Glossary
Pallet industry glossary.
GMA, ISPM-15, JIT, FTL, LTL, HT, KD, PDS, LoadSync, and 20+ more — pallet industry terms defined for procurement, operations, and supply-chain teams.
A
- ALSC
- American Lumber Standard Committee — the accreditation body overseeing US lumber grading and the Wood Packaging Material Program that authorizes ISPM-15 heat treatment. ePallet is an ALSC participant.
B
- Block Pallet
- A pallet supported by solid blocks at the corners and edges, allowing four-way forklift entry from any side. Common in heavy-load, automated, and Euro-spec applications.
- Bottom Board
- A deckboard installed on the underside of a pallet. Bottom boards distribute load across the floor, reinforce stringers, and determine whether a pallet is reversible or one-sided.
C
- Cant
- A squared timber, sawn from a log, that is cut down further into deckboards, stringers, or other pallet components. The intermediate stage between log and finished part in a cut shop.
- Chamfered Deckboard
- A deckboard with angled (chamfered) edges that ease forklift-tine entry and reduce stringer damage on hand-jack pallets. Standard on most GMA-spec pallets.
- Combo Pallet
- A pallet built from a combination of recycled and new lumber components. Balances cost savings against new-pallet performance and consistency.
- CP Pallets
- A series of nine standardized chemical-industry pallets (CP1 through CP9) used widely across European chemical and pharmaceutical supply chains. ePallet supplies CP-spec pallets for North American shippers exporting to Europe.
- Cradle
- A specialty wood structure designed to support cylindrical or irregular loads — coils, drums, rolls — during transport or storage.
- Cut Shop
- The mill section of a pallet facility where logs and rough lumber are sawn into deckboards, stringers, and cants. ePallet operates full cut shops at Sugarcreek, Middlefield, Byesville, and Walhonding.
D
- Deckboard
- The flat boards that make up the top and bottom surfaces of a pallet. Deckboards carry the load and transfer it to the stringers or blocks beneath.
- Drop Trailer
- A trailer ePallet drops at the customer’s dock so they can offload at their own pace. Common for high-volume sites. Trailer doors should remain open when not in use to prevent mold from trapped humidity.
- Dunnage
- Loose wood pieces, sticks, or filler used to brace, separate, or protect cargo inside trailers, containers, or rail cars during shipment.
E
- EcoVadis
- The global standard for supply-chain sustainability ratings, benchmarking companies across Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. ePallet holds the Bronze Medal, awarded October 2025.
- EPAL
- European Pallet Association — the certifying body for EUR/EPAL exchange pallets. EPAL-certified pallets carry an embossed quality mark and follow strict repair standards.
F
- FIFO
- First-In, First-Out — an inventory-rotation method where the oldest pallets in stock are shipped or used first. FIFO is recommended for pallet storage to prevent prolonged dampness and mold risk.
- Forklift Entry
- The openings on a pallet that allow forklift tines or pallet-jack arms to pick it up. Two-way entry pallets are picked from two sides; four-way pallets are picked from all four.
- FTL
- Full Truckload — a shipment that fills an entire trailer, billed at a flat lane rate. Lowest cost-per-pallet when volumes are large enough to fill the trailer.
G
- GMA Pallet
- The 48×40-inch stringer pallet standard set by the Grocery Manufacturers Association — the most common pallet in North American grocery and CPG supply chains.
H
- Hardwood
- Wood from deciduous trees (oak, maple, ash, hickory). Hardwood pallets carry heavier loads and last longer than softwood pallets, at higher unit cost. The standard for GMA and heavy-duty industrial pallets.
- Heat Treatment (HT)
- The process of heating wood-packaging material to a core temperature of 56°C for at least 30 minutes to kill pests. Required by ISPM-15 for international shipments.
- Hybrid Pallet
- A pallet built from more than one material — typically a wood deck on a plastic or steel frame, or wood combined with corrugated. Used when no single material meets the load, weight, and cost profile.
I
- IPPC
- International Plant Protection Convention — the United Nations body that issues ISPM-15 and oversees phytosanitary regulation worldwide. The IPPC wheat-stalk logo appears on every compliant heat-treated pallet.
- ISPM-15
- International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 — the global regulation requiring wood packaging used in international trade to be heat-treated or fumigated and stamped accordingly. Full explainer here.
J
- JIT (Just-in-Time)
- An inventory strategy where pallets arrive at the customer’s dock only as production needs them, minimizing on-site storage and working-capital tied up in pallet inventory.
K
- Kiln-Dried (KD)
- Lumber dried in a controlled kiln to a target moisture content, typically 19% or below. Reduces warping, shrinkage, and the risk of mold growth on finished pallets.
L
- Lead Board
- The outermost top deckboard of a pallet, positioned where forklift tines first contact the load. Often built thicker or chamfered for impact resistance.
- LoadSync Technology
- ePallet’s logistics technology for route and load optimization across multi-plant pallet programs — drives cost savings and consolidated freight visibility.
- LTL
- Less-Than-Truckload — a freight class for shipments that share trailer space with other customers. The right answer for partial loads where FTL economics do not work.
N
- Notched Stringer
- A stringer with two notches cut into its lower edge that convert a two-way stringer pallet into a four-way pallet, allowing forklift entry from all four sides without adding blocks.
P
- Pallet Audit
- A field assessment of a customer’s current pallet program — specs, vendors, volumes, freight lanes, scrap rates. The starting point for most ePallet Total Pallet Management engagements.
- PDS (Pallet Design System)
- A Woodpack Global engineering software that models pallet performance under load. ePallet uses PDS to redesign over-engineered pallets — same load capacity, less material, lower cost.
- Pool Pallet
- A rental pallet that moves through a managed exchange pool (CHEP, PECO, iGPS). Pool pallets are owned by the pool operator; users pay per-trip rental. ePallet supplies non-pool alternatives for shippers exiting pool programs.
- PQ-80®
- A water-soluble fungicide concentrate that controls sap stain and mold on both hardwoods and softwoods. ePallet offers PQ-80 treatment as a documented per-build option for mold-sensitive applications.
R
- Reconditioned Pallet
- A previously used pallet that has been inspected, repaired as needed, and returned to service. Typically the lowest-cost option for non-export, domestic shipping. In stock at ePallet facilities.
- Remanufactured Pallet
- A pallet built to customer specifications from recycled components, or from a combination of recycled and new lumber. Cost-effective for custom sizes.
- Repair Grade
- A classification used to sort returned pallets by condition. Higher grades require minimal repair; lower grades may be remanufactured or sent for recycling into mulch or fuel.
- Reversible Pallet
- A pallet built with identical top and bottom deck surfaces, so either side can carry the load. Common in produce, beverage, and high-throughput applications where pallet orientation slows operators down.
S
- Softwood
- Wood from coniferous trees (pine, spruce, fir). Softwood pallets are lighter and cheaper than hardwood, well-suited to one-way shipments and lighter loads. Southern yellow pine is the dominant softwood species in US pallet production.
- Standing Timber
- Trees still rooted and uncut, owned or contracted by a pallet manufacturer for future harvest. ePallet maintains standing-timber relationships with sustainable forestry partners across the Ohio Valley.
- Stringer
- A long, narrow board that runs the length of a pallet and supports the top deckboards. Two- or three-stringer construction is the North American norm. See also: stringer pallet.
- Stringer Pallet
- A pallet supported by parallel stringers running between the top and bottom deckboards. The most common construction in North America; offers two-way forklift entry by default, four-way when notched.
- Sustainability
- In the ePallet context: zero-landfill operations, responsible standing-timber sourcing, circular pallet programs, and EcoVadis Bronze certification across all four ESG themes.
T
- Top Frame
- A reinforcing wooden frame placed on top of a stacked load to distribute weight evenly, prevent crushing of upper layers, and stabilize bulk-bag or carton loads.
- TPM (Total Pallet Management)
- A single-vendor program covering sourcing, inventory, logistics, design, heat treatment, and recycling across every plant in a customer footprint. The ePallet flagship service.
V
- Vendor Consolidation
- The procurement practice of reducing the number of suppliers handling pallets across a multi-plant operation — typically from five or more regional vendors down to one accountable national partner.
W
- Woodpack Global
- The pallet-industry trade association (formerly NWPCA — National Wooden Pallet & Container Association) representing 820+ wooden-pallet companies across 43 countries. Rebranded in January 2026. ePallet is a member.
- WPA
- Western Pallet Association — a regional industry trade association serving pallet manufacturers and recyclers across the western United States and Canada. ePallet is an active WPA member.
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