Used plastic pallets, sorted and graded
Used plastic pallets are pallets that have already made trips and are sold again by footprint and by wear. We sort them the way a buyer shops: size first, then grade, with the wear written down.
- Materials
- HDPE and PP
- Common start
- 48 x 40 in (GMA)
- Grades
- Four working grades
- Paperwork
- Maker's ratings, not ours
What "used" can mean
Used can mean a few trips or a few hundred, a clean 48 x 40 or a yard of mixed makers and colours. Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more, which is why used ones are worth buying at all, but a count of trips is not something a buyer can read off a pallet.
What a buyer can read is the wear: scuffed runners, gouged corners, a deck that has stayed flat, a weld across a leg. So the sorting here is by what the deck, runners and corners show.
The sort, in order
| Step | What we look at | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Footprint | Length and width, measured, with the maker's mould lines if any | Which footprint page the lot belongs to |
| 2. Resin and make | HDPE or PP, black or coloured, one maker or several | Whether the lot is uniform or mixed |
| 3. Deck and entry | Open or closed deck, 4-way or 2-way entry | What the pallet fits on a conveyor, jack or fork |
| 4. Wear | Deck, corners, runners and fork pockets, in that order | The grade, from like new to repaired |
| 5. Marks | Owner names, logos, RFID tags, deck-plate ratings | Whether it can be sold at all, and what it may carry |
What it can and cannot do
A used pallet carries what its rating and condition support, and no more. If the deck plate shows no rack rating, we make no rack promise. If we cannot see food-contact paperwork, we do not describe a pallet as food safe. Ask the maker for the resin and colourant documents when food or pharma is the job.
- Good for general shipping and storage when the grade fits
- Good for closed-loop work between known sites
- Not for racking without a rating on the pallet
- Not for direct food contact without maker papers
- Not for sale if it carries an owner's pool mark
The wear a buyer should expect
Plastic does not rot, but it does wear. Expect scuffed runners from floors and racks, gouges at the corners from forks, colour that has faded unevenly, and now and then a crack at a stress point. Wear of this kind is normal and a graded lot says how much of it there is. What a buyer should not expect is a missing piece, a bowed deck or a fork pocket that has torn, and a lot with those faults belongs in a different grade.
Sorting on arrival
When a lot arrives, sort it before storing. Separate by footprint, by grade, and by anything unusual such as a mark or a repair. A short sort at the dock saves hours later when a picker takes the wrong pallet. Keep the sorted stacks labelled so the next person trusts them.
Yard storage and weather
- Rain does little harm to plastic, but standing water in the ribs adds weight and breeds odours.
- Freezing weather makes some resins brittle, so avoid dropping or hard-forking cold pallets.
- Hot sun softens decks under load, which is how a stack ends up bowed.
- Wind can topple tall unstrapped stacks, so strap them or keep them short.
- Mud and grit on runners wear floors and conveyors, so brush them off before indoor use.
Labelling stacks
- Put a card on each stack with footprint, grade and the date it was sorted.
- Use one colour of tape for repaired pallets and another for held ones.
- Keep labels at fork-truck eye level, not on the lowest pallet.
- Update the card when a pallet is removed, so the count stays true.
- Retire old cards instead of writing over them.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck sits flat on a table with no rocking
- 2Corner gouges are scuffs and not through-cracks
- 3Runners are whole along their length
- 4Fork pockets are open on the sides you need
- Footprint measured, not read from a catalogue
- No owner name, logo or tag, or it is noted and the lot is held back
Words used on this page
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
What the sources say
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. 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 used pallet is listed as pharma and food safe but not approved for direct food contact, in colours that vary. 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 trips does a used pallet have left?
Nobody can read that off a pallet. Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more, and the wear on the deck, runners and corners tells you more than a number would.
Are used plastic pallets cheaper than new?
They are usually bought for that reason, but this site states no prices. Ask for a lot and the description comes first.
What resin are they?
Mostly HDPE, which is the most common resin in plastic pallets, and PP, which is more rigid and used where rack stiffness matters.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.