There is a clear industry need to replace the common pallet. Wood pallets are wasteful, heavy, and are expensive. Plastic pallets are not biodegradable, heavy, and more expensive than wood. Clemson University Packaging Science students sought to develop a design that would replace the common pallet using recycled corrugated board. We wanted to improve on corrugated pallets developed by other groups which use varying board thicknesses, multiple materials, lots of glue (adhesives). These pallets are typically bulky, and can only withstand compressive forces of approximately 3000 lbs. Clemson’s design is made of two separate interlocking pieces that are fitted without any glue. The design can withstand over 20,000 lbs of static compression, is easily repairable, and can be assembled in less than a minute. The design took well over six months of development and prototyping, and the structure looks fantastic. Our hopes are that this pallet will be utilized all over the world.

Funding sources for research represented by the image:
Clemson University Creative Inquiry initiative