How to fit a pallet collar
Updated: 23 October 2026
The collar is already in the room, still a flat bundle of boards, and you want it on the pallet without twisting a hinge or lifting a whole stack from the bottom. How to fit a pallet collar is a short sequence: confirm the footprint, open the frame square on a clear floor, seat it, load it, and add the next collar from above. This page is for a collar that matches the pallet you have. The three frames in the [pallet frame comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/pallet-frame) are background only. We used UK supplier fitting notes, HSE pallet guidance and those listings on 21 October 2026. We did not film a fit. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The collar is already in the room, still a flat bundle of boards, and you want it on the pallet without twisting a hinge or lifting a whole stack from the bottom.
The collar is already in the room, still a flat bundle of boards, and you want it on the pallet without twisting a hinge or lifting a whole stack from the bottom. How to fit a pallet collar is a short sequence: confirm the footprint, open the frame square on a clear floor, seat it, load it, and add the next collar from above. This page is for a collar that matches the pallet you have. The three frames in the pallet frame comparison are background only. We used UK supplier fitting notes, HSE pallet guidance and those listings on 21 October 2026. We did not film a fit. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Stated footprint | Folds flat | Stacks | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF 120 x 80 cm pair | 120 x 80 cm | Yes | Yes | 7.5 | n/a | View offer |
| Alternative |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF 150 x 50 cm brown pair | 150 x 50 cm | Yes | Yes | 6.5 | about £16.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  MBDRKVGF MBDRKVGF 150 x 50 cm grey pair | 150 x 50 cm | Yes | Yes | 6.5 | about £16.99 | View offer |
On this page
Check the size before you pull the hinges
Lay a tape on the pallet deck and on the collar before you open anything. A euro deck is 800 by 1,200 mm. UK catalogues commonly mean 1,000 by 1,200 mm when they say a UK pallet. The collar should repeat those numbers, not sit near enough in the middle. In this Amazon set only the black pair states 120 by 80 cm. The brown and grey pairs state 150 by 50 cm. If that is what arrived and your pallet is a standard euro or UK deck, do not start the opening steps. The size decision is the euro pallet collar or UK pallet collar page, and the wrong object goes back to the pallet collar buying guide.
Look at the hinges while the collar is still folded. The kept listings say the hinges are galvanised and that the frame folds. They do not say the hinges have feet or lugs. Many trade collars use a flange that slips over the pallet edge. Other makers’ sheets are a hint that a collar sits on the deck, not a promise that these hinges have the same parts. If a hinge is already bent in the packet, stop. A hammer creases a hinge so it never folds flat again.
Open the collar on a clear floor
Associated Pallets, a UK supplier, tells you to clear the floor, then pull the collar open evenly. Give yourself more floor than the finished rectangle. An 800 by 1,200 mm collar needs that much clear space plus room for your hands. Boards and strapping should not be under the hinges while you pull.
Hold two opposite sides and pull outwards together. A one-handed yank folds the load into a single hinge and is how a corner creases. The frame should arrive at a rectangle, not a parallelogram. If it stops short, look for a strap you have not cut, or for a hinge packed against another board. Do not stand on a side to spring it open. The black listing’s pack weighs 17.4 kg and the other two are a little heavier, so the parcel is manageable for one person, but the open rectangle is awkward if you carry it by one board.
Set the open collar down and look along each side. If one corner is proud before it has touched the pallet, the hinge is the problem, not the deck. Stop and contact the seller. The listings do not include screws for a repair, and this page will not invent a drill size for a hinge they do not describe.
Seat it, then load it, then add the next collar
Lower the open rectangle onto the deck so the boards follow the edge of the pallet. On many trade collars a lug or flange drops outside the deck boards. On these Amazon listings you only know that the hinges fold, so check the sit with your eyes. The collar should not overhang the deck, and it should not leave a gap along one side while the opposite side hangs off. If it rocks, take it off. Do not pack a wedge under one corner and call that a fit.
Only then add the goods. Keep the load inside the footprint of the pallet. HSE publication PM15 is about pallet loads and about spreading the weight. It is not a rule that says you may stack a certain number of collars. Do not turn a note on stack height into a collar count. A second collar goes on from above. Open it the same way, on the floor, then lower it onto the collar beneath so the corners meet. Do not slide it on from the side, and do not lift two collars at once by the bottom one. These packs do not include a pallet or a lid. A strap belongs around the load after the collars are seated, not instead of a collar that fits.
Fold it and store it
Take the stack apart from the top. Lift the upper collar straight up until it is clear of the one below, then set it on the floor. Do not peel a stack by pulling the bottom. Once a collar is empty and on the floor, push one side in so the hinges fold and the boards come together. A collar that will not fold usually has goods still on the hinge line, or a hinge that has been bent. Clearing the hinge is fair. Hitting it is not.
Store the folded frames under cover if you can. The listings say the frames fold when they are not in use. They do not promise a finish that can live in standing water. A bent hinge, a stack that already leans, or timber you intend to export with no ISPM 15 mark on it are the points where a specialist packer should take over. A leaning stack in a workplace is also an HSE problem. Stop, unpack from the top, and restack only when the footprint still matches. If the frame never sat flat, the fix is a different collar, not a tighter strap.
Common questions
How do I open a folded wooden collar without bending a hinge?
Clear the floor, hold two opposite sides, and pull outwards together until the boards make a rectangle. Keep the pull even so one hinge does not take the whole movement. If the frame stops, look for a remaining strap or a board jammed in the hinge. Do not stand on a side to spring it, and do not hammer a corner that arrived bent. These listings describe galvanised folding hinges and do not describe a repair kit.
How do I add a second collar?
Open the second collar on the floor in the same way, then lower it from above onto the collar that is already seated. Line the corners up before you let go. Do not slide it in from the side, and do not lift the lower collar to make room. Add goods only after each collar sits without a twist. A strap comes after that, and it is not a substitute for a collar that is the wrong size.
How do I take a stack apart?
Remove whatever is strapped around the load, then lift the top collar straight up until it clears the one below. Set it down and fold it by pushing one side. Repeat from the top. Pulling the bottom collar out of a loaded stack twists the hinges and can drop the goods. If the stack is already leaning, stop and get help rather than correcting it with a sideways shove.
What if the frame rocks or overhangs?
Take it off the pallet and measure both. A 150 by 50 cm frame on an 800 by 1,200 mm deck will overhang one way and gap the other, and centring it does not fix that. A matching collar that still rocks may have a bent hinge or a damaged deck board. Do not pack a wedge under one corner and load it. A bent hinge is a stop. A wrong size is a different purchase.
Do I need a lid and a strap?
Not for the collar to sit on the pallet. None of the three Amazon packs includes a lid, and trade sellers often sell lids separately. You need a strap or wrap when the goods must stay inside the collar in transit. Fit the collar first, load inside the footprint, then strap. A strap pulled tight around a frame that does not match the pallet will hold the mismatch in place. It will not correct it.
How high can I stack before I should stop?
There is no single UK legal collar count in the sources used here. HSE PM15 is about the pallet and the load, and its stack guidance should not be turned into a number of collars. One seller suggests about five standard collars as its own limit. Treat that as a seller’s ceiling, not as a rating of these hinges, and stop earlier if the stack leans, the hinges gape, or you cannot lift the top collar straight off.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shelf prices in the files are dated 21 October 2026. Updated 23 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: wood packaging material for import and export (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- EPAL euro pallet (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- HG Timber pallet collars (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- BiGDUG wooden pallet collar (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Universal Pallets: new euro pallet collars (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Universal Pallets: standard pallet collar (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- HSE PM15: pallet safety (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- RHS: how to make a raised bed (retrieved 23 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 23 October 2026)