Stackability

Stackability defines whether a product, pallet, or shipping unit can support additional weight stacked on top of it during transit. It's a binary or conditional attribute – either the product can be stacked (and to what height or weight limit), or it can't. This seemingly simple data point has an outsized impact on load planning, trailer utilization, and freight costs.

Stackability depends on packaging strength, product fragility, temperature sensitivity, and regulatory requirements. A pallet of canned goods is typically fully stackable. A pallet of glass-jarred sauces may be conditionally stackable – limited to one additional pallet on top. Fresh produce in corrugated boxes may be non-stackable entirely. For frozen goods, stackability can change based on whether the product is fully frozen at load time, since partially thawed packaging loses structural integrity.

When stackability data is missing or inaccurate in the planning system, the consequences ripple outward. If a non-stackable product is planned as stackable, you risk product damage, claims, and customer chargebacks. If a stackable product is planned as non-stackable, you're wasting vertical trailer space – effectively paying to ship air. For LTL shipments, incorrect stackability assumptions affect how the carrier loads the freight, potentially leading to damage claims or refused deliveries.

Maintaining accurate stackability flags in the item master – and feeding that data into load building – is one of the simplest ways to improve both trailer utilization and freight cost accuracy. It's not glamorous, but it's foundational.