What Is a Skid? Understanding the Skid vs Pallet Difference – and Why It Matters
Smarter Pallet Decisions Start with Knowing What You're Ordering
Refreshed September 24, 2026
6 Minute Read
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Josh Stipanovich
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“The difference between a pallet and a skid really is only the bottom deck board. A skid technically has no bottom deck board. A pallet has bottom deck boards.”
“There is an important design consideration: because a skid lacks bottom deck boards, lateral collapse of the stringer becomes a critical risk. Manufacturers often compensate with wider stringers to provide the stability that bottom deck boards would otherwise deliver.”
Table of Contents
A skid has no bottom deck boards and a pallet does, and that one structural difference determines which platform keeps your products safe during stacking, handling and storage.
If you have ever used the words “skid” and “pallet” interchangeably, you are in good company. Across warehouses, loading docks and procurement offices, the two terms get swapped daily. But a skid and a pallet are not the same thing. The difference is structural and it directly affects how products are stored, stacked and shipped.
This article will clarify the single difference between a skid vs pallet so that you can choose the best product for your storage and shipping needs, beginning with the specifications of a skid.
What Is a Skid?
A skid is a single-deck load platform that rests on runners (also called stringers). It has a top deck for loading products but no bottom deck boards. The stringers sit directly on the ground or on whatever surface supports the load.
Skids predate modern pallets by decades. Early industrial versions appeared in the late 1800s to move heavy goods across factory floors. The modern pallet emerged in the 1920s and 1930s alongside the forklift, adding bottom deck boards to improve stability during mechanical handling.
Think of it like a sled on runners. That open-bottom design offers clear advantages in certain applications but introduces limitations that matter when stacking, storing or handling products repeatedly.
What Is a Pallet?
A pallet is a load platform with deck boards on both the top and bottom. Those bottom deck boards attach to the stringers and distribute weight across a wider surface area, creating a stable, flat base for stacking, forklift handling and racking.
Today, pallets are the dominant load platform in North American supply chains. They are engineered for the demands of warehousing, distribution and automation, where dimensional consistency and structural integrity determine whether products arrive intact.
Skid: A load platform with a top deck and exposed stringers on the bottom. Unlike a pallet, a skid has no bottom deck boards, making it lighter and less expensive to produce.
Pallet: A portable, horizontal load platform with top and bottom deck boards connected by stringers or blocks. The bottom deck provides weight distribution and structural stability that support repeated handling and safe stacking.
Stringer: A structural beam running the length of a skid or pallet that provides primary support.
Skid vs Pallet: The Structural Difference
As you may have surmised, the difference between a skid and a pallet comes down to one component: the bottom deck boards.
A wood pallet has deck boards on both the top and bottom. Those bottom boards distribute weight across a wider surface area and provide stability during stacking, forklift handling and racking.
A skid has deck boards on the top only. Without bottom boards, the load rests entirely on the stringers. That concentrated contact creates less surface area and less resistance to lateral movement.
Ralph Rupert, Manager of Unit Load Technology at Millwood Inc. and a packaging industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience, puts it simply: “The difference really is only the bottom deck board. A skid technically has no bottom deck board. A pallet has bottom deck boards.”
Bottom Deck Board: Boards fastened to the underside of a pallet that distribute weight, increase stability and create a flat surface for safe stacking.
Skid vs Pallet: Comparison Chart
| Feature | Skid | Pallet |
| Bottom deck boards | No | Yes |
| Weight | Lighter | Heavier |
| Repeated loading/unloading | Not recommended | Built for it |
| Stackability | Limited (concentrated stringer contact) | Strong (weight distributed across bottom deck) |
| Stability during handling | Lower | Higher |
| Forklift and rack compatibility | Limited | Designed for repeated forklift and rack use |
| Mobility | Easier to drag across surfaces | Less suited for dragging |
| Empty storage | Interlocks for compact nesting | Requires more space |
| Cost | Lower (less lumber and fewer fasteners) | Higher |
| Permanent foundation use | Ideal | Not typical |
When to Use a Skid
Skids perform best in applications that play to their structural strengths:
- Permanent equipment foundations. This platform serves as an effective long-term base for heavy machinery such as industrial HVAC units, engines and manufacturing equipment. The open-bottom design allows operators to drag equipment into position, and the platform stays in place as a permanent foundation that keeps machinery off the ground.
- One-time heavy shipments. Industries like agriculture, construction and metals rely on skids to move stone, brick, cement, sod and steel. When a product travels once from origin to destination, the material savings make clear economic sense.
- Storage efficiency. Empty skids interlock and nest together, occupying less warehouse space than pallets. High-volume operations benefit from that compact footprint.
- Cost-driven applications. Because this platform requires less lumber and fewer fasteners, it costs less to produce. For situations where bottom deck stability is unnecessary, that cost advantage goes directly to the bottom line.
There are two important structural considerations for any application that you choose for a skid. The first is that, on a skid, stringers rest directly on the ground. On a pallet, bottom deck boards attach to the stringers.
Secondly, there is an important design consideration: because a skid lacks bottom deck boards, lateral collapse of the stringer becomes a critical risk. Manufacturers often compensate with wider stringers to provide the stability that bottom deck boards would otherwise deliver.
When to Use a Pallet
For most warehouse, distribution and supply chain operations, pallets remain the standard choice for the following reasons:
- Repeated handling. Loading and unloading with a forklift places significant torque on a platform. Bottom deck boards absorb and distribute that force, giving pallets far greater durability through repeated cycles.
- Double stacking. Stacking one loaded unit on top of another requires a stable, flat bottom surface. A pallet’s bottom deck boards create that surface. Exposed stringers on a skid concentrate weight on narrow contact points and increase the risk of product damage. Safe double stacking requires a flat, stable bottom surface, which is why pallets with bottom deck boards are preferred.
- Racking and automation. Modern racking systems and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) require the dimensional consistency and structural integrity that pallets provide. An open-bottom platform is generally incompatible with these systems.
- Multi-stop distribution. Products moving through multiple supply chain touchpoints need a platform that maintains structural integrity at every transition. Pallets deliver that reliability from the manufacturing floor to the final dock.
Double Stacking: Double stacking refers to the operational practice of placing one loaded platform on top of another for storage or transport purposes.
Why the Skids vs Pallets Distinction Matters
Confusing a pallet vs skid specification might seem like a terminology issue, but the wrong choice creates real operational consequences.
Ralph Rupert recalls one scenario that illustrates the stakes: “A customer was demanding a skid. I tried to go through what the differences were and why the skid would not work in their stacking situation. It was really going to damage the product when they double stacked.”
When procurement teams source by name rather than by specification, the wrong platform can show up on the dock. The downstream effects range from minor delays to significant product damage and rework costs.
Getting the terminology right is the foundation of every sound packaging decision. If a team is calling pallets “skids” (or the reverse), every subsequent choice about stacking, storage and automation starts on the wrong footing.
Choosing the Right Platform for Your Operation
Whether to use a skid or a pallet depends on the application: what the product is, how it moves, how it is stored and how many times the platform will be handled. A packaging specialist evaluates these factors and identifies the solution that fits, including the platform and the wrap and supports that protect the product throughout the supply chain.
Millwood’s Packaging Science approach starts by learning how a customer’s product moves through the supply chain before engineering a specification built for that reality. Connect with a Millwood pallet expert to make sure you’re specifying the right unit for your application.
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CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR YOUR OPERATION
Millwood helps customers match the right load platform to the way their products actually move. Whether the application calls for a skid, a pallet or a custom specification, Millwood’s Packaging Science approach evaluates stacking requirements, handling environments and supply chain demands to engineer a solution built for performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a skid and a pallet?
A pallet has bottom deck boards; a skid does not. The bottom deck gives pallets greater stability for stacking and storage.
Pallets use bottom deck boards (typically three) that connect the stringers and create a stable base for double-stacking and automated handling. Skids lack this bottom deck entirely so the stringers are usually wider to compensate for the reduced lateral stability. In most modern supply chains pallets are the standard.
Can you use a skid instead of a pallet?
In some applications yes, but skids can’t safely double-stack. Using a skid where a pallet is required risks product damage and load failure.
Ralph Rupert, Manager of Unit Load Technology at Millwood Inc., recalls a situation where a customer was demanding a skid. He tried to walk them through the structural differences and explain why a skid would not work in their stacking setup. Without bottom deck boards, the skid could not distribute weight safely across the load beneath it. If they double stacked, it was going to damage the product. Getting through that barrier required pushing past the assumption that the customer’s original specification was correct, even when the engineering said otherwise. The right platform depends on how the product is stored, handled and moved, not on which term appears on the purchase order.
Why do people call pallets "skids"?
Regional habit and industry shorthand. In many warehouses “skid” is used as slang for any flat shipping platform, even when it’s technically a pallet.
Much of the confusion traces back to regional terminology and industry habit. Skids were the original load platform, widely used before the modern pallet emerged in the 1920s and 1930s. In some regions and industries, “skid” stuck as the default term for any flat shipping platform, even after bottom deck boards became standard. The distinction matters most when communicating specifications to a supplier. Ordering a “skid” when the operation actually requires a pallet (or the reverse) can result in the wrong platform arriving on the dock, with downstream consequences for stacking, handling and product protection.
Are skids cheaper than pallets?
Skids use less lumber so the per-unit cost is typically lower. But lower cost doesn’t mean lower total cost if the skid can’t perform in your application.
However, unit cost and total cost of ownership are not the same number. A skid that fails during double stacking, damages product or cannot withstand repeated forklift handling generates rework, disposal and replacement costs that quickly exceed the savings on the platform itself. Procurement teams evaluating price per unit and operations teams measuring performance on the floor often score the same platform very differently. The right comparison accounts for the full lifecycle: how many handling cycles the platform needs to survive, what it protects and what it costs when it fails.
Are skids still used in modern supply chains?
Yes, but in niche applications. Most modern warehousing and retail distribution has standardized on pallets for stacking, automation and four-way forklift access.
Skids continue to serve specific roles where their structural design is an advantage: permanent foundations for heavy machinery, one-time shipments of dense materials like stone or steel and applications where compact empty storage matters. Outside of those niches, the trend is moving away from skids. As automation expands across warehouses and distribution centers, the dimensional precision and structural consistency that pallets provide become operational requirements rather than preferences. Automated storage and retrieval systems, conveyor lines and racking infrastructure are all engineered around pallets. Each step toward supply chain automation further narrows the window where a skid is the right specification.
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