It’s difficult to imagine packaging and moving products without the use of pallets in Milwaukee. To the untrained outsider, a pallet might only seem like a few pieces of wood nailed together. Not everyone truly understands the purpose and importance of these packaging tools.
There are even those who work in warehouses who are unaware of the many different types of Milwaukee pallets and their different roles. Two common variations are the stringer and the block pallet. They look very similar at first but have some fundamental differences.
The Block Pallet
The block pallet uses anywhere between 4 and 12 small, solid blocks of wood to support the load of the materials. The materials are placed on top of the deck boards, which are strips of lumber on top that run the width of the pallet. Some block pallets in Milwaukee use plastic blocks instead of lumber blocks, but these are far less common.
Some of these are designed with deck boards that run along the bottom width of the pallet as well. Bottom deck boards tend to only run in line with the blocks. Between the blocks is the space reserved for the hand jacks.
The Stringer Pallet
A stringer is very similar to a block pallet, but without the blocks for support. Instead, it uses stringers that run perpendicular to the deck boards. The length of the pallet is specified by the length of the stringers, and the width is specified by the length of the deck boards.
The stringers are often notched so that forks can enter from any one of the four sides. A stringer that is missing the notches is known as a 2-way pallet.
Both Work Great
Both of these pallet types work great for most packaging needs. If you find yourself working in a warehouse environment, then it’s a good idea to research the different options and deck board configurations before stocking up on pallets in Milwaukee.
