ABOUT PALLETS

There are estimated to be nearly 2 billion pallets in service in the United States each day. [source]
“Pallets are arguably as integral to globalization as containers. For an invisible object, they are everywhere: There are said to be billions circulating through the global supply chain (2 billion in the United States alone). Some 80% of all U.S. commerce is carried on pallets. So widespread is their use that they account for, according to one estimate, more than 46 percent of total U.S. hardwood lumber production.”[source]
“According to an article in a 1931 railway trade magazine, 3 days were required to unload a boxcar containing 13,000 cases of unpalletized canned goods. When the same amount of goods was loaded into the boxcar on pallets or skids, the identical task took only 4 hours.” [source]
There are currently around 450 million new pallets produced in North America each year. [source]
The total number of pallets in use in the US is forecast to increase 1.9% annually through 2019 to 2.6 billion units [source]

ABOUT STRAPPING

Global demand for strapping is projected to increase 4.4 % per year through 2018 to nearly $2.5 billion. [Fredonia Group Study 3233; “World Bulk Packaging” 1/31/2015]

Polyester strapping is forecasted at a compounded annual growth rate of 7.2% over a ten year period from 2017 to 2027. [source]

Strapping’s inherent minimization of packaging waste and ability to reduce packaging costs will aid continued growth. In particular, above-average gains are expected for plastic strapping as it continues to make inroads into steel strapping applications.
Plastic strapping will continue to outperform steel strapping primarily because of plastic’s lower price per application and enhanced safety. [Fredonia Group Study 3233; “World Bulk Packaging” 1/31/2015]
There are about a dozen US manufacturers of strapping, and lashing.