If you export by sea, you already know how much space, weight and money timber pallets can cost you. Every pallet in a container takes up payload you could be filling with product, adds tare weight to your freight, and often needs to meet ISPM 15 heat-treatment rules before it can cross a border. For a lot of loads, there is a simpler way to move stacked goods: the cardboard slip sheet.
This guide explains what cardboard slip sheets are, why shippers use them in place of pallets, how they compare to plastic slip sheets, and how our laminated range now stretches beyond the standard shipping sheet into Interlayer Sheets (IS) and Round Sheets (RS) for jobs a normal pallet was never suited to. If you are weighing up whether slip sheets fit your operation, this will help you work out which format to ask us about.
What is a cardboard slip sheet?
A cardboard slip sheet is a thin, strong sheet of board that sits underneath a stacked load in place of a pallet. It usually has one or more lips (tabs) along the edges. On the warehouse floor, a forklift fitted with a push-pull attachment grips the lip, drags the whole load onto its platform, and later pushes it off at the destination — no pallet required.
Because the sheet is only a few millimetres thick, the load takes up far less vertical space than it would on a timber or plastic pallet. That difference adds up fast across a full container.
Why shippers use slip sheets instead of pallets
- More product per container. Removing the pallet frees up height in every stack, so you can often fit more units into the same container and cut your freight cost per unit.
- Less weight. A sheet of board weighs a fraction of a timber pallet, which lowers your total shipped weight and can matter for weight-limited or airfreight loads.
- No fumigation or ISPM 15 hassle. Cardboard is not subject to the timber-treatment rules that apply to wooden pallets, so there is one less compliance step at the border.
- Cleaner and recyclable. Board sheets don’t splinter, don’t carry nails, and can be recycled with your other cardboard waste at the far end.
- Lower return and storage cost. Sheets stack flat and take up almost no room empty, unlike a stack of pallets you have to store or return.
Slip sheets pair naturally with the rest of a secured container load — pallet protection, edge boards and container securing gear all still apply once the load is on board.
Cardboard slip sheets vs plastic slip sheets
Slip sheets are made from either plastic (usually HDPE) or laminated cardboard. They do the same core job, but they are not equal — and for most shippers, cardboard is the better choice. Here is how they stack up.
| Feature | Cardboard slip sheet | Plastic slip sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling | Recycles with your everyday cardboard, kerbside and at most facilities | Needs separate plastic recycling that many sites and destinations don’t offer — so it often ends up in landfill |
| Plastic waste | None — keeps plastic out of your packaging and your customer’s waste stream | Adds more single-use plastic to the supply chain on every one-way export leg |
| Weight | Light — laminated board adds very little to the load | Heavier per sheet, adding to your shipped weight |
| Disposal at destination | Easy for your customer to flatten and recycle | Becomes a plastic disposal problem for whoever unpacks it |
| One-way export cost | Cost-effective as a single-trip sheet | Only pays off in closed-loop systems where sheets come back — which rarely happens on export |
| Sustainability story | Renewable, recyclable fibre that supports plastic-reduction goals | Fossil-based plastic that works against them |
Plastic slip sheets were designed for closed-loop systems where the same sheet cycles back and gets reused. On a one-way export leg that almost never happens — the sheet leaves with the load and becomes someone else’s plastic to deal with. For single-trip shipping, a plastic sheet is simply extra plastic you’re paying to send away.
The plastic you save by switching to cardboard
Every plastic slip sheet you replace with cardboard is a sheet of fossil-based plastic that never has to be made, shipped or thrown away. Across a year of container loads, that adds up to a real cut in the plastic moving through your operation — and a load that arrives plastic-free is one your customers can flatten and recycle without a second thought.
More and more buyers, retailers and export markets are actively pushing to cut single-use plastic out of their supply chains. Switching your slip sheets from plastic to recyclable cardboard is one of the simpler ways to show you’re doing exactly that — without changing how you load or handle the goods.
Our Instant Ready slip sheet (SS)
Our core shipping product is the 3R “Instant Ready” slip sheet (SS) — a laminated cardboard slip sheet built for pallet-free container loading. “Instant Ready” means it arrives ready to put straight under a load, and the laminated construction gives it the stiffness and moisture resistance a shipping sheet needs to survive handling and the trip.
These are made to order, so the sheet size, number of lips and board grade are matched to your load and your push-pull equipment rather than forced to a fixed catalogue size. If you tell us your load footprint and weight, we’ll spec the sheet to suit.
New: laminated Interlayer Sheets (IS) and Round Sheets (RS)
The same lamination technology behind our Instant Ready slip sheet now lets us make two further formats for jobs a standard rectangular shipping sheet doesn’t cover.
- Interlayer Sheet (IS). A flat laminated sheet placed between the layers of a stacked or palletised load. It spreads weight evenly, keeps the layers flat and stable, stops the layers digging into each other, and adds a moisture and dust barrier as the stack builds up. Ideal for tinned goods, bottles, cans, bagged product and anything stacked in tiers.
- Round Sheet (RS). A laminated sheet cut to a circle instead of a rectangle, sized for round or cylindrical goods. It caps and protects the top and bottom of drums, reels, coils, pails and other round items, and works as a round interlayer between stacked cylinders so they don’t scuff or mark each other.
Both are cut to your dimensions. If you have an awkward stacking or protection problem, it’s worth asking whether an IS or RS format solves it.
SS vs IS vs RS at a glance
| Format | Shape | Main job | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant Ready Slip Sheet (SS) | Rectangular, with lip(s) | Replaces the pallet under a load | Pallet-free container and export loading with a push-pull forklift |
| Interlayer Sheet (IS) | Rectangular, flat | Separates and stabilises stacked layers | Tiered loads — cans, bottles, tins, bagged and boxed goods |
| Round Sheet (RS) | Circular | Caps and separates round goods | Drums, reels, coils, pails and other cylindrical items |
Which sheet do you need?
The quick answer: choose the Instant Ready Slip Sheet (SS) when you want to ship stacked goods without a pallet and you have (or can hire) a push-pull attachment. Add an Interlayer Sheet (IS) when your load is stacked in layers and you need those layers to stay flat, stable and protected. Reach for a Round Sheet (RS) when the goods are round — drums, reels or coils — and a rectangular sheet would waste material or leave the edges unprotected.
Not sure which applies to your load? Send us a photo and a few details and we’ll tell you which format fits.
Frequently asked questions
Are cardboard slip sheets better than plastic ones?
For one-way export shipping, yes. Plastic slip sheets only make sense in closed-loop systems where they come back to be reused. On an export leg the sheet leaves with the load, so a plastic one just adds single-use plastic that’s hard to recycle at the other end. A cardboard sheet does the same job and recycles with everyday cardboard.
Do I need special equipment to use slip sheets?
Yes — to load and unload a slip sheet you need a forklift fitted with a push-pull attachment, which grips the lip of the sheet and slides the load on and off. Interlayer and Round Sheets don’t need any special equipment; they’re simply placed into the stack by hand as it’s built.
Are cardboard slip sheets strong enough for heavy export loads?
The laminated construction is what gives these sheets their strength. Because every sheet is made to order, we match the board grade to your load weight, so the sheet is specified for the job rather than a one-size-fits-all product.
Can I recycle them?
Yes. They’re a cardboard-based product and can be recycled with your other clean cardboard once the load is unpacked — no separate plastic recycling needed.
What sizes do you make?
SS, IS and RS are all cut to your dimensions. Just tell us the load footprint (or diameter for Round Sheets), the weight, and how the load is handled, and we’ll recommend a size and grade.
Contact us for a quote
Cardboard slip sheets and our Interlayer and Round Sheets are made to order and aren’t sold as fixed catalogue items online. For pricing, email sales@nzpackaging.nz with your format (SS, IS or RS), the load dimensions or diameter, the load weight, and the quantity you need — a photo of the load helps too. Trade accounts receive tiered pricing on volume orders.
