A pallet including a pallet deck supported along a base plane. The pallet deck defines a load support surface within a given perimeter. The load support surface includes at least a tapered portion which tapers in increasing height relative to the base plane from a tapered portion inner perimeter to a tapered portion outer perimeter such that the load support surface has a concave configuration.

A pallet assembly includes an upper deck having an upper panel portion from which a plurality of ribs extend downward. A plurality of channels are formed in an underside of the upper deck. The pallet assembly includes a plurality of columns below the upper deck. A plurality of reinforcement assemblies, including an inner reinforcement member, are each received within an outer case. The inner reinforcement members are received in the channels in the upper deck.

A shipping method includes the steps of receiving stacks of flat die cut corrugated paperboard blanks from a corrugator or sheet plant; loading the stacks of blanks into a pallet assembly machine; folding the blanks together in the assembly machine to produce a corrugated paperboard pallet; and providing the pallets for shipping items to a receiver. The assembly machine folds the blanks using intermittent motion of the blanks through multiple folding sections in the assembly machine. The sections operate by positioning, clamping and folding the blanks using levers that are supported by rotary bearings and driven by pinned end mounted pneumatic cylinders. The assembly machine overcomes misalignment and shifting of the stacks of blanks by picking up single blanks from the top of the stacks using vacuum, and adjusting alignment of the blanks after being picked up but prior to being fed into the first folding section of the assembly machine.