Nestable pallets are plastic pallets that are designed to fit together in a way that minimizes the storage space they occupy when not in use. Many pallets are designed with tapered square, rectangular or circular legs. In order for a pallet with legs to be nestable, its legs must be hollow.
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A nestable pallet leg fits into the hollow of another nestable pallet much like a cup in a cup holder. This allows for the close stacking of a large number of pallets; the implication for warehouse managers is very efficient use of storage space. Nestable pallets are always made of plastic. Wooden pallets, which in few configurations (if any) are designed with feet instead of frames, would not be able to overcome the friction caused by nesting the parts together. Splintering and surface degradation might also be caused by trying to nest wooden pallets, which could render them useless. The nestable feature of some plastic pallets is just one of many reasons why plastic pallets are often a better choice than wooden pallets. They exhibit higher strength-to-weight ratios, they are resistant to corrosion and heat (stored wooden pallets pose a fire hazard), they are resistant to pathogenic contamination and they are much more easily stored, especially in the case of nestable pallets.
All plastic pallets are fabricated from a stock of raw plastic material. That material can be made up of new plastic or recycled plastic, and the pallets themselves, when they reach the end of their usable lives, can be broken down and recycled. Most pallets are fabricated from high-density polyethylene, or HDPE, though they can also be made of V-PP, PE, PP or recycled PET plastic materials. Injection molding is the most common means of plastic pallet fabrication because it is a comparatively simple and inexpensive process. Injection molding is the process by which a plastic is heated to its melting point and injected into a mold. A mold is a tool that is designed to shape a plastic. In the case of nestable plastic pallets, the mold is shaped like a large square or rectangle with several hollows for the feet. The raw, molten plastic is forced into the mold and forms to its contours. After the plastic has taken the shape of the mold, it is allowed to cool and harden. The hardened plastic pallet is then ejected from the mold and prepared for shipment to the customer.
