often equipped with a superstructure.
Pallet Box
Wood container using a pallet as its base.
Pallet Design System (PDS)
Reliability-based computer-aided design (CAD) program, for determining the safe load carrying capacity, performance, life and economy of wooden pallets.
Pallet Dimensions
When specifying pallet size, the stringer or stringerboard (block pallet) length is
always expressed first; i.e. 48” x 40” pallet has a 48” stringer/stringerboard and 40” deckboard.
Pallet Jack
Hand-propelled wheeled platform, equipped with a lifting device for moving palletized unit loads.
Pallet Life
The period during which the pallet remains useful, expressed in units of time or in the number of one-way trips.
Panel Deck Pallet
Pallet constructed with composite or structural panel top deck.
Partial Four-Way Stringer Pallet
A pallet with notched stringers.
Post Pallet
A pallet fitted with posts or blocks between the decks or beneath the top deck.
Quality
Consistent performance of a uniform product meeting the customer’s needs for economy and function.
Racked Across Deckboards
Deflection of a pallet where the rack frame supports the pallet only at the ends of the deckboards.
Racked Across Stringers
Deflection of a pallet where the rack frame supports the pallet only at the ends of the stringers or stringer boards.
Recycling
A pallet, container or reel that has been used, discarded, salvaged, repaired and which passes through a cycle again.
Remanufactured Pallet
A pallet built from either all reclaimed (used) lumber or built from a combination of new and reclaimed lumber.
Rental Pallet
A pallet owned by a third party, different from the actual pallet user.
Returnable/Reusable Pallet
A pallet designed to be used for more than one trip.
Reversible Pallet
A pallet with identical top and bottom decks.
Shipping Pallet
Pallet designed to be used for a single one-way trip from shipper to receiver; it is then disposed.
Shook
Cut-to-size pallet parts to be assembled into pallets.
Shook Grade
The classification of the quality of pallet parts relative to performance characteristics
based on size and distribution of defects, independent of wood species.
Sill
Member that, along with the sill bridging, form the framework of sill-base in wood containers.
Single-Wing Pallet
A pallet with the top deckboards extending beyond the edges of the stringers or stringerboards with the bottom deckboards flush (if present).
Skid
A pallet having no bottom deck. Also called a single face pallet. Lengthwise member of the base in a wood container.
Slave Pallet
Pallet, platform or single, thick panel used as a support base for a palletized load in rack–
storage facilities or production systems.
Soft Nail
Pallet nail with MIBANT angle equal to or greater than 47 degrees.
Softwood
Wood from coniferous or needle-bearing trees (not necessarily soft or low density).
Solid Deck Pallet
A pallet constructed with no spacing between deckboards.
Span
The distance between stringer or block supports.
Staple
Wire fastener formed by bending wire to form two legs of equal length and a crown connecting both legs at ends opposite leg points.
Stevedore Pallet
A pallet designed for use on seaport shipping docks, normally of heavy-duty. Double-wing construction.
Stiffness
Resistance to flexural deformation in direction of applied force.
Stiff-Stock Steel Nail
Pallet nail made of medium-high carbon steel without heat treatment and tempering with MIBANY angle between 29 and 46 degrees.
Strap Slot
Recess or cutout on the upper edge of the stringer or the bottom of the top deckboard to allow tie-down of a unit load to the pallet deck with the strapping/banding, also called the banding notch.
Strapping
Thin flat bands used to secure load to pallet.
Stringer
Continuous, longitudinal, solid or notched beam-component of the pallet used to support deck components, often identified by location as the outside or center stringer.
Stringerboard
In the block pallets, continuous, solid board member extending for the full length of the pallet perpendicular to deckboard members and placed between deckboards and blocks.
Strut
Members placed vertically between upper and lower members in a wood container.
Take-It-Or-Leave-It-Pallet
A pallet with fixed cleats on the top deckboards to permit fork truck tines to pass beneath the unit load and remove it from the pallet.
Top Cap
Panel to be placed on top of a unit load to allow for tight strapping without damaging the unit load.
Top-Deck of the Pallet
The assembly of deckboards comprising the upper load-carrying surface of the pallet.
Trip
Consists of four to six handlings of a pallet.
Two-Way Entry Pallet
A pallet with un-notched solid stringers allowing entry only from the ends.
Unit Load
Assembly of goods on a pallet for handling, moving, storing and stacking as a single entity.
Warehouse Pallet
A double-face multiple trip returnable pallet intended for general warehouse use.
Wing
Overhang of deckboard end from outside edge of stringer or stringerboard.
Wood Container Base
Lower portion of the container on which its content rests.
Wood Container Dimensions
For containers, the interior dimensions are commonly specified.Three dimensions are typically expressed as length x width x height. The container length is the measurement from left to right or perpendicular to runners if required. The container width is measured from front to back while the container height is the measurement from top to bottom. Commonly expressed in inches or feet.
Wood Container End
Composed of faceboards to which battens or cleats are attached forming a structural component along the width of a container.
Wood Container Side
Composed of faceboard or panel to which battens or cleats are attached forming a structural component along the length of a container.
Wood Container Sill Base
Framework of lead-bearing members called side, end and intermediate sills.
Wood Container Skid Base
Consists of longitudinal skids that are assembled with such cross members as headers, load-bearing floorboards, diagonals and plywood or lumber flooring.
Wood Container Top
Top most panel of any container, and also referred to as “lid” or “cover”.