Pallet

A pallet (/ˈpælɪt/) (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a front loader, a jacking device, or an erect crane. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies. Goods or shipping containers are often placed on a pallet secured with strapping, stretch wrap or shrink wrap and shipped. Since its invention in the twentieth century, its use has dramatically supplanted older forms of crating like the wooden box and the wooden barrel, as it works well with modern packaging like corrugated boxes and intermodal containers commonly used for bulk shipping.

While most pallets are wooden, pallets can also be made of plastic, metal, paper, and recycled materials.

An 'Air Cargo Pallet' is effectively a detachable and interchangeable airworthy floor panel, less than 1in (25mm) thick, for a Cargo aircraft. The many civilian types have evolved over 6 decades from the thicker military '463L Master Pallet'. When combined with a cargo net, an air cargo pallet becomes a aircraft 'Unit Load Device' and must be inspected for integrity before use in an aircraft. It is handled on dedicated roller or ball-mat ground equipment and vehicles (fork-lifting is prohibited especially when the pallet is loaded).