BOARD SPACING - The distance between adjacent deck boards. They should be close enough together so small items placed on top do not fall through or large items do not bend through the openings.

BOTTOM BOARDS or BOTTOM DECK - The assembly of boards comprising the lower, load bearing, surface of the pallet. On small to medium size pallets we generally use 2 to 3 bottom boards.

BUTTED PALLET - The top deck boards consist of two boards across the top in place of one, butted and nailed into the center stringer. We usually construct these as 48" x 40" pallets.

CAP - see TOP CAP

CHAMPHERED BOARDS - Deck boards with outside edges beveled, either along the full length or a specified length of the board, between the stringers/blocks allowing easier entry of pallet jack wheels.

COLLAR - Collapsible wooden container or bin which transforms a pallet into a box.

COMMERCIAL LUMBER - A mid grade of lumber used to construct pallets/skids. This lumber is good for pallets requiring several shipments before it is discarded.

DECK or DECK BOARDS - One or more boards or panels comprising the top and/or bottom surface of the pallet.

DECK BOARD SPACING - Distance between adjacent deck boards

DIMENSIONS - The size of a pallet or a skid. Width, stringer length, is quoted first, followed by the length.
Depth/Length - dimensions between the extreme pallet sides. The sides are the stringer lengths.
Width - dimensions between the extreme pallet ends, parallel to the stringers.

DOUBLE-FACE PALLET - The top and the bottom are the same configuration.

DOUBLE-WING PALLET - A pallet with top and bottom decks extending beyond the stringer edges or boards.

EXPENDABLE LUMBER - A lower grade of lumber used to construct a pallet/skid that is usually used once and discarded. Once the shipment leaves the shipper they do not care what happens to the pallet/skid.

EXPENDABLE PALLET - A pallet intended for one or a series of handlings for a shipment from the shipper to the receiver. It is then disposed of.

FLUSH PALLET - A pallet with deck boards flush with the stringers, stringer-boards or blocks along the sides of the pallet.

FORK ENTRY - Opening between decks, beneath the top deck or beneath the stringer notch to admit forks.

HARDWOOD - Non-coniferous woods. Wood from broad-leaved species of trees (not necessarily hard or dense).

HEAT TREATED LUMBER - The process of heating the lumber to a core temperature of 56° Celsius (133° Fahrenheit) for a period of at least 30 minutes. This is the minimum recognized specification for heat treatment as define in ISPM Publication 15, March 2002. ISPM - International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures. Heat treatment is to eliminate unwanted "bugs" that may live in wood.

HEAT TREATED PALLETS/SKIDS - Pallets and skids constructed with heat treated lumber. For shipments to designated areas, and eventually worldwide, a designated stamp is affixed on the outside stringers that verifies approved heat treated lumber was used in construction.

HT - see HEAT TREATED LUMBER

LOAD BEARING SURFACE - Actual area of material in contact with and supporting a unit load.

LOCKTITE PALLET - The top deck boards consist of two boards across the top in place of one, butted and nailed into the center stringer. We usually construct these as 48" x 40" pallets.

NON-REVERSIBLE PALLET - A pallet with bottom deck board 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 1/2" in depth.

NOTCHED STRINGER - A stringer with two notches spaced for fork tine entry of a forklift. Not suitable for pallet jack use.

PALLET - A portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and/or transporting goods as a unit - consisting of a top deck and bottom deck.

PALLET DIMENSIONS - see DIMENSIONS

PALLET JACK - A hand-propelled wheeled platform, equipped with a lifting device for moving palletized unit loads.

PALLET LENGTH - see DIMENSIONS

PALLET SIZE - see DIMENSIONS

PALLET WIDTH - see DIMENSIONS

PARTIAL FOUR-WAY PALLET - A pallet with notched stringers. It is accessible on all four sides with a forklift but only on two sides with a pallet jack.

SHIPPING PALLET - see EXPENDABLE PALLET

SINGLE-WING PALLET - A pallet with the top deck boards extending beyond the edges of the stringers. The bottom boards, if present, are flush with the stringers.

SKID - A portable, horizontal, rigid platform used as a base for assembling, storing, stacking, handling and/or transporting goods as a unit - consisting of a top deck but no bottom deck.

SOFTWOOD - Coniferous woods. Conifer wood is wood that comes from "…predominately evergreen, cone bearing trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock or fir."

SOLID DECK - The pallet top has no spacing between the boards. The boards are butted against each other.

SPACING - see DECK BOARD SPACING

STRAP SLOT - Recess or cutout on the upper edge of the stringer or the bottom of the top deck board to allow tie-down of a unit load to the pallet deck with strapping/banding, also called the banding notch.

STRAPPING - Thin flat bands used to secure load to pallet.

STRINGER - Solid or notched beam (component) of a pallet used to support deck components, usually identified by location as the outside or center stringer. A stringer runs the full length of the pallet.

TOP CAP - Panel to be placed on top of a unit load to allow for tight strapping without damaging the unit load.

UNIT LOAD - Assembly of goods on a pallet for handling, moving, storing and stacking as a single entity.

WAREHOUSE LUMBER - A high grade of lumber used to construct pallets/skids. This lumber is used for pallets requiring multiple uses/shipments before being discarded.

WING - Overhang of the deck board ends from outside edge of the stringer.

2-WAY PALLET - A pallet accessed on 2 sides only. The stringers create the openings.

4-WAY PALLET - A pallet accessed on all 4 sides. The openings on the stringer sides are cut into boards to allow fork tine entry. A pallet is able bear a greater weight as a 2-way versus a 4-way.