EUR-pallet

EUR-pallets

The EUR-pallet—also Euro-pallet or EPAL-pallet—is the standard European pallet as specified by the European Pallet Association (EPAL). Pallets conforming to the standardization are eligible for the European Pallet Pool (EPP) -the system allows for an exchange as "pallet for pallet".

The EUR/EPAL-pallet is 1,200 by 800 by 144 millimetres (47.2 in × 31.5 in × 5.7 in); it is a four-way pallet made of wood that is nailed with 78 special nails in a prescribed pattern.

History

Branding irons for marking EUR-pallets, displayed at the Museum der Arbeit, Hamburg, Germany

The Euro-pallet goes back to the wooden pallets used in railway transport. In 1961 the European railways commissioned the standardization of a common pallet type under the auspices of the UIC. The inventor was supposedly the Svensson brothers of Gyllsjö, Skåne, Sweden.[1] Using the Euro-pallet, it was possible to load railroad cars in just 10% of the time of earlier loading processes.[2] In 1968 the association also specified a standard lattice box along with a standard lattice box pallet.

Broken pallets are not swappable - they must be repaired or removed from the pool

Following the standardization most of the European industry switched over to use Euro-pallets with trucks, forklifts and high-rack warehouses optimized for their size.[3] National associations developed framework agreements for pallet exchange in that freight would be delivered on Euro-pallets and be given the same number of Euro-pallets in return ("pallet for pallet"). The Euro-pallets are controlled by the association and the association takes care of repairing or removing old pallets from the pool. With the ongoing European integration, the European Pallet Pool allowed for pallet exchange even in cross-border dealings.

With the success of the Euro-pallets, a number of replicas entered the market that used low-quality wood which splintered easily and were prone to mould. So the European railways, which own the trademarks for EUR/EPAL, created a separate standardization body. The European Pallet Association was founded in 1991,[4] and the EUR and EPAL logo may only be used by licensees of that organization.

Globalization has made for a decline of the EUR/EPAL system since the EUR-pallets do not fit well into ISO containers. It is still the most widespread pallet type in the world, with an estimate of 350 to 500 million EUR-pallets being in circulation.[2] One of the advantages is that the 800 mm width fits through normal doors (the most common DIN door type is 850 mm by 2000 mm).

Derivatives of the EUR-pallet have been developed for specific uses. The EUR-pallet - also EUR-1-pallet - was followed by the EUR-2-pallet and EUR-3-pallet, which are both 1200x1000 mm, which is close to the standard American pallet type of 40 by 48 inches (1,016 mm × 1,219 mm). For use in retail stores, the EUR-6-pallet is half the size of the EUR-pallet, 600x800 mm.[5] ISO standards have also been published for these Euro-pallet types.

To accommodate EUR-pallets, there are derivative intermodal containers that are about 2 inches (5 cm) wider — these are commonly known as “pallet-wide” containers.[6] These containers feature an internal width of 2440 mm for easy loading of two 1200 mm long pallets side by side - many sea shipping providers in Europe allow these, as overhangs on standard containers are sufficient to fit them in the usual interlock spaces. Especially the 45 ft pallet-wide high-cube shortsea container has gained wide acceptance, as these containers can replace the A-Behälter swap bodies with a length of 13,670 mm (44 ft 10 in) that are common for truck transport in Europe. The EU has started a standardization for pallet-wide containerization in the EILU (European Intermodal Loading Unit) initiative.[7]

Specification

EUR-pallet specification
A stack of counterfeit EUR-pallets

The EUR-pallet's dimensions are defined in the following standards:

Size Tolerance
Length 1200 mm -0/+3 mm
Width 800 mm -0/+3 mm
Height 144 mm -0/+2 mm

The EUR-pallet must use at least 78 nails of a specific type that are subject to a prescribed nailing pattern. The final pallet weighs 20 to 25 kg. Only dry wood may be used, to reduce the risk of mold.

Each EUR-pallet bears a number of quality marks:

Common types

The four common sizes of EUR-pallets[5] (alongside ISO alternative sizes)[8] are:

EUR-pallet type Dimensions (W × L) ISO pallet alternative
EUR, EUR 1 800 mm × 1,200 mm 31.50 in × 47.24 in ISO1, same size as EUR
EUR 2 1,200 mm × 1,000 mm 47.24 in × 39.37 in ISO2
EUR 3 1,000 mm × 1,200 mm 39.37 in × 47.24 in
EUR 6 800 mm × 600 mm 31.50 in × 23.62 in ISO0, half the size of EUR

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sveaskog.se/Documents/Trycksaker/Forum%20Sveaskog/2011/Forum%20Sveaskog%204%202011.pdf
  2. 1 2 http://www.zeit.de/2011/19/Europalette
  3. ↑ "Nachrichten - BerlinOnline.de". berlinonline.de.
  4. ↑ "EPAL Paletten-System". epal-pallets.de.
  5. 1 2 "EPAL Paletten-System". epal-pallets.de.
  6. ↑ "Standard Shipping Containers". Container container. Retrieved 2009-05-18.
  7. ↑ Frederik Hallbjörner, Claes Tyrén (2004). "Possible consequences of a new European container standard (EILU)" (PDF). master thesis.
  8. ↑ "pallet". sizes.com.
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