Used plastic export pallets

Used plastic export pallets are used plastic pallets sent abroad with a load, and they travel without heat treatment because plastic is outside ISPM 15. The questions left are footprint, rating and whether the pallet is coming back.

Request a lot

ISPM 15: Plastic is outside it
Euro footprint: 1200 x 800 mm (48 x 32 in)
Other footprints: 1200 x 1000, 1200 x 1200, 1100 x 1100, 1165 x 1165
Back or one-way?: Decide before you buy

Why plastic suits export

Wood packaging material entering the US must be treated and certified under ISPM 15, with heat treatment meaning a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes. Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt. USDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among alternatives to wood that are not subject to its wood packaging regulation. For a shipper, that means no treatment mark to certify or lose.

Footprints for the destination

Footprint	Where it fits	Page
Euro 1200 x 800 mm (48 x 32 in)	Often required for shipments into Europe; second most popular plastic size worldwide	Used 48 x 32 Euro
1200 x 1000 mm (ISO 2)	Europe and Asia	Used 1200 x 1000
1200 x 1200 mm	Large bags, bulk drums, high-volume storage	Used 1200 x 1200
1100 x 1100 mm	Asia: Japan, Korea, China; square and often reversible	Used 1100 x 1100
1165 x 1165 mm	Australia; designed around railway container compatibility	Used 1165 x 1165
48 x 40 in	North America, the GMA standard	Used 48 x 40

Decide: coming back or not

A one-way pallet is cheaper, lighter and shorter lived. A multi-trip pallet is built to be returned and reused. If your export lane returns pallets, a used multi-trip pallet in a closed loop is the match. If it does not, a lighter used export pallet is. Both are covered on the style pages.

One-way: lighter, not rated for racking
Multi-trip: heavier, returned
Always: check the destination's own rules

Export is a footprint question first

The destination decides the footprint, and the footprint decides which of the pallets in a lot can go. A lot sorted for a North American rack is not automatically a lot for a container to Europe or Japan. Because plastic sits outside ISPM 15, treatment is not the obstacle it is for wood; the obstacles are footprint, weight and whether the consignee wants the pallets back.

Say the destination country on the request. The reply can then speak to the footprints that country uses rather than to general export practice.

Booking and timing

Plastic pallets need no treatment time, which takes one delay out of an export schedule. What remains is sorting, counting and loading. Plan those with the container booking in view, and give the desk the cut-off date so the lot description arrives before the booking closes. A last-minute lot is the one most likely to be mixed with the wrong footprint.

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: flat, no stains from earlier cargo
2Corners: no chips that would catch lashing
3Runners: whole and flat for container floors
4Fork pockets: open for the destination's forks
Footprint matches the destination's equipment

Words used on this page

Heat treated (HT): ISPM 15 treatment for wood: core at 56 C for 30 minutes. Not needed for plastic.
Fork pocket: Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
Runners: Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
Closed loop: Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
GMA pallet: The 48 x 40 in North American standard footprint.

What the sources say

USDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among products not subject to APHIS regulation, as an alternative to wood packaging material. aphis.usda.gov
The 800 x 1200 mm Euro footprint is the second most popular plastic pallet size worldwide. blog.containerexchanger.com
48 x 48 plastic pallets hold four 55-gallon drums without overhang; 48 x 45 matches North American auto parts bulk containers. nelsoncompany.com
ISO 6780 lists 1016 x 1219 mm for North America, 1000 x 1200 mm for Europe and Asia and 800 x 1200 mm for Europe. en.wikipedia.org

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

Do plastic pallets need ISPM 15 marks?

No. Plastic pallets are exempt, and APHIS lists them as not subject to its wood packaging regulation.