Types: block
Block pallets: built on blocks, entered from any side
A block pallet is built on blocks, with stringer boards running both ways, so forks enter from any side. It is common in pooled and export freight.
How it is built
Blocks sit at the corners and, on most designs, the middle of each side and centre: nine in a standard layout. Boards are fixed across the top of the blocks and, on most, across the bottom. Parallel and perpendicular stringers tie them together.
Strengths and weak points
- Entry
- Forks and pallet jacks come in from any side, so a truck is never turned just to unload.
- Strength
- The blocks carry load straight down, which keeps the frame square.
- Weak point
- A cracked or missing block makes the pallet a core; the grade sheet treats it that way.
- Cost
- A block build uses more parts than a stringer build, which usually shows in the price.
Where they ship
In pooled and export freight, where pallets circulate among many shippers and need to behave the same everywhere. Automated lines also like the predictable geometry. In the metro, that points to the cargo and fulfillment buildings near the airport, though any dock can receive them.
Block and the rainy season
Like any wood pallet, a block pallet left uncovered through an Orlando summer takes on water. Keep stacks off the ground and let air through; the storage guide explains how.
What the nine blocks do
A standard block pallet carries nine blocks, one at each corner, one at the middle of each side and one at the centre. Deck boards and stringer boards tie them together. Because every opening faces a side, pallet jacks and forklifts enter from any direction, and the pallet stacks without the stringer ends of one pressing on the boards of the next.
Where a block pallet earns its price
- Pooled freight that passes through several docks with different equipment.
- Export loads, where a stamped, uniform pallet speeds inspection.
- Automated racking that reads a pallet by its blocks.
- Cross-docks in which trucks approach the freight from whichever side is free.
Block pallet versus stringer pallet
| Point | Stringer | Block |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | Three or more parallel timbers | Blocks with stringer boards both ways |
| Fork entry | Two sides, four if notched | All four sides |
| Repair | Companion stringer, plug or plate | Block replacement or board work |
| Cost | Usually lower | Usually higher |
What the blocks are made of
Blocks come in two kinds. Solid-wood blocks are cut from larger timber, usually softwood or hardwood, and are nailed to the deck boards. Compressed-wood blocks are made from chips and resin pressed in a mould, and are used in some pallets that are designed to be low in weight or to meet export rules.
Block pallets in racking
Most racking is designed around the pallet's bottom boards or its stringers resting across two beams. A block pallet gives a flat edge on all four sides and sits square on any pair of beams, which reduces sagging in the middle. Where beams are spaced for a 48 x 40 pallet, a block pallet of that size will rest safely on the beam, because the blocks carry the load to it.
Block pallets in a mixed pile
A block pallet is easy to spot from the side, because the gaps run all the way through at the same height. The failures to look for are blocks that have split along the grain, blocks that have loosened and shifted, and nails that have backed out where a block meets a deck board. A block pallet missing one block is a core, because the frame is no longer square.
Sources
Last reviewed 12 November 2026.