At a Glance:
- Pallets have both top and bottom decks, offering superior stability and ease of movement, making them ideal for shipping, warehousing, and logistics.
- Skids feature only a top deck, making them lighter and cheaper but less stable, best suited for stationary storage.
- Pallets excel in frequent handling and stacking, while skids are better for static applications with minimal movement.
- While skids are cost-effective upfront, pallets deliver better long-term value through reduced product damage and improved operational efficiency.
Pallets and skids may appear almost identical, but there is a huge difference between them and choosing the right one can make a surprising difference to your operations. The right choice can improve efficiency, protect valuable goods, and even reduce long-term costs, while the wrong one can lead to wasted time, product damage, and higher expenses.
Many businesses use the terms pallet and skid interchangeably, but their designs, functions, and use cases differ in ways that directly impact storage, handling, and transportation.
This article covers everything you need to know about the difference between a pallet and a skid.
What is a Pallet?
A pallet is a sturdy, flat platform used to support goods during storage, handling, and transportation. Pallets feature a top deck, a bottom deck, and vertical supports known as stringers, bearers or blocks that connect the two decks.
This design creates a balanced and stable base, making pallets ideal for stacking goods and protecting them from damage during movement. The design also allows forklifts and pallet jacks to access the pallet from multiple directions, ensuring efficient handling and safe transport in busy warehouses, distribution centres, and shipping operations.
Wooden pallets are widely used across many industries as they improve organisation and make it easier to move goods through different stages of the supply chain. They are especially used for shipping and logistics, where products are transported domestically or internationally while remaining secure and undamaged.
What is a Skid?
A skid is a simpler version of a pallet. It consists of only a top deck supported by vertical blocks, bearers or stringers, with no bottom deck to provide additional stability. This basic design makes skids lighter and cheaper to produce compared to pallets, but it also means they are less sturdy, especially when goods need to be stacked or moved frequently.
While skids have largely been replaced by pallets in modern logistics, they are still used today in specific situations where stability for stationary loads is more important than mobility.
Skids are commonly found in settings such as factories, warehouses, and production facilities where heavy machinery or equipment needs a strong foundation but does not require constant movement.
Key Differences Between Pallets and Skids
Pallets and skids differ in several ways. For instance, there is a major difference in the base design, strength, stability, and other factors.
Here are the key differences between pallets and skids.
Base Design and Structure
The most visible difference between pallets and skids comes from their base design and structure. Pallets are built with both a top and bottom deck connected by stringers or blocks, creating a stable and balanced structure. This design makes them durable and well-suited for stacking and frequent handling.
In comparison, skids only have a single top deck with no bottom deck. This simpler structure makes skids lighter and easier to manufacture, but it also limits their stability and the range of applications they can support.
Stability and Strength
Pallets provide better support due to their dual-deck design. Moreover, the bottom deck reinforces the structure, allowing goods to be stacked securely without the risk of tipping or shifting during movement. This makes pallets ideal for environments where products need to be moved regularly or stored in multiple layers.
On the contrary, skids are less stable because they lack the additional support provided by a bottom deck. They are best suited for stationary loads or heavy equipment that remains in one place.
Movement and Handling
Pallets are specifically designed for efficient movement. Forklifts and pallet jacks can easily lift them from multiple angles, allowing for faster operations and safer handling in warehouses and shipping facilities. Their design helps reduce the time and labour needed to move products, making them a staple of modern logistics.
On the other hand, skids are not as practical for frequent handling. Their lack of a bottom deck makes them harder to maneuver and less compatible with modern material-handling equipment, which is why they are rarely used in fast-paced operations.
Common Uses
Pallets are the preferred choice for industries focused on shipping, warehousing, and logistics. Their durability and compatibility with standardised handling systems make them indispensable for moving products through complex supply chains.
However, skids are more specialised. They are commonly used in factories or workshops where heavy machinery or equipment needs a stable base but is not moved regularly. While pallets dominate global shipping, skids continue to serve niche roles in industrial and manufacturing settings.
The bottom line is that choosing between a pallet and a skid ultimately comes down to how your business stores, moves, and manages goods. Pallets are the preferred choice for modern logistics, offering superior stability, durability, and ease of handling. On the other hand, skids are best suited for specific situations where heavy machinery or products remain stationary and do not require frequent handling.
If your operations require reliable and high-quality pallets, partner with a trusted wooden pallet supplier in Melbourne to ensure your goods are protected and your logistics run smoothly.
