Repaired plastic pallets
Repaired plastic pallets have had a cracked or chipped part welded or swapped. We grade them as their own class, mark them with an R, and say what they should not carry, which is racking, food contact and heavy stacking unless the maker says otherwise.
- Mark
- R, in paint pen
- Repair
- Welded or swapped part
- Should not carry
- Racking, food contact
- Resin
- HDPE joints are usually welded
How plastic pallets are repaired
Plastic is hard to glue. HDPE has resin code 2, melts at about 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded. Some designs use snap-lock parts that swap in for quick repair, such as the two-piece snap-lock on one rackable pallet. Repair is generally harder than with wood.
What a repair changes
| Repair | What you see | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Weld across a leg | A bead of fused plastic, often darker or glossier | The leg may carry less than a whole one |
| Weld across a deck rib | A seam in the deck | Local stiffness changes under a point load |
| Swapped part | A part in a different colour or shade | Matches the design if it is the maker's part |
| Cosmetic fill | A patched chip | Usually none; ask what it covers |
Use a repaired lot for what it can do
A repaired pallet is a floor-level workhorse. It sits in a pool for ground-level shipping and storage. It should not go on racking, because racking rates are given only for pallets designed for unsupported racking, and a weld is not part of that design. It should not carry food directly, because its history is not documented.
- Fit for: floor-level shipping, storage, pools that sort by condition
- Not for: racking, food contact, heavy stacking
Judging a repair
A good repair is flat, fully fused, and leaves no sharp edge. Run a gloved hand over a welded area, look at the colour match, and press the repaired part. A repair that flexes, shows a gap, or has a rough edge is not a repair to rack or stack on. Ask whether the repair is part of the maker's approved method or a yard fix, and keep repaired pallets to floor-level work unless the maker says otherwise.
Where repairs are most common
Repairs concentrate at runners, corners and fork pockets, because those take the knocks. A repair on the top deck is less critical than one on a runner under load. When you look at a repaired lot, count the repairs per pallet, note where each sits, and decide how many you can accept. One repair per pallet in a low-risk place is a different lot from three in the load path.
On the receiving dock
- Count stacks before pallets, then count the pallets in two stacks to confirm the tally.
- Lay a tape across the deck and along the runners of three pallets from different stacks.
- Look for pooled marks, bar codes and moulded owner names before anything is put away.
- Sign for the count and note any shortfall on the delivery receipt in the driver's presence.
- Photograph the stacks from both ends while the trailer doors are still open.
Paperwork to keep
- The written lot description and the date it was sent.
- Your own count, signed and dated by whoever received the load.
- Photographs of stacks, plates and any marks, stored with the order number.
- The maker's papers for resin, colour or rating, where the job needs them.
- A line naming who agreed to which exceptions, so a later dispute has a record.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck: weld seams located and counted
- 2Corners: repairs near corners noted
- 3Runners: runner welds noted
- 4Fork pockets: pocket repairs noted
- Swapped parts identified as the maker's part or not
Words used on this page
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
- Pooling
- Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.
- Rackable
- Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- Resin identification code
- Number on a plastic part for the resin, which does not itself say whether it is recyclable.
What the sources say
- HDPE has resin identification code 2, a density of 930 to 970 kg/m3, melts at 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded. en.wikipedia.org
- 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
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. nelsoncompany.com
- Only pallets designed for unsupported racking carry a racking rating. 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
Can repaired pallets carry loaded racks?
They should not be put on racking without the maker's say, and a racking rating applies only to pallets designed for it.
Is a welded pallet weaker?
A bad weld can be. We call out where the welds are so a buyer can judge.
Can repaired pallets be food safe?
Not described as such. Ask the maker for papers.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.