What Is a Wooden Pallet? Structure, Types and Uses

A wooden pallet is a flat platform made from natural timber (pine, acacia, melaleuca) or engineered wood, built from a top deck, load-bearing supports and a bottom deck, and used to lift, transport and store goods by forklift. It is the backbone material of logistics, export packing and manufacturing thanks to its high load capacity (500-2,000 kg depending on type), low cost and the ease with which it meets the ISPM 15 international phytosanitary standard.

After 15 years working with wooden pallets, we find that most first-time buyers - especially in export and procurement departments - feel overwhelmed by the dozens of names in circulation: pine pallet, acacia pallet, Euro pallet, EPAL, ISPM 15, HT, two-way, four-way, and so on. Almost all of these terms revolve around a handful of simple principles.

This guide brings together everything an international buyer sourcing pallets from Vietnam needs to know: the definition, the detailed structure, the four classification methods, the international standards, and the common mistakes to avoid when ordering. By the end you will be able to specify the right pallet for your use case and assess a supplier with confidence. Need pricing fast? You can request a quote at any time, or browse our full range of wooden pallet types.

What is a wooden pallet? A precise technical definition

A wooden pallet is a rectangular or square flat structure made of wood that serves as a base for goods, designed so a forklift or hand pallet jack can slide its forks underneath and move the entire unit load at once. The platform is what distinguishes a pallet from an ordinary board, and it is the reason pallets are central to modern unit-load handling worldwide.

A genuine wooden pallet differs from a plain plank in three ways: it has fork-entry openings for the forklift tines (typically 85-100 mm of clearance), it is engineered to defined static and dynamic load ratings, and its timber moisture content must sit below 18-22% to prevent mould and pest infestation during international transit. You can see these features across our range of new wooden pallets.

In the Vietnamese market, wooden pallets account for roughly 70-80% of total pallet demand in logistics and export, with plastic and paper pallets making up the rest. The main reasons are cost - wooden pallets are 40-60% cheaper than plastic pallets of the same size - and the ease with which they satisfy phytosanitary requirements for export shipments.

Wooden pallet structure: the 3 main parts and their roles

A standard wooden pallet is built from three groups of components. Understanding the structure lets you judge pallet quality by eye and avoid buying flimsy units with inadequate load ratings.

Part	Technical name	Role	Common specification
Top deck	Deckboard	Direct contact with goods; distributes the load	15-22 mm thick, 90-145 mm wide, 5-7 boards
Centre supports	Stringer or Block	Creates the gap for forklift tines to enter	90-100 mm high, 70-100 mm thick
Bottom deck	Bottom deckboard	Spreads the load to the floor; adds stacking stability	15-22 mm thick, 3-5 boards

How the parts are joined

These three components are fastened with screw-shank or ring-shank nails 2.8-3.5 mm in diameter and 50-70 mm long. Every contact point between a deckboard and a stringer should carry at least two nails, so a standard 1,100 x 1,100 mm pallet uses around 50-70 nails in total. The nailing pattern is one of the clearest indicators of build quality.

Engineered LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) and moulded presswood pallets use heat-resistant industrial adhesive instead of nails. These are usually 30-40% lighter but cost 1.5-2 times more than traditional wooden pallets. For a closer look at this option, see our guide to presswood pallets.

Classifying wooden pallets: the 4 key criteria

There are dozens of ways to categorise pallets, but in logistics and export only four criteria really matter. Knowing these four is enough to brief a supplier without leaving out critical information.

1. By timber species

This is the criterion that most directly affects price and service life. Vietnam uses four main timber groups for pallets. The VND figures below are domestic FOB-Vietnam reference points; USD pricing for export volumes is available on request.

• Pine: Light (density 0.4-0.5 g/cm3), attractive grain, the lowest cost (around 85,000-130,000 VND per unit at 1,100 x 1,100 mm). Suited to lighter, domestic loads, with a service life of 3-5 trips. See our pine wood pallets.
• Acacia: The most common species in Vietnam, density 0.55-0.65 g/cm3, 1.3-1.5 times more durable than pine. Around 120,000-180,000 VND per unit. It strikes the best balance of cost and strength, which is why ICD Vietnam runs it as our flagship line.
• Melaleuca: Density 0.6-0.7 g/cm3, good moisture resistance, well suited to cold storage and seafood export. Priced about 10-15% above acacia.
• Engineered wood (LVL, plywood): Built from thin glued wood layers for a perfectly flat surface and stable load rating. The highest cost (around 180,000-280,000 VND per unit) but a service life 2-3 times that of traditional wooden pallets.

For a side-by-side comparison of the two most popular species, see pine vs acacia pallets.

2. By standard size

Pallet dimensions are not arbitrary - each is tied to the standard of a specific destination market. Choosing the wrong size is the most common mistake that inflates freight costs or leaves goods that will not cube out efficiently inside a container.

Standard	Size (mm)	Target market
EUR/EPAL (Euro pallet)	1,200 x 800	EU, Russia, Middle East
GMA (US)	1,219 x 1,016 (48" x 40")	USA, Canada
ISO Asian	1,100 x 1,100	Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia
Australian	1,165 x 1,165	Australia, New Zealand
Vietnam domestic	1,000 x 1,200 / 1,100 x 1,100	Domestic warehousing

For unusual orders (oversized crates, bulky machinery), the factory can build pallets to specification with a tolerance of plus or minus 5 mm. Read more in our guide to standard pallet sizes and EPAL/EUR pallets.

3. By number of decks and fork-entry

A single-deck pallet has deckboards only on top, with stringers left open underneath. It is 15-20% cheaper than a double-deck pallet and suited to stacking directly on a warehouse floor. A double-deck pallet has boards on both top and bottom, is stable when stacked, and is required for multi-tier loading inside a container.

On fork-entry, a two-way pallet lets the forklift enter from two opposite sides only - the stringers are 90-100 mm high with no notch on the remaining sides. A four-way pallet accepts forks from all four sides, usually using a block design or notched stringers, which is far more convenient in tight warehouses. Compare the two in detail at two-way vs four-way pallets.

4. By condition and purpose

New pallets are used for export shipments where phytosanitary inspection is strict. Used pallets cost 40-60% of new units and suit domestic transport and industrial goods with less demanding cosmetic requirements - see our range of used wooden pallets. One-way (export) pallets are built as thin as possible and are not returned after use, optimising cost on low-margin export lanes.

International wooden pallet standards you should know

The three standards below are mandatory for export shipments. A pallet that fails to comply can be held at the destination port, destroyed or re-treated - adding fees of 200-500 USD per lot and delaying delivery by 5-10 days.

• ISPM 15 (IPPC): The international phytosanitary standard, mandatory for wood thicker than 6 mm used in export packaging. The pallet must be heat-treated (HT - heated to a 56C core for 30 minutes) or fumigated with methyl bromide (MB), then stamped with the IPPC mark on two opposite faces. Learn how to verify it in our guide on how to read an IPPC stamp and the difference between heat treatment (HT) and MB.
• EPAL: The Euro pallet standard issued by the EPAL association, required to enter the European pallet pool. EPAL pallets carry the EPAL mark on all four corner blocks, use kiln-dried timber with moisture below 22%, and a precise count of 78 screw nails.
• ISO 6780:2003: Defines six standard international pallet sizes (1,200 x 1,000, 1,200 x 800, 1,219 x 1,016, 1,140 x 1,140, 1,100 x 1,100 and 1,067 x 1,067 mm).

For a market-by-market breakdown of which standard applies where, see pallet standards by market.

Real-world applications by industry and buyer role

Wooden pallets serve many industries, but five sectors account for around 85% of consumption in Vietnam. Each has different standard requirements, so the right pallet differs from one to the next. The guidance below is grouped by the buyer role most affected.

For export teams: specify ISPM 15 from the start

For an export department, the single most important point is that pallets must meet ISPM 15 before goods are loaded - not after. Heat treatment at the factory costs only a fraction per unit, whereas emergency fumigation at the port can cost many times more and delay the vessel. Check three things on the IPPC stamp: (1) the treatment code HT or MB is present, (2) the country code reads VN, and (3) the registered facility number (4-5 digits) is shown. Missing any one of the three means rejection at the destination port. Our full pallet export procedures guide walks through the documentation.

For procurement: calculate total cost of ownership (TCO)

For a purchasing department, the list price is only one part of the real cost. A full TCO must include the pallet price, heat treatment (a small per-unit fee if not yet treated), inland freight to your warehouse, and the operational loss rate. A pine pallet is cheaper per unit but lasts 3-5 trips, while an acacia pallet costs more but lasts 5-8 trips - so the cost per trip ends up close to equal. For orders above 500 pallets, ask for an itemised quote that breaks out each line rather than a single lump-sum figure. You can request an itemised RFQ directly.

For warehouse managers: prioritise four-way entry and uniform sizes

Warehouse managers should prioritise four-way pallets to optimise forklift movement in tight aisles. Sizes should be uniform across the whole warehouse - keep to a maximum of two different sizes and avoid buying a different type every order, which complicates racking. Verify that the static load rating (on racking) reaches at least 1,500 kg and the dynamic load rating (in motion) is 800-1,000 kg for a standard 1,100 x 1,100 x 130 mm acacia pallet.

For plant owners: consider LVL pallets for heavy handling cycles

Plant owners should consider engineered LVL pallets if the load-and-unload cycle exceeds 10 times per pallet per month. LVL pallets are perfectly flat, do not warp with temperature change, and reduce positioning errors when robots pick the load automatically. They cost 40-60% more but last 2-3 times longer and cut pallet-failure incidents during a production shift by 70-80%.

5 common mistakes when buying wooden pallets

Having supplied pallets to more than 2,000 businesses over 15 years, we see the same mistakes repeated by new buyers. Know them in advance to avoid them.

• Comparing price only, without asking the timber species: At the same 1,100 x 1,100 mm size, scrap-wood pallets may be cheaper but break after 1-2 trips - more expensive in the end than an acacia pallet that lasts 5-8 trips.
• Not requiring a heat treatment certificate at order time: Waiting until shipping day to discover pallets are untreated means rush fumigation at triple the cost and a delayed container.
• Timber moisture too high (above 22%): The pallet is prone to mould and pest damage over a 25-35 day sea voyage. A reputable supplier kiln-dries timber to 14-18% before assembly.
• Using too few nails to cut cost: A proper pallet needs 50-70 nails; cut-rate units have only 30-40 - the joints loosen under loads of 800 kg and above.
• Ignoring the dynamic load rating: The figure on a quote is usually the static rating (at rest). Always ask for the dynamic rating (while the forklift is moving), which is typically 40-50% lower.

Quick comparison with other pallet types

Besides wood, the market offers plastic, paper and metal pallets. Each has its niche; there is no single "best" pallet in absolute terms - only the one best suited to a specific brief. The VND figures are domestic reference points; FOB-Vietnam USD pricing is available on request.

Criterion	Wooden pallet	Plastic pallet	Paper pallet
Price (1,100 x 1,100)	130,000 VND	350,000-800,000 VND	150,000-250,000 VND
Static load	1,500-2,000 kg	1,000-3,000 kg	300-500 kg
Moisture resistance	Medium	Very good	Poor
ISPM 15 required	Yes	No	No
Service life	3-8 trips	50-100 trips	1 trip

For a deeper look at the wood-versus-plastic decision, see wooden vs plastic pallets.

Frequently asked questions about wooden pallets

What is the English term for a wooden pallet?

The standard terms are wooden pallet or wood pallet. An engineered-wood pallet is a pressed wood pallet or plywood pallet. In import/export documentation, wooden pallets fall under the umbrella term WPM (Wood Packaging Material). Treatment is referred to as heat treatment (thermal) or fumigation (chemical).

How much weight can a wooden pallet hold?

A standard wooden pallet holds a static load of 1,500-2,000 kg and a dynamic load of 800-1,000 kg at 1,100 x 1,100 mm. An engineered LVL pallet can reach up to 3,000 kg static. The rating depends on timber species, deckboard thickness and how the load is distributed. Choose a pallet rated 20-30% above your actual load for a safety margin. See our detailed guide on wooden pallet load capacity.

What else are wooden pallets used for besides palletising goods?

Old wooden pallets are upcycled into furniture (beds, tables, shelving), decorative materials (wall cladding, fencing), planters and event staging. These are secondary uses, however - the primary role of a wooden pallet is to support, lift and transport industrial goods. New pallets are rarely used for furniture because they cost more than ordinary rough timber.

How much does a new wooden pallet cost?

A new 1,100 x 1,100 mm wooden pallet ranges from about 85,000-280,000 VND per unit (a domestic FOB-Vietnam reference) depending on species: pine 85-130k, acacia 120-180k, melaleuca 140-200k, engineered LVL 180-280k. ISPM 15 treatment adds roughly 10,000-20,000 VND per unit. Orders above 200 pallets typically earn a 5-15% discount. USD export pricing is available on request - see wooden pallet prices.

Which is more expensive, a wooden or a plastic pallet?

Plastic pallets cost 2.5-6 times more than wooden pallets at the same size (wood around 130,000 VND, plastic 350,000-800,000 VND). However, plastic pallets last 50-100 trips against 3-8 for wood, so their cost per trip is lower for closed-loop internal logistics. Export shipments usually use wooden pallets because they are cheap and disposable.

Conclusion

The wooden pallet is the foundation material of logistics and export - understanding its structure, classification and standards is the only reliable way to specify the right unit for your needs. For export orders, prioritise ISPM 15-compliant acacia. For domestic warehousing, consider used pallets to optimise cost. For plants with heavy handling cycles, investing in LVL pallets pays off over the long run.

ICD Vietnam manufactures acacia, pine, melaleuca and engineered LVL wooden pallets compliant with ISPM 15 and EPAL - in stock at our Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City facilities, fully documented for export, and shipped nationwide and worldwide. Request a free quote and we will recommend the right type and send detailed pricing. You can also explore our company background or the full pallet range.

• Northern Vietnam: +84 983 797 186 / +84 90 345 9186 / +84 90 5859 186
• Southern Vietnam: +84 98 6784 186
• Email: Sales@icdvietnam.com.vn
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