Overhang
Product hanging past the deck edge loses roughly 30% of its compression strength in a stack. If your load overhangs a 48x40, a 48x48 or a purpose-built footprint pays for itself in damage avoidance alone.
Service 07
Custom Pallet Builds
In short
When a standard footprint does not fit the product, the right answer is a pallet built to the product rather than a product wrestled onto a pallet. We design and build custom wood pallets, skids and bases from your drawing, your sample or a photograph of the load — runs from 25 prototypes to 25,000 production units, with a first article on your dock in about a week.
Quote: Custom Pallet Builds
Send the details and a named person at the Evendale yard replies within one business day with pricing, freight and a piece count — in writing.
When a custom pallet is genuinely the right call
Custom builds cost more per unit than recycled standards, so the honest advice is to use a standard footprint whenever one works. These are the situations where it does not.
Point loading
Machinery, castings, transformers and coils concentrate weight over a small area. These need extra stringers, doubled deck boards or a solid deck — not a standard grocery pallet.
Container optimisation
A footprint tuned to a 40-ft container floor plan can add an entire extra row per container. On a regular export lane that is the fastest payback in packaging.
Automation constraints
AS/RS, shuttle systems and robotic cells impose tolerances a recycled pallet cannot reliably hold. Custom builds hold ±1/8 inch.
Export and one-way
When the pallet is never coming back, the right build is the minimum structure that survives one trip — often lighter and cheaper than a standard.
Brand-facing display
Retail floor displays and farm-market fixtures where the pallet is visible to a customer. Sanded, cleaned, sometimes stencilled.
From drawing to first article
- Share the load, not just the dimensions
Weight, weight distribution, stack height, whether it racks, whether it goes in a container, whether it crosses a border. We would rather over-ask than under-build.
- We propose a spec
Deck configuration, stringer count and dimension, board thickness, species, fastener schedule and estimated static, dynamic and racked ratings. Sent as a drawing, not a paragraph.
- Prototype in 5–7 days
One to five units built on a temporary jig and delivered for a physical load test at your site. This step catches the things a drawing never does.
- Production jig and run
On approval the jig is fixed and the run scheduled. Standard production lead time is 10–15 business days depending on quantity and species availability.
- Repeatable reorder
The jig and spec stay on file. Reorders skip straight to scheduling, and your spec number appears on every future quote and BOL.
Common custom configurations
| Configuration | Description | Typical rating | Common application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-way notched stringer | Standard stringers notched for fork entry on all four sides | 2,500 lb dynamic | General distribution with mixed handling equipment |
| Block pallet | Nine blocks with top and bottom deck boards; true four-way entry | 4,000 lb dynamic | Automation, export, heavy or unstable loads |
| Heavy-duty solid deck | Full plywood or tight-laid board deck over 4–6 stringers | 6,000+ lb static | Machinery, castings, transformers |
| Two-way skid | No bottom deck boards; runners only | 2,000 lb dynamic | One-way shipments, floor storage, low-cost export |
| Nestable / winged | Deck boards overhanging the stringers on two sides | Varies | Bar-lift handling, strap-over loads |
| Double-face reversible | Identical top and bottom decks | 3,000 lb dynamic | Both faces usable, longer service life |
Ratings shown are typical for hardwood construction and are confirmed per build. We do not publish a rating we have not calculated for your actual spec.
From print to production: the full gate list
Custom work goes wrong in predictable places. This is the gate list we work through, and each gate exists because skipping it cost somebody a production run at some point.
- Gate 1 — the load, not the drawing
Gross weight, weight distribution, contact points, stack height, whether it racks, whether it goes in a container, whether it crosses a border. We would rather over-ask than under-build.
- Gate 2 — handling at both ends
Forklift, pallet jack, clamp, crane, AGV, conveyor. And critically: what equipment exists at the destination, which is the question most often not asked.
- Gate 3 — proposed specification
Deck configuration, stringer count and section, board thickness, species, fastener schedule, and calculated static, dynamic and racked ratings. Issued as a drawing, not a paragraph.
- Gate 4 — prototype, 1 to 5 units
Built on a temporary jig in 5–7 business days and delivered for a physical load test at your site. This step catches what a drawing never does.
- Gate 5 — load test sign-off
Your load, your handling equipment, your rack if applicable. We ask for photographs of the loaded prototype. Changes at this stage are free; changes after gate 6 are not.
- Gate 6 — jig fixed, spec numbered
The jig is built and the specification gets a number that appears on every future quote, BOL and grade sheet.
- Gate 7 — production run
10–15 business days for a standard run, plus kiln time if the build is export-treated.
- Gate 8 — reorder
Jig and spec stay on file indefinitely for active accounts. Reorders skip straight to scheduling.
Ten configurations and the problem each one solves
| Configuration | What it solves | Typical rating | Cost against a standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-way notched stringer | Mixed handling equipment on one site | 2,500 lb dynamic | Baseline |
| Four-stringer | Loads near the rating limit; centre-of-deck point loads | 3,200 lb dynamic | Modest increase — the cheapest safety margin available |
| Tight-laid or solid deck | Drums, bulk bags, small cartons that bridge a 3.5-in gap | 2,700 lb dynamic | Moderate increase |
| Nine-block construction | Automation, true four-way entry, European lanes | 3,300 lb dynamic | 30–60% increase |
| Heavy-duty solid deck, 6 runners | Machinery, castings, transformers, point loads | 6,000 lb dynamic | Substantial — built to a drawing every time |
| Two-way skid, no bottom deck | One-way export where minimum structure is correct | 2,000 lb dynamic | Reduction |
| Nestable / winged | Bar-lift and sling handling, strap-over loads | Varies | Moderate increase |
| Double-face reversible | Both faces usable; longer service life in a closed loop | 3,000 lb dynamic | Moderate increase |
| Container-tuned footprint | Recovering the wasted floor strip in a 40-ft container | Per build | Moderate — pays back fastest of anything here |
| Display / brand-facing | Retail floor displays where the pallet is customer-facing | Light duty | Varies with finish |
Ratings shown are typical for hardwood construction and are calculated per build. We do not publish a rating we have not worked out for your actual specification.
A specification template you can copy
Most custom quotes are delayed because the request describes a pallet rather than a requirement. Fill this in — with us or with anybody — and you will get a specification back rather than a list of questions.
- Footprint: length along the stringer axis first, then width. State which convention you are using.
- Overall height, or the deck and stringer thicknesses required.
- Gross load weight, and how it is distributed: evenly spread, four point loads, a single central mass, a drum on a chime.
- Stack height in transit and in storage, and what sits on top of the bottom unit.
- Fork entry required: two-way, four-way notched, or true four-way block.
- Racking: yes or no, beam opening if yes, and expected dwell time — which decides the creep derate.
- Automation: conveyor, AS/RS, shuttle, AGV, robotic palletiser. Include the integrator tolerance sheet if you have it.
- Environment: freezer, washdown, outdoor staging, humid summer warehouse.
- Export: destination country, and whether ISPM-15 treatment and marking is required.
- Species preference, if any, and whether recycled content is acceptable.
- Annual volume and reorder frequency — this decides whether a fixed jig is worth building.
- Any appearance or branding requirement, including stencilling.
Common questions
What is your minimum order for a custom pallet?
Twenty-five units for a production run. Prototypes are built in quantities of one to five and are billed at cost.
Can custom pallets be made from recycled wood?
Yes, and frequently they are. Harvested hardwood from our dismantling line is often drier and more stable than green virgin lumber, and it lowers both cost and embodied carbon.
Do custom pallets come heat-treated?
They can. ISPM-15 heat treatment and stamping is available on any build destined for international shipment. Specify it at quote time so the schedule includes kiln time.
How long does a reorder take?
Ten to fifteen business days in normal conditions, because the jig and spec are already on file. Rush runs can sometimes be compressed — ask when you order.