Used fire-rated plastic pallets

What the standards test

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. UL 2335 has two tests, an idle pallet test and a commodity storage test. The International Fire Code permits pallets listed and labeled under FM 4996 or UL 2335 to be treated as wood pallets for sprinkler design.

Why a buyer cares

Used and listed

A listing belongs to a design and the label on it. A used pallet qualifies only if it is that listed design and still carries the label. We do not say a pallet is fire rated unless it shows the label. If the building's sprinkler design depends on the answer, ask the building's engineer and the pallet's maker before the lot moves.

• Look for the listing label
• Do not treat colour or weight as a rating
• Ask the maker which design the label covers

Insurance and sprinklers

Unlisted plastic pallets can raise the commodity class used to design a building's sprinklers, and pallets listed under a recognised fire standard can be treated like wood in that design. Ask the building's fire protection engineer or insurer before a large lot arrives, and ask the seller whether the lot carries a listing and where it is recorded. A claim of fire resistance with no listing and no maker is not one to rely on.

Listings and what they cover

A fire listing applies to a specific model made to a specific recipe, tested to a published method. It does not cover a look-alike or an earlier version. Ask for the listing number, the model it covers, and the date. A pallet whose plate is gone cannot be tied to a listing, so treat it as unlisted for insurance purposes even if it is the same model.

Keeping the listing with the lot

File the listing document, the model name and the date beside the delivery record. A later audit by an insurer or a fire marshal then finds the proof without chasing the seller, and a replacement lot can be bought against the same reference.

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.

Words used on this page

RFID

Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.

FM 4996

FM Approvals standard that rates a pallet as equal to wood in fire tests.

UL 2335

UL fire-test standard for storage pallets, with an idle pallet test and a commodity storage test.

Pooling

Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.

Commodity classification

Sprinkler design class of stored goods; an unlisted plastic pallet can raise it.

What the sources say

• An ICC article says unlisted plastic pallets may require raising the commodity hazard class by two classes, and gives an example needing about 55 percent more sprinkler water. iccsafe.org
• A 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood. iccsafe.org
• NFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them. en.wikipedia.org
• UL 2335 has an idle pallet test and a commodity storage test. iccsafe.org

Keep reading