Euro pallet exchange
Due to the uniform dimensions and processing standards, Euro pallets are easy to exchange. According to EPAL, a Euro pallet is exchangeable if it has all the necessary markings, comes from a licensed manufacturing facility and is in good condition.
Non-exchangeable Euro pallet
EPAL pallets that have the following defects cannot be exchanged:
- missing board
- Damage with visible nail shafts
- heavily splintered edge boards
- missing block
- damaged block with visible nail shafts (due to splinters or heavily twisted blocks)
- rotten or dirty general condition
- slanted or broken boards
- unauthorized components or boards
- blocks with incorrect dimensions
- unauthorized material
- missing markings (EPAL in oval, test clip)
A Euro pallet may only be repaired in a certified company in accordance with EPAL rules.
exchange agreement
There is no legal right to exchange pallets. Without a corresponding contract, even reusable pallets are considered part of the packaging and become the property of the recipient. They are exchanged within a defined pool for pallets from the same pool. There is the open pallet exchange pool and the closed exchange pool. In the open pool, the pallets belong to the users; it is about the free availability of the loading equipment. EPAL as an association guarantees the quality and standard of the pallets in the open pool. The pallets in the closed pools belong to a pooling company such as CHEP or LPR. The two systems cannot be compared with each other.
exchange clause
Two clauses are preferably used:
- Cologne model: exchange train by train directly at the unloading point, popular in direct traffic
- Bonn model: Shipper provides Euro pallets, popular in groupage transport
pallet disposal
A Euro pallet that can no longer be exchanged can be handed over to a pallet buyer or used as firewood.
History of the Euro pallet
Freight handling in Frankfurt Oder © Image archive by D. Malzahn
The year 1961 can be considered the birth year of the Euro pallet. European railway companies agreed on a uniform transport pallet standard. Representatives of the "Union of International Railways" (UIC) signed a contract for an interchangeable pallet - the Euro pallet. This included specifications for standards, production and repair. For 60 years, the invention of the Euro pallet, as it is also called, has ensured that goods and products reach their destination safely - whether building materials to the construction site or food in supermarkets. Thanks to its nature and properties, the Euro pallet is not only ideal for transport, but also for storing goods.
The multiple use and easy exchange of pallets in retail is not only an absolute plus point from an economic point of view, but also from an ecological one. It is no wonder that there are now more than 600 million pallets in circulation worldwide. However, the history of the Euro pallet began earlier:
1st millennium BC - Skid pallets in Egypt & Mesopotamia
The first forerunners of today's Euro pallets were already in use in ancient Egypt. The sledges or skid pallets, which were already made of wood at that time, were used to transport building materials - they transported stone blocks weighing several tons from the excavation site to the construction site.
1917 - The invention of the forklift in the USA
The invention of the forklift truck in 1920 by the American manufacturer Clark Equipment Company marked a major leap in history. This inevitably led to the development of space-saving and systematic loading units - including pallets. At that time, these still consisted of connected steel skids.
1939 & 1949 - First pallet patents in the USA
In 1939, the first patent for a wooden pallet was registered in the USA. In addition, the pallets, which were still made of steel at the time, were preferred as a means of transport in the American war economy for ammunition and other gun accessories in the 1940s. In 1949, the principle of the modern 4-way pallet was patented; previously only 2-way pallets were known.
1950s - Chaos in European trade
Within Europe, there are different pallet dimensions for international rail transport. The problem of the practicality of sharing pallets was recognized in 1952 and an agreement was drawn up in the following years.
History of the Euro pallet
1.7.1961 - The birth of the palette
European railway operators were competing with road freight transport and needed universal load carriers that would simplify and speed up the trade in goods - exchangeable Euro pallets were intended to provide a solution. On July 1, 1961, the Euro pallet was finally standardized: 800 x 1,200 x 144 mm. Over time, other standardized pallets were added that were tailored to different transport needs. Regardless of which model of pallet was used, loading vehicles, whether trains or trucks, was much easier and faster.
After its introduction in 1961, the following decades saw further developments in the Euro pallet and in the pallet market.
1966 - Utility model for the Euro pallet
The structural design of wooden Euro pallets is published in the utility model application by Julius Hofer (Erbach) of the German Patent Office under the number DE1935973 U1 (Appendix 1) on 31 March 1966.
1975 - Transfer of rights from the Federal Railway to GPAL
In 1975, the German Federal Railway transferred its trademark rights to the EPAL, oval O and RAL-RG 993 (now RAL-GZ 993) symbols to the "Gütegemeinschaft Paletten", the predecessor of today's European umbrella organization of EPAL.
1980s - Triumph of the Euro pallet
The main use of the pallet shifts from rail and ship transport to road transport. It becomes the most popular pallet in the world. It enjoys great popularity due to its practicality, standardized sizes and its properties.
1991 - Founding of EPAL
The European Pallet Association (EPAL) was founded in 1991. Its purpose: to organize and control the EPAL Euro pallet pool. Its focus is on expanding and securing the pooling system for load carriers. It issues licenses to producers and repairers, thereby ensuring a consistently high quality of EPAL pallets worldwide.
2004 - Euro pallet receives DIN EN 13698-1
DIN EN 13698 sets out requirements and specification instructions for the nominal load and carrying capacity, the construction and testing of pallets and their labelling. In 2004, the standardisation of Euro pallets was updated with DIN EN 13698-1, which is used by brands such as EPAL & EUR. This means that the pallets can be used not only in industrial conveying, but also in modern high-bay warehouse systems .
2016 - Production of more than 100 million Euro pallets
In 2016, the 100 million mark was broken for the first time and 100 million wooden pallets are produced and repaired every year. It is estimated that over half a billion of them are currently in circulation.
2017 - Separation of EPAL and UIC
After the exchange agreement for the uniform European pallet pool was signed between EPAL and UIC in October 2014, it was dissolved in 2017. This means that the exchange of UIC/EUR pallets for EPAL pallets will be discontinued. The time limit runs until December 31, 2021.
Since 2020 - Interactive Palettes
The IML (Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics) and EPAL are developing an intelligent pallet network together with "IPAL". QR codes and GPS trackers expand the Euro pallets from a pure load carrier to an information carrier.
2020 - Prices for Euro pallets explode
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the increased demand for sawn timber - especially due to the construction boom in China and North America - pallet prices have risen dramatically since last year. The price explosion is due to the shortage of raw materials, which is why many companies are currently stockpiling. It remains to be seen how things will develop, and the situation will probably only ease at the end of the year.
60 years have passed since then, during which the pallet was invented, standardized and mass-produced, sold and transported. A wide variety of variants have emerged, processes have been accelerated and there is no end in sight. The business for the highly sought-after pallets is booming and will continue to do so, despite some challenges.
