Used plastic pallets in bulk

A pallet-load of used plastic pallets is a bulk lot below a full trailer: a stack, or several, of one footprint and grade. It suits a site topping up its own pool and not hauling a whole truck.

Request a lot All buying pages

Unit: Stacks of one footprint
Seller example: Stack of about 15, truckload of about 450
Best for: Topping up a pool
Grade: Matched to your request

Where a pallet-load fits

A distribution centre that loses a few pallets a week does not need a trailer. It needs a lot of the same footprint as the pool it already runs, in a grade that will not stand out. That is the use for a pallet-load.

Sellers quote smaller units in stacks: one used 48 x 40 listing offers a stack of about 15. We count a pallet-load the same way, by stack, and say in the description how tall the stacks are and what sits at the bottom of each.

Matching a pool you already run

If your pool is	Ask for	Watch for
All one maker, black	A like-new or used-and-clean lot in the same maker and colour	Different ratings between makers on the same footprint
Mixed colours	A mixed lot sorted by footprint	Welds you did not expect
Racking pool	Pallets with a rating on the deck plate	Repaired pallets, which should not go on racking
Food or pharma pool	Clean pallets plus the maker's resin papers	A pallet listed as food safe but not approved for direct contact

What a stack tells you

Wear shows in a stack. The bottom pallet takes the static load, so its deck is the one to look at. A stack with the same gouge pattern on every corner came out of the same forklift routine, which usually means a closed loop. A stack with gouges everywhere and several colours came from a pool that was mixed.

Bottom pallet: check for creep, the slow bending plastic does under a long load
Top pallet: check the deck for sun fade and scuffs
Middle: pull one and check the runners
Sides: any tag, logo or mark visible from outside the stack

Pallet-load is a unit, not a size

A pallet-load of pallets is a stack of pallets on a pallet, and it ships like any other pallet-load of freight. That makes it the smallest quantity the desk is written for, and a useful one for a first trial: you can test a few stacks against your conveyor, your racks and your people before ordering by the truck. Name the footprint and the grade, and say how many stacks you would like to try.

Trial lots

A pallet-load is a good trial because it is cheap to test and quick to return to the desk's attention. Run a few of the pallets through your conveyor, rack a few and stack a few, and write down what happened. Send the results with your next request. They tell the desk what your equipment accepts better than a specification sheet.

What to write down about a lot

Footprint in both units, with the readings you took rather than the label.
Number of stacks, pallets per stack and any odd stacks left over.
Makers and model numbers seen on plates or moulded into the ribs.
Count of repaired, mismatched or cracked pieces, and where each sits.
Marks, colours and any smell, with a note on who confirmed each.

When something looks wrong

Stop unloading and photograph the fault before anything moves.
Count how many pallets show the same fault, to see if it is a lot problem or a one-off.
Tell the desk or the seller in writing the same day, with the photographs attached.
Hold the affected stacks apart until you hear back.
Keep one sample pallet unused, so the maker or an inspector can examine it.

Walk-around checklist

The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.

1Deck of the bottom pallet is flat, not bowed
2Corners of every pallet in the stack squared
3Runners checked on a pulled sample
4Fork pockets open on both entries asked for
Stack height and count written down
No owner marks in the stack

Words used on this page

Static load: Weight a pallet carries at rest, or the bottom pallet carries when stacked. The highest of the three ratings.
Creep: Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
Runners: Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
Welding repair: Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
Racking load: Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.

What the sources say

That used pallet is listed as pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact, in colours that vary. nelsoncompany.com
That Nelson model is under 5 in tall, which the page says suits air freight, and works with automation and most roller conveyors. nelsoncompany.com
That Nelson model lists about 60 pallets per stack and 1,800 per truck. nelsoncompany.com
Rehrig Pacific's rackable pallet has a two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair and options for FDA-approved colours, RFID and up to 15 percent black recycled content. rehrigpacific.com

How a request works

Pick the footprint, then the grade you can live with.
Say what the pallets will carry and how many you need.
Read the written lot description that comes back.
Agree the lot before anything moves.

The four grades, in a line each

Like new. A few trips only. Clean, no cracks, no missing parts, deck and runners flat.
Used and clean. Many trips, scuffs and colour variation, but whole and usable for general-purpose or closed-loop work.
Repaired. A cracked or chipped part welded or swapped. Some designs use snap-lock parts for repair.
Mixed lot. Mixed makers, colours and sizes sold by the truckload, sorted by footprint.

Questions people ask

How many make a pallet-load?

A stack is the unit sellers quote, about 15 in one used listing. The reply to your request states the stack height and count for the lot.

Can I mix footprints in one pallet-load?

Lots are sorted by footprint, so a request that wants two footprints is matched as two lots.

What is creep?

Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time, which is why the bottom pallet of a stack is the one to inspect.

Ask for a lot

Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.