UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 28, 2026 / Can you lift a tonne by hand? Of course not – no ordinary human can. Put it on a pallet truck, though, and HSE’s rule of thumb says it takes only about 20kg of effort to move it across a flat floor. 

That’s why the humble pallet truck is such a good piece of kit - as long as it's good quality, and in good condition. 

The catch is that the figure is the best case. HSE guidance puts the force needed to move a load across a flat, level floor with a well-maintained handling aid at no less than 2% of its weight. So, the maths starts there. A 400kg load needs at least 8kg of effort, and a 1,000kg load at least 20kg. 

HSE’s push and pull guideline figures are around 20kg of force to start or stop a load for men and 15kg for women, dropping to 10kg and 7kg to keep it moving. They’re screening figures, not legal limits, but well worth keeping in mind.

Pallet Trucks UK says that’s why it pays to do the sums when pallets are being built, not afterwards. How much goes onto each pallet, how far it travels and who’s pushing it all matters. 

After that, it’s condition: the force needed goes up, perhaps by a lot, if the wheels aren’t in the right position or the equipment is poorly maintained, and that slopes and ramps can push forces very high.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director at Pallet Trucks UK, said, “The truck does the hard part, and it does it brilliantly. It turns a job nobody could do by hand into one most people can manage. But that 2% is the best case, and it assumes everything’s in perfect order. A stiff wheel or a worn bearing adds to it, and nobody notices because it creeps up.

“So, we’d say do the maths twice. Once when you’re loading, so you know what a pallet really weighs and whether the person pushing it is inside the guideline, bearing in mind the figures for women are lower. Then again on the truck itself. If pallets are getting heavier or there’s a new ramp on the route, take a fresh look.

“Look after your pallet trucks, stackers and lift tables and they will carry on, making a tonne feel manageable with very little effort!”

For more information, please visit: www.pallettrucksuk.co.uk.