Products · Buy online or get a quote · Lake Elmo, Minnesota
Plastic shipping pallets are durable, lightweight, economical, and available for a wide variety of applications. Contact Gruber Pallets to learn more.
Washable, export-ready and reusable for years. Our 48x40 nestable pallet is in stock at our Lake Elmo yard and priced right here. Need a different size or a full truckload? Get a quote. Not sure plastic is the right call? The picker below tells you in three clicks.
The pallet we sell online
Our 48x40 nestable plastic pallet holds 5,000 pounds sitting still and 2,000 pounds on a forklift. It weighs 17 pounds and stands 5.5 inches tall. Nine molded legs let empty pallets nest inside each other, so a stack of empties takes a fraction of the trailer or floor space.
Static load is the weight it holds sitting on the floor. Dynamic load is the weight it holds while a forklift carries it. This pallet is not rated for racking, so keep it off pallet racks with open beams.
Three clicks
Plastic wins some jobs and loses others. Answer three questions and we will point you at the pallet that fits, even when that is a wood pallet you can buy online today.
Your match
The right pallet and the fastest way to order it show up here.
Your match
Your match
For a dry, one-way export load, a new wood pallet with the ISPM-15 heat treat stamp clears customs and costs a fraction of plastic. In stock at the yard now.
Your match
A dry, domestic, one-way load does not need what plastic costs. Wood ships today and recycled wood is the cheapest pallet we sell.
Side by side
Everything on this table is something we can actually do for you. All three prices are what you pay online today. Truckloads and odd sizes are quoted.
| Plastic pallet | New wood pallet | Recycled wood pallet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Clean rooms, packaged food, wash-down areas, pallets that come back for years | General shipping, export with heat treat, customers who want a fresh pallet | Budget one-way domestic shipping |
| Washable | Yes, hose it off and reuse | No, wood soaks up liquid | No |
| Export (ISPM-15) | Exempt, no stamp or heat treat | Heat treated option, stamped | Heat treated option, stamped |
| How soon | In stock, pickup ready in 1 business day. Other sizes 2 to 4 weeks | Pickup ready in 1 business day | Pickup ready in 1 business day |
| Price | $70 online, $35 at 250+. Truckloads and other sizes quoted | From $34 online, truckload quotes as low as $17 | From $18 online, truckload quotes as low as $9 |
| Load | 5,000 lb static · 2,000 lb dynamic · 17 lb pallet | Up to 2,500 lb rated · heavier, varies by lumber | Up to 2,500 lb rated · varies by grade |
| How to order | Buy online | Buy online | Buy online |
Advantages
Plastic pallets do not have organic fibers that can be scraped off like a wood pallet. Unless the pallet is broken due to carelessness load that is too heavy, the plastic mold should remain intact. Even if a piece falls off, it will not leave fiber strands that can be hard to track down. This characteristic makes plastic pallets ideal for a clean room environment that needs isolation from contaminants.
Plastic is waterproof, wood is not. If a drum or container breaks or splits open, the plastic pallet can be washed or rinsed off and put back into use without the concern of water or a liquid product soaking into the pallet, as would be the concern with a wood pallet.
Plastic pallets are exempt from ISPM-15 export regulations. They do not need to be heat treated, stamped, or inspected upon arriving at customs like a normal wood pallet would need to be. The reason for this is that heat treating or fumigating a pallet is meant to kill pests and insects, but there is no way for a beetle to burrow into a plastic pallet.
Not all plastic pallets have the same strength rating, but there are a few companies that make plastic pallets that are actually reinforced with steel supports which make for an ideal warehouse pallet that can hold weight in excess of 5000lbs and be used over and over again.
The honest part
The full guide, unchanged: what a plastic pallet is, how it is made, and the two things that slow most plastic orders down. Our stocked 48x40 nestable is the exception to both.
Buy the 48x40 onlineDisadvantage 1
Most plastic pallets that are made brand new are built to order, so lead times can range anywhere from 2-4 weeks, depending on the manufacturer. Occasionally a company will carry an inventory of a common size, but these may not always be available.
Disadvantage 2
There are far more local wood pallet manufacturers than plastic pallet manufacturers, and plastic pallets can sometimes need to be shipped hundreds and possibly thousands of miles to reach the destination. Plastic pallets can range anywhere from $5 to a few hundred per pallet, depending on the quantity ordered, material, distance, size, and specification.
Plastic shipping pallets are durable, lightweight, economical, and available for a wide variety of applications. Multi-use applications are ideal due to the strength and life-span of plastic pallets. Here are some notable features:
Below we look at some of the common characteristics in plastic pallets, what you should expect from one, along with the advantages and disadvantages that come with using plastic instead of wood.
Plastic pallet can be manufactured from either a recycled resin or a virgin resin – recycled resin is more cost-effective but more brittle, while virgin resin is more durable and also more expensive. Some pallet companies recycle whole plastic pallets which have many of the same benefits as a brand new plastic pallet, but they have been used before and can have inconsistencies in quality and specification.
Plastic pallets have significant advantages for specialty applications – they are cleaner, more reusable, and can be much stronger than a wood pallet, but lead times and pricing are often the biggest holdups with getting a load of pallets ordered and ready to go. Although a local wood pallet supplier might not manufacture the plastic pallets in house, they may have access to recycled plastic pallets or relationships with plastic pallet manufacturers and can distribute for a discounted wholesale price.
Read: International Shipping, Heat Treat, and ISPM-15 →Heat Treat for Export →
Getting them to you
Plastic pallets ship from our Lake Elmo yard like everything else we sell. Pick them up free, or we deliver: the Twin Cities in 1 to 2 business days, farther out priced by distance at checkout. Truckload quantities are always quoted.
Ready when you are
The nestable 48x40 is priced online and ready for pickup within a day. For another size, a truckload, or 500 and up, send the details and a person at the yard prices it. Monday to Friday.
