Pallets in construction
A pallet is a structure used to support goods and materials as they are being stored and moved. While most pallets are made of timber, they can also be made from plastic, metal, paper and other recycled materials.
Building materials such as bricks, blocks, and roofing tiles can be stored on pallets and secured with strapping, shrink wrap, and so on. They can then be transported to a site where they can be moved around using a forklift truck, pallet jack, or crane. They are typically square, or nearly square shaped to help resist tipping.
Timber pallets generally comprise three or four stringers supporting several deckboards. When measuring pallets, the stringer length is the first number, and the deckboard length is the second number.
There are no universally accepted standards for pallet dimensions, and hundreds of different pallet sizes are used around the world.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
New Scottish and Welsh governments
CIOB stresses importance of construction after new parliament elections.
The sad story of Derby Hippodrome
An historic building left to decay.
ECA, JIB and JTL back Fabian Society call to invest in skills for a stronger built environment workforce.
Women's Contributions to the Built Environment.
Calls for the delayed Circular Economy Strategy
Over 50 leading businesses, trade associations and professional bodies, including CIAT, and UKGBC sign open letter.
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?