Used plastic pallets for export shippers
Export shippers buy used plastic pallets to skip wood treatment and to match the destination footprint. The questions are which footprint the destination uses and whether the pallet comes back.
- ISPM 15
- Plastic is outside it
- Euro
- 1200 x 800 mm
- Asia
- 1100 x 1100 mm
- Australia
- 1165 x 1165 mm
No treatment, one less mark
Wood packaging material entering the US must be treated and certified under ISPM 15. USDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among products not subject to its regulation. For an exporter that is one less mark to certify and one fewer reason for a container to be held. A destination country may still have rules of its own, so check them for the lane.
The destination decides the footprint
| Destination | Footprint | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 1200 x 800 mm Euro; 1200 x 1000 mm | Euro is the second most popular plastic size worldwide |
| Asia | 1100 x 1100 mm; 1200 x 1000 mm | Japan, Korea and China use 1100 square; often reversible |
| Australia | 1165 x 1165 mm | Designed around railway container compatibility |
| North America | 48 x 40 in | GMA standard |
| Large bags and bulk drums | 1200 x 1200 mm | High-volume storage |
One-way or coming back
Cabka says there is no single export size and that its nestable export designs include extra-lightweight and air-freight versions. Advanced composite pallets of recycled polyolefins are cheaper with a shorter life and suit export where the pallet is not returned. A multi-trip pallet suits a lane where pallets are returned. Say which on the request.
- Lane: where the pallets go
- Return: whether they come back
- Footprint: the destination equipment
- Stacking: how high loads go in transit
What a shipper needs from a lot
A shipper cares about footprint, weight and count more than appearance. Ask for a lot sorted by footprint, weighed by sample, and counted in stacks. Ask whether the pallets will return, since a one-way lot can be graded more loosely than a lot that will be used again. Tell the desk the destination, and the reply can speak to the footprint that country uses.
Paper to keep with the lot
Keep with the order a note of the footprint measured in millimetres, a count by stack, a statement that the pallets are plastic, and a record of any mark. If a consignee or a customs officer asks, the paper answers quickly. Because plastic is outside ISPM 15, no heat-treatment stamp is needed, but the receiving country may have its own requirements, so confirm with the consignee before the container is sealed.
Photographs worth taking
- One wide shot of each stack with a tape or a person for scale.
- The four corners of a sample pallet, close enough to show gouges.
- The underside, including the runners and the bottom of each fork pocket.
- Any plate, label, moulded number or mark, shot square on and in raking light.
- Repairs and cracks, with a coin or a ruler beside them to show size.
Comparing two lots fairly
- Use the same footprint for both, measured in the same units.
- Compare grade by wear, not by the seller's letter.
- Count makers present in each, since fewer makers means a more uniform lot.
- Compare the share of repaired pieces, and where the repairs sit.
- Set freight, timing and handling beside the wear, rather than in place of it.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck: clean and dry
- 2Corners: no chips that catch lashing
- 3Runners: whole
- 4Fork pockets: open for the destination forks
- Footprint measured in millimetres
Words used on this page
- 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.
- Multi-trip pallet
- A pallet designed to be returned and reused many times.
- Euro pallet
- 800 x 1200 mm footprint.
- Nestable
- Empty pallets stack inside one another, cutting empty storage space by up to 75 percent.
What the sources say
- Advanced composite material pallets are 100 percent recycled polyolefins, cheaper with a shorter life, and suit export where the pallet is not returned. nelsoncompany.com
- The 800 x 1200 mm Euro footprint is the second most popular plastic pallet size worldwide. blog.containerexchanger.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
- Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15; wood must reach a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes for heat treatment. 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?
No. Plastic is exempt.
What footprint for Europe?
The Euro 1200 x 800 mm, or 1200 x 1000 mm.
Can used pallets be one-way?
Yes. Light used pallets suit one-way lanes.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.