How-to
How to ship a pallet: a step-by-step guide
A well-built pallet ships cleanly and prices accurately. A bad one gets damaged, reweighed, and reclassed. Here is how to build and ship one the right way.
Know the vocabulary first
- Pallet vs. skid — a pallet has top and bottom deck boards; a skid has only a top, so it stacks more compactly.
- Deck boards — the planks your freight rests on; the more, and the closer together, the more support.
- Two-way vs. four-way entry — four-way pallets let a forklift enter from any side and are easier to handle.
- Overhang — freight extending past the pallet edge; the leading cause of in-transit damage.
The step-by-step
- Pick the right pallet — sized to your freight, rated for the weight, ideally a sturdy four-way entry pallet.
- Stack a stable load — heavy on the bottom, boxes squared in columns (not interlocked or pyramided, which weakens the stack), and nothing overhanging the edge.
- Secure it — strap or band the load to the pallet, then stretch-wrap from the base up several full turns so the load and pallet move as one unit.
- Weigh and measure accurately — record the real packaged weight and the largest length × width × height. Guessing here is what triggers reweigh and re-class charges.
- Label clearly — a clean shipping label on a visible side, plus any handling or hazmat markings the freight requires.
- Book the right mode — one pallet is usually LTL; several pallets may price better as partial truckload.
What actually drives the cost
- Weight and dimensions — including the pallet itself.
- Freight class (NMFC) for LTL — driven largely by density.
- Origin and destination ZIPs, and whether they are commercial, residential, or limited-access.
- Accessorials — liftgate, inside delivery, call-before-delivery, and similar add-ons.
Ready to ship that pallet?
Give us the weight, the dimensions, and the lane and we will quote the right mode and book a vetted carrier. One pallet or fifty.