pallet

Definition

Piece of equipment that facilitates mechanical handling of stacked (palletized) goods for fork-lift trucks. Made usually of rough (undressed) wood and commonly 4 x 4 feet (1.2 x 1 meter in Europe) in dimensions, it can carry a typical load of one metric ton (1,000 kilograms or about 2,200 pounds), and serves as a base for assembling, handling, sorting, storing, and transporting goods as a unit load. Job specific pallets come in different designs, dimensions, and materials; such as a two-way entry pallet, four-way entry pallet, box pallet, post pallet, steel pallet, etc. Also called a skid.