Understanding Plastic Pallet Legality, Weight, and Sizes: Why Is It Illegal to Own Plastic Pallet?

Plastic vs. Wooden Pallets: A Detailed Comparison

Beyond legality, choosing between plastic and wooden pallets involves evaluating several operational factors:

• Durability and lifespan – Plastic pallets last significantly longer than wood — often 10+ years vs. 3–5 years for wood. They don’t splinter, rot, or absorb moisture.
• Hygiene and cleanliness – Plastic pallets are non-porous, making them ideal for food, pharmaceutical, and clean-room environments where contamination risks must be minimized.
• Weight – Plastic pallets are lighter, reducing fatigue for workers and fuel costs in transportation.
• Cost – Wood pallets have a lower upfront cost ($10–$25 each) but higher replacement frequency. Plastic pallets cost $40–$150+ each but offer a lower total cost of ownership over time.
• Environmental impact – Recycled plastic pallets reduce reliance on virgin timber and can be melted down and remanufactured at end of life.
• Industry use cases – Wood remains standard for one-way shipments and open-loop supply chains; plastic is preferred in closed-loop, high-hygiene, or export-restricted environments.

When you ship goods to another destination, you can place the items on pallets before loading them onto a truck or trailer. Once a pallet is loaded, it can be moved efficiently with a pallet jack or forklift. Before loading a pallet onto a truck, it must be secured to ensure the safety of your personnel and products. By making sure that your products fit properly on the pallet, you shouldn’t experience issues with items falling off while being transported to another destination.

Since products come in many different sizes, it’s highly recommended that you understand which pallet sizes and weights are needed for your warehouse or distribution center. Depending on the type of pallet you select, there may also be some legal considerations that you’ll need to account for. In this guide, you’ll discover why is it illegal to own plastic pallet and which type of pallet you should purchase for your warehouse.

Why Is It Illegal to Own Plastic Pallets?

In 2011, Arizona created a law stating that someone who engaged in the business of shredding, recycling, destroying, and reselling wooden or plastic bulk pallets can’t purchase five or more of these pallets at the same time. This limit increases to 10 when buying wooden bulk community pallets.

If you need to purchase a large number of plastic pallets, you must have proof of legal purchase documentation in hand. You should also have information that proves the identity of these documents. Once you make the purchase, your company will be tasked with maintaining the seller’s info for one year to make sure the police can review it when necessary.

Plastic pallet theft was a significant issue in Arizona, which is why the state government drafted this law. Since plastic pallets can be effectively recycled into raw material, they are easy to resell. Reselling this material is also highly profitable. Since theft was negatively impacting many local businesses, Arizona believed that this type of law was needed to track pallets and reduce theft.

Plastic Pallet Weight Capacity

Plastic pallets are significantly stronger than wood. If a static load is evenly distributed on an iGPS pallet, it can hold up to 30,000 pounds of goods at rest. When the load is in motion, this specific pallet can support up to 5,000 pounds. While large wooden pallets can hold up to 5,000 pounds, most sizes support 3,000 pounds or less.

The dynamic load capacity that an iGPS plastic pallet supports is suitable for beverage, food, and pharmaceutical applications. If your warehouse transports these goods, you can avoid broken wooden pallets when you’re moving loads around your warehouse. A single broken pallet can cause a delay in your supply chain. Even though these pallets have a high weight capacity, they’re built with lightweight materials.

Standard Size Pallet Weight and Dimensions

The standard pallet size is 48″ L x 40″ W x 6″ H. This size has become popular across many industries because of its ability to hold a large number of products. It also provides ample versatility compared to other pallet sizes. Since these pallets are regularly used by grocery stores and food and beverage manufacturers, they are often referred to as Consumer Brand Association (CBA) or Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) pallets.

Weight Variations Between Pallet Types

The weight of a pallet depends on the material it’s built with. The manufacturer of the pallet can also determine the specific weight. If you obtain a wood pallet, its weight should be between 32-44 pounds. In comparison, plastic pallets weigh around 13-32 pounds, which means that they are almost always lighter than wooden ones. The types of products you can place on a pallet depend on the material and dimensions of the platform.

Load Capacities of Standard Pallets

The load capacities of standard pallets depend on the material. If you purchase a wood pallet, it will likely have a weight capacity of 2,500 pounds or less. Some of these pallets offer load capacities that range from 3,000-5,000 pounds. Each SKU can have a different size and load capacity.

If you’re interested in buying plastic pallets for your warehouse, their load capacities range from 3,500-17,600 pounds. Even though these pallets are made with lightweight materials, they can hold a higher number of products than wood pallets, which makes them more cost-effective despite their higher price.

How Many Standard Pallets Fit on a Shipping Container?

If you intend to load pallets of items onto a shipping container, consider the size of the container. For example, let’s say that you have a 20-foot container. You should be able to fit 10 pallets in the container with ease. A 40-foot container can hold around 20-21 pallets.

Different Types of Pallets and Their Sizes

While storage pallets are available in wood or plastic, there are many types you can choose from. The type of plastic pallet you purchase for your facility is based on your product needs. Regardless of the material you select, these pallets can be used in a wide range of applications. Pallet lengths range from 24-48 inches.

Wood Pallets

Wood pallets are commonly used in warehouses and distribution centers. These pallets offer toughness and durability, which makes them suitable for a wide range of transportation and weather conditions. This material can also be more affordable than plastic. You can reuse and stack wood pallets when you need to save space in your warehouse.

The three conditions that are available with wood pallets include recycled, new, and heat-treated. If you select recycled wood, you’ll benefit from a pallet that’s affordable and sustainable. Wood pallets that receive heat treatment are more expensive. However, the treatment ensures that the wood has resistance to insects and pests.

Plastic Pallets

There are numerous types of plastic pallets that are available for warehouses. The type you choose depends on the application you need to use it for. Plastic pallets are available as industrial, economy, heavy-duty, and rackable models. When you purchase these pallets for your warehouse, you’ll receive platforms that are cost-effective, easy to handle, durable, and bacteria resistant.

Industrial Plastic Pallets

These pallets are made to be resistant to fats, odors, solvents, and acids. If you don’t require much floor space and need to use pallets for medium-duty industrial loads, this is a great option. Industrial pallets are most effective when paired with pallet jacks and forklifts. You can access them on all four sides, which makes it easier to load them into a truck or trailer.

If you select an industrial plastic pallet with dimensions of 48″ x 32″, the weight capacity is 7,100 pounds. A pallet with a size of 48″ x 40″ has a weight capacity of 8,800 pounds.

Economy Plastic Pallets

Economy plastic pallets are designed with cost-efficiency in mind. They are meant to be used for export, air cargo, and one-way shipping applications. Many facilities choose these pallets because they are resistant to fungi, insects, and bacteria. At the standard size of 48″ x 40″, this type of pallet supports up to 3,500 pounds.

Heavy-Duty Plastic Pallets

These pallets have a higher weight, which allows them to support heavier loads. They are most often paired with block-stacking applications. With this design, you can easily and securely stack multiple pallets on top of each other when transporting them. A single heavy-duty pallet can hold as much as 17,600 pounds.

Rackable Plastic Pallets

The purpose of rackable plastic pallets is to help with stacking support. These pallets are equipped with locking rings that you can use to stack empty pallets. They are appealing to warehouse managers because they’re easy to handle. The plastic material also prevents dust and liquids from forming. The standard size for a rackable plastic pallet is 48″ x 45″, which comes with a load capacity of 14,100 pounds.

How to Secure Products on Pallets

Once you identify the type of pallet you’d like to use in your warehouse, your employees need to know how to effectively secure products on these platforms. There are several methods that can be used to keep items secure. For example, many pallet manufacturers offer accessories that make it easier to secure products on pallets.

If you want a more cost-effective method, consider stretch wraps. You can place these wraps around irregular or uniform pallet sizes with ease. It’s also possible to secure stretch wraps onto pallets by machine or hand. The two wrap types that you can choose from include blown stretch and cast stretch.

Consider mesh pallet wraps if your employees need to perform manual wrapping. These wraps will put less stress on your employees. Once you secure your products on a pallet, make sure you use a forklift or pallet jack to safely transport the platform to your storage area or a truck.

Conclusion

When you need to buy pallets for your warehouse, you must understand pallet legality, weight capacity, and sizes. The size and material of a pallet determine its weight capacity. While wood pallets are more affordable than plastic ones, the latter are more cost-effective and usually come with higher weight capacities. Choose the right pallet for efficiency and compliance in logistics.