Used heavy duty plastic pallets
Used heavy duty plastic pallets are a maker's phrase for a stronger build, and the phrase is not a rating. We tell you the static, dynamic and racking numbers a heavy duty pallet carries, or tell you they are unknown.
- Heavy duty is
- A phrase, not a rating
- Example: nestable
- 28.5 lb, 10,000 lb static, 3,500 lb dynamic
- Example: one-piece
- 49 lb, 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic
- Racking
- Often none listed
What heavy duty can and cannot tell you
Two heavy duty pallets at the same footprint can be worlds apart. A heavy-duty nestable at 48.25 x 40.25 x 6.5 in weighs 28.5 lb and is rated 10,000 lb static and 3,500 lb dynamic, with a 2.55 in nest increment and 1,200 units per 53 ft trailer, and the maker lists no racking rating. A heavy one-piece HDPE pallet at 6.3 in tall weighs 49 lb with 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic and 2,200 lb racking.
Both are called heavy duty. Neither number carries over to the other.
Comparing heavy duty examples
| Example | Weight | Static | Dynamic | Racking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty nestable, 48.25 x 40.25 x 6.5 in | 28.5 lb | 10,000 lb | 3,500 lb | None listed |
| One-piece HDPE 48 x 40 x 6.3 in (used listing) | 49 lb | 30,000 lb | 5,000 lb | 2,200 lb |
| Nestable EXP 116, 48 x 40 x 5.75 in | Not listed | 15,000 lb | Not listed | Not listed |
Used, heavy duty and wear
Heavy duty pallets see heavy use, so the used ones carry its marks: deep scuffs on runners, gouges at corners, and some bowing under long loads, the slow bending called creep. Our description says which. Rated loads assume an evenly spread load, so a used pallet carrying a concentrated load is outside what the rating covers.
- Ask for the three ratings separately
- Ask for a count of pallets with bowed decks
- Ask whether any are welded
- Ask whether any carry an owner's mark
Heavy duty is a promise from the maker
The words heavy duty carry no standard. A maker may use them for a pallet with steel reinforcement, or for a thicker moulding, or for a higher rating. When you buy used, ask which of those apply and where the rating is written. A steel-reinforced pallet is worth checking at the points where the steel meets the plastic, and any pallet that has been dropped or overloaded needs a close look at the ribs under the deck.
Weigh a sample from the lot, because weight is a quick sign of whether the build matches the claim.
Where heavy duty earns its keep
Heavy-duty pallets earn their keep in the places where ordinary ones fail: dense loads, repeated stacking, harsh handling and rough floors. If your goods are light and your floors smooth, the extra material is wasted. Ask yourself what will actually stress the pallet, whether weight, impact, heat or time, and choose the build that answers that stress rather than the biggest label.
A kit for the walk-around
- A steel tape that reads both inches and millimetres.
- A torch for the underside, where hairline cracks hide in shadow.
- A straight edge about a metre long to test decks for bow and dishing.
- Gloves, because burrs and weld beads cut skin.
- A phone, a pen and a numbered sheet so every pallet checked gets a mark.
Sorting a lot into piles
- Pile one: whole pallets with flat decks, square corners and no repairs.
- Pile two: whole pallets with a repair or a mismatched piece, kept separate and counted.
- Pile three: pallets with a crack through a load path, set aside for repair or scrap.
- Pile four: marked pallets that may belong to someone else, held until the owner is known.
- Write the pile count on a board by the stacks, and photograph it each morning.
Walk-around checklist
The same four stops for every lot, in order. Tick each as you go.
- 1Deck: bow measured with a straightedge
- 2Corners: gouges measured against the wall thickness
- 3Runners: runners checked for flattening
- 4Fork pockets: pockets checked for collapse
- Three ratings located
Words used on this page
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- Creep
- Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
- Static load
- Weight a pallet carries at rest, or the bottom pallet carries when stacked. The highest of the three ratings.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- Dynamic load
- Weight a pallet carries while moving on a forklift, pallet jack or conveyor.
What the sources say
- A used Nelson 48 x 40 x 6.3 in HDPE one-piece pallet weighs 49 lb with 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic and 2,200 lb racking ratings. nelsoncompany.com
- Rehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 standard-duty nestable pallet weighs 26.5 lb with a static rating of 10,000 lb and dynamic 3,000 lb. rehrigpacific.com
- Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. en.wikipedia.org
- Static capacity is the highest of the three ratings; racking is often the lowest; dynamic is always lower than static. 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
Is heavy duty a standard?
No. It is a maker's phrase.
Does heavy duty mean rackable?
No. The heavy-duty nestable example lists no racking rating.
Do heavier pallets nest less?
In one maker's examples, a higher static rating comes with fewer pallets per stack.
Ask for a lot
Pick a footprint and a grade. The reply describes a matched lot in writing.