Definition of pallet

small platform, also called a skid, usually made of wood and used to store and transport stacks of merchandise or materials. Pallets are moved with forklifts or pallet jacks. They can physically hold up to 2000 pounds of material, and measure 40 by 48 inches. The U.S. Postal Service permits the use of pallets in lieu of sacks to transport mail. Unlike sacked mail, which earns presort discounts based only on the presort level of sacks that carry a minimum number of packages, palletized mail earns presort discounts based on the presort level of each package on the pallet, thus enabling mailers to qualify more packages for a discount. Other advantages of pallets over sacks are that palletized mail experiences less damage during transport and that pallets enable workers to transfer more mail in less time to and from mail trucks.