Bit by bit pallets, also known as skids, have becoming an integral part in our transportation and storage of products.  In the early 20th century as more and more goods were being transported by train boxcar with their level surfaces increased the use and need for pallets.

The pallets took less effort to move heavy stacks and the products on a pallet could be hauled by a hand truck and latter a forklift. They also allowed for the stacking of products so a warehouse could expand upward instead of outward. Since the warehouse will usually have a forklift, crane or handcart to move the goods into a vertical pallet rack. This in turn reduces the costs associated with storage and handling products.

They also allowed for a quicker turn around of ships, trains and trucks caring them.  In the 1930’s it took 3 days to unload your average box car when the same amount of goods is removed using the modern pallet system time is reduced to less than 4 hours.

The common pallet that everyone is use to seeing today is actually relatively new to the marketplace.   It wasn’t until Howard T Hallowell with his “Lift Truck Platform” in 1924 was there even a reference to a pallet with the U.S. Patent office.  In 1925 bottom boards were introduced to Hallowell’s patent giving us the current form of a pallet.  After WWII and with the soldiers trying to find ways to better move allied war material, many more inventors looked at ways to make a better pallet.

Robert Braun introduced the four way pallet in 1945 and 1948 brought the first one stamped from steel to be used with a forklift by Sullivan Stemple.  The more current 2-direction stringer pallet was brought in by Darling Graeme in 1949.

There is no “one size” for a pallet, different companies and organizations use and different pallet sizes throughout the world.  The International Organization of Standardization (ISO) is attempting to change this.  They have suggested six different pallet sizes to be used on all pallets foreign and domestic. 

There a currently three main pallet configuration used in industry, even thought he sizes vary. 

The Stringer pallet also known as a two way pallet is a frame with three connector pieces that run parallel. 

Stronger than the Stringer Pallet is the Block pallet, this type uses the same basic principal of the Stringer but adds more connectors going perpendicular along with parallel. 

The third type is the Perimeter Base Pallet the other two types have bottom boards that face one direction and a load truck or forklift need to pick it up that way.  The Perimeter Base allows the pallet to be picked up from any direction.