Used plastic pallets by industry
Used plastic pallets by industry: ten buyer groups, each with its own footprint, grade and paperwork. Pick yours to see what to ask for and how many people work in your line across the country.
- Industries
- 10
- Most ask for
- Papers from the maker
- Most common footprint
- 48 x 40 in
- Grade to start with
- Like new or used and clean
Ten buyer groups and what each asks for
The footprint, the grade and the paperwork differ between a bottler, a drug maker, a car plant and a freight forwarder. This table puts them side by side, and each row opens a page of its own with the numbers behind it.
| Industry | Footprint to ask for | Grade and papers |
|---|---|---|
| Food and Beverage | 48 x 40, 56 x 44 | Like new, clean decks, papers from the maker |
| Pharmaceutical | 48 x 40, squares | Like new, sanitisable, resin papers |
| Automotive | 48 x 45 | A uniform closed-loop lot with ratings |
| Chemical and Drum Shippers | 48 x 48, 45 x 45 | Used and clean, history known |
| Grocery Wholesale | 48 x 40 | Used and clean, mixed makers fine |
| Warehousing and 3PL | 48 x 40, one maker | A stated racking rating |
| Export Shippers | Euro, 1200 x 1000, 1100 x 1100 | Light or multi-trip, no treatment mark |
| Plastics Manufacturing | Whatever the plant ships on | Surplus lots and broken pallets by weight |
| Dairy | 48 x 40, 56 x 44 | Like new, cold-room behaviour from the maker |
| Meat and Poultry | 48 x 40 | Clean, crack-free decks, repairs counted |
Warehousing is the common thread
Whatever the product, it passes through storage. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 1,901,976 private-sector jobs in warehousing and storage across 23,345 establishments in 2025. The states with the most jobs were California (236,923), Texas (175,579), Pennsylvania (123,481), Florida (105,401), Ohio (98,354). The industry pages repeat this kind of count for the line each one covers.
How to use these pages
If your trade is not listed, pick the nearest and write the use on the request.
- Find the row closest to your trade.
- Read the footprint and grade it starts from.
- Read the page for the papers and checks that group asks for.
- Open the request page and say the use on the form.
Beyond the ten trades listed
If your trade is not listed, the nearest page still helps, because the questions are the same: what footprint do my racks and conveyors take, what papers does my auditor ask for, and how much wear can the job accept. Cold storage, cosmetics, electronics and printing buyers all start from those three questions, then add one of their own. Write that extra question in the note on the request.
How a trade page helps
A trade page gathers what that line of work asks of a pallet: footprint, cleanliness, papers and handling. It is not a promise of stock. Read the page for your trade, note the footprint and grade it starts from, and carry those to the request. If your trade has an audit, bring its checklist.
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
- 2Corners: surface gouges only
- 3Runners: whole
- 4Fork pockets: open on the sides your equipment uses
- Use named on the request
Words used on this page
- Multi-trip pallet
- A pallet designed to be returned and reused many times.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- Euro pallet
- 800 x 1200 mm footprint.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
What the sources say
- 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
- HDPE is the most common resin in plastic pallets; PP is more rigid and the page recommends it for unsupported racking. nelsoncompany.com
- Static capacity is the highest of the three ratings; racking is often the lowest; dynamic is always lower than static. nelsoncompany.com
- The 800 x 1200 mm Euro footprint is the second most popular plastic pallet size worldwide. blog.containerexchanger.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
Which industries buy used plastic pallets?
Food and beverage, pharmaceutical, automotive, chemical, grocery wholesale, warehousing, export, plastics and dairy and meat plants all appear on this site.
Do you sell to individuals?
The site is written for businesses that buy by the pallet-load and truckload.
How do I say my industry?
Pick the use on the request form and add a note.
Pages in this section
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.