Pallet vs Skid Freight Shipping
You can send documents, packages, pallets and containers.
The prices are collected so you can choose the best.
Choose best option and get your Shipping Label / AWB.
Freight shipping provides a multitude of options for you to choose from. Each comes with a different delivery time and max weight capacity. However, even after you’ve chosen a suitable freight shipping method, one question remains: pallet or skid? What is the difference, anyway? It’s a seemingly unimportant detail, but the wrong choice can turn even the cheapest option into a costly one. Don’t worry, though - we’ll discover the nuances of pallet and skid shipping and help you decide which to pick.
A pallet is a wooden platform used in pallet freight shipping. It’s made of interlocking planks, and its purpose is to keep your cargo lifted off the ground. A forklift can easily access shipments and move them without much effort.
Pallets come in various sizes, depending on the cargo they’re designed to hold. However, the 48x40 size has become the most common, which is why it’s an informal standard size. It can hold shipments up to an astonishing 4600 lbs. while weighing less than 40 lbs. itself.
It’s worth noting that some pallets use plastic, metal, or even strong cardboard in their construction. However, wood is the most common material.
At first glance, a skid is no different than a pallet. They’re both usually made of wood and have roughly the same dimensions. However, there is a key difference: while pallets have decks running along the top and bottom, a skid only has them on top. Therefore, we could say that a skid is like a pallet with a couple of missing pieces.
The missing bottom decks make the skids weaker and less torque-resistant than pallets. However, there is a good reason, as skid freight shipping doesn’t use forklifts to move cargo around. Instead, skids are dragged to their destination, which is made possible by the missing bottom decks. As the name suggests, the design of a skid allows it to slide on various floor surfaces.
Aside from the obvious differences in construction, pallets and skids serve different purposes. Palletized freight shipping, as an umbrella term, encompasses pallets and skids, depending on what fits the cargo best.
The design of a pallet makes it strong and durable, while its resistance to torque makes it perfect for forklift operation. Skids, on the other hand, have a weaker construction. Ironically, though, they’re sometimes the better choice for ultra-heavy cargo. When a shipment is too heavy for a forklift, dragging becomes the only option.
Skids have an added benefit - they’re easier to move on difficult terrain. Therefore, a skid will be the fastest option if you need to track through mud or sand. On the other hand, skids are a bad choice for residential pallet shipping since all that dragging can ruin your driveway.
The choice between a pallet and a skid will depend on the cargo you’re transporting. The main deciding factor would be whether the carrier intends to drag your shipment or lift it with a forklift. However, know that most shipping uses pallets instead of skids, so you probably won’t make a mistake going with pallets.
If you’re unsure what to choose, speak to a freight shipping professional. Better yet, use a pallet freight shipping calculator. It will tell you what you need based on your cargo and might offer cost-effective options like flat rate pallet freight shipping.
Pallets and skids look alike, so deciding between the two doesn’t seem that important. However, there are subtle differences between these loading platforms, which can affect your cargo’s cost and transport time. Therefore, as with most things related to freight shipping, the choice between skids and pallets is worth considering.
Nowadays, a shipping calculator is the most practical way to discover what shipping options to choose. It’s the same with pallet shipping - a good calculator will show you when to choose skids based on your shipment. In most cases, though, pallets are the way to go.
