How to ship a pallet.
Palletizing freight the right way is the difference between a load that arrives clean and one that gets damaged, reclassed or refused. This is the complete guide — the terms, the six steps, the pitfalls that cost real money, and how LTL, partial and full truckload pricing stack up.
Pallet shipping, start to finish
A pallet is the standard unit of freight — and shipping one well is a repeatable skill, not a guess. Do it right and your goods travel as a single, stable unit through a network of docks, forklifts and linehaul trailers, and arrive intact. Do it carelessly and you invite damage, refusals, reweighs and reclass charges that quietly inflate every invoice.
This guide covers the whole thing in the order you will actually do it: the vocabulary you need, the six steps to build and book a pallet, the mistakes to avoid, a handful of tips the pros use, and a clear-eyed look at how LTL, partial truckload and full truckload pricing compare for palletized freight. By the end you will be able to ship a pallet with confidence — and know exactly what you are paying for.
One idea ties all of it together: your pallet travels through a network built for machines, not for careful hands. It will be lifted by forklifts, stacked against other freight, moved across multiple docks, and — on an LTL network — handled a half-dozen times before it reaches the door. Everything below is about preparing your freight to survive that journey and be priced correctly along the way. Get those two things right and pallet shipping stops being a gamble.
The pallet terms worth knowing
Six words that come up constantly once you start shipping freight. Learn these and the rest of the guide reads easily.
- Pallet Skid
- The portable platform your freight is stacked and secured on for handling by forklift or pallet jack. A skid is technically a pallet without a bottom deck; in everyday freight talk the words are used interchangeably.
- Deck boards
- The flat boards across the top and bottom of the pallet that the freight rests on and that the forks slide beneath. More, thicker deck boards mean a stronger platform for heavy loads.
- Two-way pallet
- A pallet a forklift can enter from only two opposite sides. Cheaper and lighter, but it limits how the freight can be approached on the dock.
- Four-way pallet
- A pallet with fork openings on all four sides, so it can be lifted from any direction. Faster and safer to handle, which is why most freight carriers prefer it.
- Stringer pallet
- A pallet built on three parallel boards ("stringers") running between the top and bottom decks. It is the classic, economical design — usually two-way unless the stringers are notched.
- Block pallet
- A stronger pallet built on solid blocks (typically nine) instead of stringers, giving true four-way entry and higher load capacity. The choice for heavy or high-value freight.
Choosing the right pallet
For most freight, a sturdy four-way block or stringer pallet in sound condition is the right choice — it handles cleanly from any direction and carries the weight without flexing. The most common size in North America is the 48" × 40" GMA pallet, but what matters more than the size is the fit: your freight should sit fully on the deck with nothing hanging over the edges. If it overhangs, step up to a larger pallet rather than let the corners ride unprotected. And inspect before you load — a cracked deck board, a protruding nail or a split stringer is the difference between a pallet that arrives intact and one that fails somewhere in the middle of the country.
Six steps to ship a pallet
Follow them in order. Each one prevents a specific, common problem — from damage to a surprise reclass bill.
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Choose the right pallet
Start with a sound pallet sized to your freight — ideally a sturdy four-way block or stringer pallet with no cracked deck boards or protruding nails. The freight should sit fully on the platform with nothing hanging over the edges. A weak or overhung pallet is the number-one cause of freight damage in transit.
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Stack and distribute the load
Place the heaviest items on the bottom and build up in even layers, keeping the load stable and roughly column-shaped. Distribute weight evenly across the whole pallet — a top-heavy or lopsided load shifts, tips and gets refused. Do not exceed the pallet footprint; keep everything inside the edges.
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Secure the freight
Bind the load to the pallet. Use stretch wrap around both the freight and the pallet base — several tight turns, low and high — and add banding or straps for heavy or tall loads. Corner boards protect edges and let you cinch the wrap tighter. The goal: the freight and the pallet move as one solid unit.
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Weigh and measure
Record the exact weight and the length, width and height of the finished, wrapped pallet. These figures determine your density and freight class — and if the numbers on your bill of lading are wrong, the carrier reweighs, reclasses, and bills you more. Use a density calculator to get it right before you quote.
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Label and complete the BOL
Fill out the bill of lading accurately — origin, destination, piece count, weight, class and any special instructions — and attach clear shipping labels to the pallet where they are visible. The BOL is the contract and the receipt; accuracy here prevents delays and disputes at delivery.
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Book the shipment and schedule pickup
Choose your service — LTL, partial or full truckload — and book the pickup, noting any accessorials you need (liftgate, residential, appointment). This is where a broker earns its keep: it shops your lane, confirms the class, and schedules the right carrier so the pallet moves cleanly.
Pitfalls to avoid
Almost every pallet problem traces back to one of these five. Skip them and you have skipped most of the risk.
Overhang
Freight hanging past the pallet edge loses the protection of the platform and gets crushed at the corners. Keep everything inside the footprint — or step up to a larger pallet.
The wrong freight class
Guessing your NMFC class is how a quote turns into a reclass bill. Density-based classes are precise; calculate density and confirm the class before you ship.
A top-heavy load
Heavy items stacked high make the pallet unstable. It shifts in transit, tips on the dock, and often gets refused. Heaviest on the bottom, always.
Skimping on wrap
A few loose turns of stretch wrap will not hold a load together over hundreds of miles and multiple hand-offs. Wrap tight, wrap low over the pallet base, and band anything tall or heavy.
An inaccurate BOL
Wrong weight or dimensions trigger a reweigh and a corrected invoice — almost always higher. Measure the finished pallet and put the true numbers on the paperwork.
Smart pallet shipping tips
Once the basics are second nature, a few habits separate a good shipper from a great one. None of them cost much — and every one of them saves money, damage or hassle down the line.
- Consolidate lots of small boxes into a single wrapped pallet — one palletized unit is cheaper and safer than a dozen loose cartons.
- Use a new or structurally sound pallet; a broken skid is a false economy that ends in damaged freight.
- Add corner boards on fragile or edge-sensitive loads before you wrap — they distribute clamp pressure and let you cinch tighter.
- Photograph the finished pallet before pickup. If a claim is ever needed, proof of how it left your dock is worth having.
- Run your density and class before you request a quote, so the rate you are quoted is the rate you actually pay.
- Label clearly and redundantly — a label that survives a wet dock and a forklift is a label that gets your freight delivered.
LTL vs. PTL vs. FTL for a pallet
How you ship a pallet decides how it is priced. Here is how the three main services compare for palletized freight.
| LTL | Partial (PTL) | Full (FTL) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priced by | Freight class + weight | Space + weight, fewer stops | The whole trailer / lane |
| Typical pallets | 1–6 | 6–12 (or long/heavy) | Trailer-full |
| Handling | Multiple hub touches | Fewer hand-offs | Loaded once, direct |
| Transit | Longer, more variable | Faster than LTL | Fastest for the lane |
| Cost profile | Cheapest for small loads | Mid — good value at size | Highest, but best per-pallet when full |
| Best for | A few dense pallets | Several pallets, damage-sensitive | A truck’s worth or urgent |
Compare shipping rates and carriers
The same pallet can be priced very differently by different carriers on the same lane. That is the whole case for shopping your freight — and it is exactly what a broker does. We take your pallet’s weight, class and lane and shop it across 6,200+ vetted carrier partners, then come back with a competitive rate and the right service level.
You have done the hard part by palletizing it right and getting the numbers accurate. Let us turn those numbers into the best rate available — no reclass surprises, no chasing carriers, just one quote and one team.
Pallet shipping questions
The questions we hear most from shippers building their first — or their thousandth — pallet.
How much does it cost to ship a pallet?
The cost depends on the pallet’s weight and dimensions (which set its freight class), the distance, the service level, and any accessorials like a liftgate or residential delivery. There is no flat rate — a dense, standard pallet on a short lane costs far less than a light, bulky one going cross-country. The reliable way to know is to get the density and class right, then have it quoted. Our density calculator and class lookup do the first part for free.
What size is a standard pallet?
The most common pallet in North America is the 48" x 40" GMA pallet, but pallets come in many sizes. What matters for shipping is that your freight sits fully within the pallet footprint with no overhang, and that you record the actual dimensions of the finished, wrapped load — not the bare pallet — for classification.
Do I need to wrap and band a pallet?
Yes. Stretch wrap binds the freight to the pallet so it travels as one unit, and banding or straps add security for heavy or tall loads. An unwrapped or loosely wrapped pallet shifts in transit, is more likely to be damaged, and can be refused by the carrier. Wrapping is not optional on freight that moves through a hub-and-spoke LTL network.
LTL, partial or full truckload for a pallet?
One to six pallets that do not fill a trailer usually ship LTL. Several pallets that are too much for economical LTL but not enough for a full truck often ship partial truckload (PTL), which means fewer hand-offs and less damage risk. A trailer’s worth of pallets ships full truckload (FTL). The cost comparison above walks through how each is priced.
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