Even though pallet rack systems have changed and improved over time, pallets themselves have not changed very much at all. The first pallets were made from wood, and the vast majority of pallets—93 percent—are made with wood today. Since hundreds of millions of pallets are manufactured every year, one might wonder why wood is still the number one choice for pallet construction. It would seem that using wood might result in the loss of a lot of trees. The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association lists the following advantages of wood pallets:

• Wood pallets are easy to reuse, recycle, and repair.
• Wood pallets are rigid and durable.
• Wood pallets are cost-effective; they are the least expensive pallet material.
• Wood pallets are made with scrap-quality wood that would probably be discarded because it is of low cosmetic value.
• Wood pallets are biodegradable.
• Less than 3 percent of wooden pallets end up in landfills.

In addition to pallet rack, Ace Industrial offers pallets made from plastic, wire mesh, and other materials. Please call us at (800) 300-6034 and we’ll be glad to advise you about your warehousing needs.