Pallets as tertiary packaging

There are three main levels of packaging that affect how products are packed and shipped: primary packaging, secondary packaging and tertiary packaging. The pallet, typically a form of tertiary packaging, is a flat structure used as a base for the unitization of goods in the supply chain.

Tertiary packaging is typically not seen by consumers since it is usually removed by retailers before products are displayed for sale. An example of tertiary packaging is a stretch-wrapped pallet containing a quantity of cardboard boxes (secondary packaging) to enable efficient product shipping.

The pallet, also known in some countries as a skid, is the world standard for tertiary packaging. Pallets are designed to be easily moved by another staple of warehousing and storage facilities: the forklift.

Pallets have an important job in the business. They protect final products while they make it to their destination and can increase efficiency across all manufacturing processes- or slow it down.

Pallets are used to stack, store, protect, and transport materials in the course of being handled by materials handling equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks or conveyors, being stored in racking or bulk storage or being positioned in transport vehicles.

Products loaded in secondary packaging are loaded together onto a pallet at the point of production, and then secured using shrink wrap before loading into a transport vessel, such as a semi-trailer or a shipping container.

The standard pallet size in the United States is 48×40 inches. Usually with each deck board being 3 in. wide and 5/16 in. thick. The other two popular standard pallet dimensions in the United States are the:
*42×42 pallet
*48×48 pallet

Pallets are created with a variety of different materials, including recycled wood, plywood, and plastic. Here are some common types of pallets:
*Block Pallets
*Stringer Pallets
*Double-Face Pallet
*Solid Deck Pallet
Pallets as tertiary packaging

Tertiary packaging

There are three distinct levels of product packaging, which are primary, secondary, and tertiary. Tertiary packaging is different from both primary and secondary packaging because it’s not usually seen by the end user.

Tertiary packaging is often also referred to as bulk or transit packaging. Tertiary packaging is used to group larger quantities of SKUs to transport them from one point to another point (e.g. from production facility to point of sale). During this stage, products are handled as distribution units.

Tertiary packaging facilitates the protection, handling and transportation of a series of sales units or secondary packaging in order to group everything into unit loads during transit.

The pallet is the world standard for tertiary packaging. Pallets are designed to be easily moved by another staple of warehousing and storage facilities: the forklift. Tertiary packaging could be anything from a large box that combines smaller containers holding your products to a full pallet setup with corner board and stretch wrap keeping multiple products bundled together. This type of packaging is also referred to as bulk packaging or transit packaging.

Tertiary packaging is destined mainly to warehouses, such as a wholesaler or a retailer’s storage room. Due to their size, form factor and high product quantity, they are generally not meant to be seen directly by consumers.
Tertiary packaging