Stapelvara

Stapelvara is a Dutch term used in logistics and retail to refer to goods that are delivered, stored, and sold in stacked units or bundles, rather than as loose, individually sold items. The packaging and unit quantities are standardized to facilitate handling, storage, and transport, with common formats including pallets, crates, cartons, or multipacks that can be stacked for efficient warehousing and shipping.

In practice, stapelvara affects purchasing, warehousing, and distribution. Suppliers price per bundle or per pallet rather than per single item; warehouses manage inventory at the pallet or carton level and plan space accordingly; loading and unloading follow conventional pallet dimensions. Quality control often targets the integrity of entire bundles, since damage to one unit can impact the whole stack. Compared with loose goods, stapelvara can reduce packaging per unit of storage and lower handling time, though it may require specific equipment for palletized goods and careful space planning.

Common examples include beverages in crates, canned goods in cartons, and paper products packaged in stacks or boxes for bulk sale. The term is most widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium and in Dutch-speaking business contexts, where it helps distinguish bundled, palletizable merchandise from loose or individually packaged items. In international trade and other markets, similar concepts are described with terms like palletized goods, bulk merchandise, or bundled merchandise.