Parcels, pallets or freight: how to know which delivery method your Sussex business needs.

Many businesses settle on a delivery method and keep using the same approach even after their orders have changed.

Parcels worked when orders were small but might not be the best choice when 12 boxes are now going to the same customer.

The right choice comes down to what each consignment weighs, how big or awkward it is and how often you send it.

When is a parcel the right choice?

Parcel networks are built around items one person can lift and load by hand. Most next-day parcel services cap individual items at around 30kg, with limits on length and overall size too.

Within those limits, parcels are usually the quickest and cheapest option, because the cost of each route is shared across thousands of boxes.

That suits online orders to individual customers, samples, spare parts and small trade orders. Things change when several boxes are going to the same address. Each one is scanned and sorted separately, and every handling is another chance for one box in a set to be delayed or damaged.

When should you switch to a pallet delivery?

A standard UK pallet measures 1200mm by 1000mm. Pallet networks usually sell space as quarter, half and full pallets. A full pallet can carry up to around 1,000kg, with half and quarter pallets at roughly 500kg and 250kg.

Everything is stacked, shrink-wrapped and moved by pallet truck or forklift, so multiple boxes arrive together.

The delivery end is easy to overlook. Plenty of Sussex businesses work from converted farm buildings or high street units with no forklift, so the pallet needs to arrive on a tail-lift vehicle that  can lower it to the ground.

When does a consignment need freight?

Pallet networks move individual pallets through depots and hubs, unloading and reloading them along the way. That works well for one or two pallets.

A large consignment going to one address gets all of that handling without the benefit of shared space. At that point it’s usually better to put the whole load on one vehicle that goes direct. A standard 13.6m articulated trailer takes 26 UK pallets, and smaller loads can go on a lorry or van. A manufacturer in Sussex sending a weekly order to a Midlands distribution centre may find a part load cheaper per pallet, and the goods are only loaded and unloaded once. Freight is also the route for goods too big for a standard pallet and for anything that has to arrive the same day.

How often you send orders makes a difference

A gift shop sending small online orders every day is well served by parcels and a daily collection. Whereas a business restocking a retailer once a fortnight may be better off sending one or two pallets than a large batch of parcels.

Many businesses need both: parcels for customer orders and pallets for trade or wholesale.

A quick guide to choosing the right method

If you’re weighing up a shipment, these are the usual starting points:

  • Single items or a few boxes going to different addresses, each light enough to lift: parcel
  • Several boxes going to the same address: pallet
  • One item too heavy or bulky for a parcel carrier: pallet
  • Many pallets going to one destination: part or full load on its own vehicle
  • Goods too large for a standard pallet, or anything needed the same day: freight
  • Shipments going abroad: European road freight, or air or ocean freight further afield

Some consignments sit right on the line, such as 6 heavy boxes that could go as parcels or a quarter pallet, so it’s worth pricing both.

Parcel, pallet and freight delivery in East Sussex

Express & Global collects from businesses across East Sussex every day, using our own vehicles and drivers from our depots.

Our UK next-day parcel service lets you book with several carriers through one platform and receive a single invoice. For pallets, our membership of The Pallet Network gives us access to more than 130 UK depots, with next-day, timed and economy pallet delivery and tail-lift vehicles available.

For larger loads, we arrange vehicles from transit-size vans up to 44-tonne articulated lorries for same-day delivery in the UK and Europe, and run European road freight to and from more than 40 countries.

If you’re not sure which method suits a shipment, get in touch for a quote and we’ll price the options.