Like new plastic pallets
Like new plastic pallets have made a few trips only. They are clean, with no cracks or missing parts and a deck and runners that are still flat. It is our grade A mark, and we describe it by what you can check.
- Mark
- A, in paint pen
- Trips
- A few only
- Wear
- Clean, flat, no cracks
- Papers
- From the maker, not the grade
What like new means here
Like new is the top of our four grades. The pallet has made a few trips. The deck is flat and unbroken, the corners are square, and the runners are whole and flat. There are no cracks and no missing parts. A marketplace's Grade A uses the words "Good as New, Barely Used and No Cracks", which is close, but the words differ between sellers.
The walk-around, as written for like new
| Part | What a like new pallet shows | Reject if |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | Flat, continuous, even colour, no fade stripes | Any crack, bow or stain |
| Corners | Square, with at most a faint scuff | A gouge you can catch a fingernail in |
| Runners | Whole and flat, floor marks only | Splits, deep gouges, flattened edges |
| Fork pockets | Clean and open on every entry | Scrapes into the pocket wall |
| Marks | Maker's raised logo or part number only | Any owner name, logo or tag |
What it is fit for, and what it is not
Like new suits general warehouse work, closed-loop use, and any job where a clean deck matters. It does not by itself make a pallet food safe or rackable. Those come from the maker's papers and the rating on the deck plate. FDA does not approve pallet models, so ask for resin and colourant documents.
- Fit for: general shipping and storage
- Fit for: closed loops between known sites
- Fit for: export, since plastic skips ISPM 15
- Not by itself: racking, food contact, pharma
How like new is checked
A like-new lot is walked around the same way as every other: the deck, the corners, the runners and the fork pockets. What sets it apart is that none of the four shows more than light scuffing. Ask for photographs of the corners and the underside of three pallets from different stacks. A clean top deck proves little, since the wear is usually underneath.
What like new does not mean
Like new is not new. It does not carry a first-use warranty and it does not guarantee a rating. It is a description of wear: a few trips, a clean deck, flat runners, square corners. Treat it as the best used condition you can buy and the one with the fewest questions, and still read the plate, look underneath and check for another owner's mark.
Safe handling at the stack
- Lift with the tines fully under the load and tilt back slightly before travelling.
- Never climb a stack, and never stand beside one while it is being moved.
- Take a damaged pallet out of service at once and tag it, so nobody reloads it.
- Keep stack heights even and edges square, since a leaning stack feeds on itself.
- Match tine length to the pallet, because short tines can crack the underside of a deck.
Training the dock crew
- Show new staff three pallets: one acceptable, one marginal, one rejected.
- Agree on words for faults, such as crack, gouge, bow and dish, and use them.
- Tell people to stop and ask when a pallet carries any mark they do not recognise.
- Remind drivers to enter pockets squarely, since angled entry splits the pocket wall.
- Walk the dock together once a month and compare notes.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck: flat, no cracks, no fade stripes
- 2Corners: square, faint scuffs only
- 3Runners: whole, flat, floor marks only
- 4Fork pockets: clean and open on all entries
- Papers requested for any food or pharma use
Words used on this page
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- ISPM 15
- The international standard for treating wood packaging against pests. Plastic pallets are outside it.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Rackable
- Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
What the sources say
- Only pallets designed for unsupported racking carry a racking rating. nelsoncompany.com
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. 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
- 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
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
Is like new the same as Grade A?
Close to it. Grade A is a supplier's word, and ours is defined by the wear table above.
Can a like new pallet go on racking?
Only if it is designed for it and the deck plate or maker gives a rating.
Why not call it new?
New and unused pallets have made no trips. Like new has made a few.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.