Before you quote
| Pallet | Handling base, often reusable |
|---|---|
| Skid | Heavier base, built to the load |
| Crate | Enclosed, built to the load |
| Load weight | Sets the members' size |
| Exposure | Weather, stacking, handling |
| Destination | Treatment and stamp if overseas |
Three different things
A pallet has deck boards fixed to stringers or blocks, and often a second deck on the underside. It is made for forklifts and pallet jacks and is usually built in standard sizes. A skid is simpler: runners on edge, sometimes with deck boards on top, but no lower deck, so a skid sits flat and takes a forklift at the sides. Skids are common for heavy items because the base can be sized for the load.
A crate has a base, walls and a top. The base may be a skid or a pallet. The walls and top turn the load into a closed or open box, which protects it from impact, weather and handling. Terms overlap in the trade, so ask a supplier what members are actually in the product rather than trusting the name alone.
When a skid alone will do
A skid is enough when the load is tough, dry-indoor and handled with care: castings, steel fabrications, heavy tooling, drums on a base. The load is strapped or bolted to the skid and wrapped, and the skid keeps it off the floor and lets a forklift lift it.
Check three things before you decide. First, whether the load can be stacked on or under anything else, since an unwalled skid cannot take a load on top. Second, whether the load has projecting parts that other freight can hit. Third, whether the route involves outdoor storage or a sea voyage, since an unprotected load picks up rain, salt and scrapes.
When a load needs walls
A crate earns its cost when the load is fragile, valuable, awkward, or going somewhere it cannot be watched. Walls give a place to fix handling marks and indicators. They hold blocking and bracing away from delicate faces, and they allow a load to be stacked or handled by a crane or a sling.
Export adds a second reason. A closed crate can contain a barrier bag with desiccant, so bare steel and electronics survive months of humidity changes. An open skid cannot. A crate for sea freight is usually closed for that reason alone, even when the load itself would survive the handling.
Comparing the three
The table sets the three side by side. It is a comparison of construction, so it describes what each is for and not what it costs.
| Pallet | Skid | Crate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members | Deck boards, stringers or blocks | Runners, optional top deck | Base plus walls and top |
| Typical use | Standard-size goods, stackable cartons | Heavy, tough loads | Fragile, valuable or exported loads |
| Forklift entry | Two or four ways | Between runners, from the sides | Same as its base |
| Weather protection | None | None | Yes, if sheathed |
| Stackable | If the load allows | Rarely | If designed for it |
| Custom sized | Sometimes | Usually | Always |
A decision path
Answer the questions below in order. The first yes tells you the minimum you need, and you can always step up.
- 01Is the load going overseas?
If yes, plan for a crate that can hold a sealed bag, and for treated, stamped lumber on any wood member.
- 02Will it sit outdoors or on a dock?
If yes, you want sheathed walls and a top, not slats.
- 03Can it be damaged by a bump?
If yes, a crate with blocking and cushioning, not a skid with stretch film.
- 04Is it heavy and tough?
If the load is heavy, rigid and shipping domestically to a covered dock, a skid with tie-downs may be all it needs.
- 05Is it standard sized and stackable?
Then a standard pallet is the cheapest base, and it is what most carriers handle best.
What to tell the builder
Give the load's inside dimensions, gross weight and destination country, and say what the load has been through before. A machine that has already survived rough handling without damage tells the builder more than a spec sheet.
Ask for the crate to be written down as a spec: members, sizes, lumber treatment, blocking and marking. That gives you something to compare between suppliers and something to repeat. If a skid is the right answer, we will say so on the quote.
Common mismatches we see
Buyers sometimes order a pallet for a load far heavier than the deck boards were built for, then wonder why the boards snap under a forklift. Others ask for a full sheathed crate around a rugged casting that would ride safely on a skid with straps, paying for lumber it never needed. The opposite error is shipping a precision instrument on an open skid under stretch film.
The remedy is to describe the load honestly: weight, fragility, finish, orientation, route and storage. A sturdy fabricated frame, a polished spindle and a glass-faced gauge each call for different answers. When you are unsure, send photographs, and the quote will state which base and enclosure the spec recommends and why.
Questions buyers ask
Is a skid the same as a pallet?
Not quite. A skid has runners and usually no bottom deck, while a pallet has stringers or blocks and often a lower deck. People use the words loosely, so ask for the member list.
Can a crate sit on a pallet?
Yes, if the pallet is rated for the weight and the crate is fastened to it. Heavy crates usually have their own skid instead.
Does a skid need an ISPM 15 stamp for export?
A lumber skid is wood packaging material, so it needs an approved treatment and the official mark if the destination requires it. Confirm with APHIS and the destination country's authority.
When is a pallet not enough?
When the load is heavier than the pallet's rating, overhangs its deck, or needs protection a stretch wrap cannot give.