Combien de kilos sur une palette : gerbage, hauteur et limites de poids

What Truly Determines the Loading of a Professional Pallet

Reframing the question "how many kilos on a pallet" almost always means asking "how far can I go without damaging my goods or compromising transport stability." There is no single figure that applies to all orders: a carton of dehydrated dried fruits does not behave like a 25 kg bag of almonds, and a bucket of olives does not stack like a case of dates. What truly limits a pallet are several constraints that combine.

• The permissible loading height, which depends on the delivery vehicle and warehouse stacking.
• The total pallet weight, distributed between the support and the goods themselves.
• The stackability of cartons, i.e., their ability to support the weight of what is stacked above.
• The crushing of 25 kg flexible bags when placed at the bottom of a stack.
• Lateral securing, which prevents slippage during road transport.

These five points must be addressed together: optimising one without considering the others often results in an unstable pallet or crushed cartons upon arrival. This is why a well-planned bulk order starts with load composition, even before considering the free delivery threshold.

Pallet Height: How High to Go Without Weakening the Load

The height of a professional pallet primarily depends on the mode of transport and the type of packaging stacked. In practice, a load of dried fruits and dry groceries remains reasonable when it maintains a safety margin below the internal height of the vehicle and storage racks, including the pallet itself. The following table provides behavioural benchmarks by packaging type, to be adjusted based on your carrier and warehouse setup.

This classification shows why an order mixing several product ranges from the catalogue, such as dried fruits and spices, benefits from being planned in descending weight order as you move up the stack.

Carton Stackability and Bag Crushing: Composing the Stacking Order

Stackability is the ability of packaging to support the weight of what rests above without deforming. A well-filled and properly sealed carton can handle a moderate load; a flexible bag, however, has no inherent rigidity and directly transmits pressure to its contents. This explains why a 25 kg bag placed at the bottom of a pallet, under several layers of cartons, often ends up compressed or even torn upon unloading.

At Palimex, we see pallets assembled at the Rungis warehouse every week, and the same lesson keeps recurring: it is always the flexible bags placed too low, under poorly distributed weight, that arrive damaged at the customer’s site. Our field recommendation is simple: rigid packaging goes down first as support, flexible bags and sachets go on top, never the other way around.

The almonds sold in 25 kg bags illustrate this rule well: their flexible packaging makes them perfectly suited for placement in the upper part of the pallet, where they bear no downward pressure. Conversely, a well-sealed carton of dates, such as the cluster dates packed in 12 x 1 kg cartons, can easily support a second layer placed on top.

Securing, Load Distribution, and Transport Stability

A pallet can meet all stacking rules and still be unstable if securing is not carefully done. Securing includes all measures that prevent the load from shifting during transit: stretch-wrapping, cardboard corners, balanced weight distribution across the pallet surface, and alternating carton orientation to create interlocking.

1. Distribute the heaviest weight at the centre of the pallet, never at the edges.
2. Alternate the direction of cartons from one layer to the next, like a brick wall, to prevent any slippage.
3. Stretch-wrap progressively from bottom to top, without over-tightening flexible packaging.
4. Add reinforcing corners to tall pallets to protect carton edges.
5. Ensure the stretch film does not obscure weakened areas, particularly cartons that are already slightly dented.

This securing work is particularly important when an order combines products with very different densities, such as graded dried apricots in 5 kg cartons and heavier, more compact buckets of olives: without thoughtful distribution, the pallet tilts to one side at the first braking.

Building an Order That Fills a Pallet Without Damaging It

Filling a pallet efficiently is not about stacking to the theoretical limit but reasoning by product families and logical placement order. Here is the method we recommend to professionals assembling their bulk order from the Palimex catalogue.

• Start with the most rigid and heaviest packaging: cartons of dried fruits, cartons of dehydrated fruits, cartons of sweet groceries.
• Next, add buckets and jars, distributing them across the entire surface rather than in isolated stacks.
• Finish with flexible bags and sachets, which should not support anything above them.
• Check the consistency of batch dates and best-before dates (BBD) between the different products loaded to facilitate stock rotation upon receipt.
• Consult the technical sheet for each SKU before ordering, particularly to know the net weight per carton and anticipate distribution.

For further guidance on interpreting product information that influences these choices, our guide on dried fruit grades and sizes details how to read a technical sheet before finalising your order.

Optimised Pallet, Free Delivery: Maximising Each Shipment

Once the pallet is well composed, the question remains of the threshold at which delivery becomes free. This topic, distinct from load composition, is covered in detail in our dedicated guide: Free Delivery and Pallet Shipping: Bulk Order Guide. The key takeaway here is that building a full, stable, and well-secured pallet is not just about transport safety: it also allows you to maximise a bulk order by avoiding half-empty pallets, which are more expensive per kilo shipped and more fragile due to insufficient securing.

For professionals who prefer to collect their order directly, the Drive & Collect option eliminates transport concerns while maintaining the same principles of composition and stacking when loading into a utility vehicle.

In summary, there is no magic number that applies to every order: the right pallet is one whose height, weight, and stacking order have been planned based on the actual packaging loaded. By applying these principles of stackability, securing, and distribution, you minimise damage, reduce transport disputes, and ensure the safe receipt of your order, whether for fine groceries, a restaurant, or a pastry workshop.