How long do plastic pallets last?
Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more. A used pallet's remaining life is not on the pallet, so the wear on the deck, runners and corners is the best guide.
- Often described as
- 100 trips or more
- Wears first
- Runners and corners
- Slow bending
- Creep under long heavy loads
- Cold
- Freezing can make some materials brittle
What ages a plastic pallet
| Cause | What it does | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Fork strikes | Gouges and chips | Corners and fork pockets |
| Floor contact | Scuffing and flattening | Runners and feet |
| Long heavy loads | Creep, a slow bend | A bowed deck on bottom pallets |
| Cold | Brittleness in some materials | Cracks after impact in a freezer |
| Impact | Cracks | Anywhere, often at corners |
| Sun | Fade and surface chalking | Top decks |
Reading remaining life from wear
A pallet's trips are not recorded on it. What can be read is how the wear is distributed. Even scuffing means a regular loop. A few deep gouges mean a handling problem. A bow means the pallet was loaded and stored long. A weld means the pallet already failed once and was repaired.
None of these gives a number. They give a ranking, which is what a grade is.
Making a pallet last
These are habits, not guarantees.
- Use a pallet within its rating, with the load spread evenly
- Do not leave a bottom pallet under a heavy stack for months
- Keep forks square and slow at the pockets
- Store out of the sun and away from freezer impacts
Life is an outcome, not a number
A plastic pallet can last many trips, but how many depends on the load, the handling, the temperature and the resin. Sunlight, cold and impact each age plastic differently. Ask what the pallet has done rather than how old it is. A pallet in a dry warehouse that was moved gently may outlast one in a yard that was hit by a fork every day.
What ages a pallet fastest
Four things age plastic fastest. Heat softens it, cold embrittles it, sunlight degrades some resins over seasons, and impact initiates cracks. A pallet stored outdoors in a hot climate will not age like one in a climate-controlled hall. Ask where the lot lived. Yard storage under a tarp is better than open sun, and a covered dock is better than both.
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: bow checked with a straightedge
- 2Corners: corner gouge depth judged
- 3Runners: runner flattening judged
- 4Fork pockets: pocket scrape judged
- Sun fade noted
Words used on this page
- 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.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- Pooling
- Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
What the sources say
- Plastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair. en.wikipedia.org
- NFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them. en.wikipedia.org
- FM 4996 passes a pallet if fire is controlled at 5.9 mm/min (0.15 GPM/ft2) within a 10-minute test of eight 1.2 m stacks. iccsafe.org
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. 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
How long do plastic pallets last?
Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more. No count is printed on a pallet, so judge by wear.
Do plastic pallets crack in the cold?
Freezing can make some pallet materials brittle and reduce performance. For freezer use start with unblended HDPE.
What is creep?
Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.