“Send it on a pallet” leaves most of the packing decision open. The buyer needs to know how the packaged furniture sits on the support, what secures it and what the completed load measures. An empty pallet size is only one input.
Begin with the packed furniture, not the tabletop
The trapezoid-base dining table is 160 × 80 × 75 cm as furniture. Its carton arrangement must be confirmed before a pallet can be selected. The panel-leg table has a different size and base construction; a packing proposal for one is not automatically a proposal for the other.
Request a top and side view of the proposed loaded unit. Include the pallet, cartons, cushioning, corner protection and any crate or restraint that increases the external dimensions.
Check the support at the edges
FedEx’s pallet guidance warns against packages overhanging pallet edges. For a furniture order, ask the packaging provider to show how the carton and its vulnerable edges are supported. Do not solve a mismatch merely by removing protective material.
| Field | Question for the packing provider |
|---|---|
| Outer envelope | What are the final length, width and height including protection? |
| Gross mass | Does the figure include pallet, furniture and packing? |
| Support | Where do cartons rest, and is any part unsupported? |
| Restraint | How is movement prevented without damaging the furniture? |
| Handling and stacking | What equipment and permitted orientation apply? |
A loading sketch should make the contact points visible. Stretch film around a load does not by itself answer whether the support beneath a large tabletop is suitable.
Do not infer stackability from a flat top
Ask whether another load may be placed above it, under what conditions and with what evidence. A level-looking carton top is not a stacking rating. The proposal should identify any restrictions clearly enough for the chosen logistics provider to review.
Have trained personnel agree the handling method and equipment. This is a purchasing review, not a rigging instruction or a safe-load calculation. Carrier acceptance and packaging suitability still need confirmation for the actual route.
Approve the packed example and keep its version
Request photographs or a reviewed packed example that matches the proposed drawing. Record changes to pallet size, carton count or restraint so the freight booking uses the same version. The packing brief can hold those requirements. In a table order enquiry, state the receiving equipment and intended transport route before asking for a palletized proposal.