Core product
A recycled wood pallet is a used platform that has been sorted, structurally inspected, repaired where necessary and returned to service. Ours arrive graded A, B or C against written criteria, cost 55–70% less than a new equivalent, and carry the same 2,500–2,800 lb working load as the deck they were built as.
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Send the quantity and we'll quote your actual lane — not a national average.
The word covers a wide range of conditions, which is exactly why buyers get burned. In our yard a recycled pallet has been through five defined stages: collection, sort, structural inspection, repair or dismantle, and re-grade. A pallet that fails inspection twice doesn't get a third chance — it goes to the dismantler and its boards become repair stock or its fibre becomes mulch.
The distinction matters because a large share of the used pallets sold in the United States are simply swept off a dock, stacked and resold. Those are cores, not recycled pallets. Cores are a legitimate product — we buy and sell them by the truckload — but they are unrepaired, ungraded and priced accordingly. If you are quoted a recycled pallet at core pricing, you are buying a core.
There is no federal grading standard for recycled pallets. Every yard writes its own, which is why 'Grade A' from one supplier can arrive looking like 'Grade B' from another. Ours are published here so you can hold us to them.
| Criterion | Grade A | Grade B | Grade C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companion stringers | None permitted | Up to 2 permitted | Unlimited |
| Replaced deck boards | 2 maximum | 5 maximum | Any, if secured |
| Stringer plugs / mend plates | 1 maximum | 3 maximum | Any |
| Broken or missing boards | None | None | None |
| Protruding fasteners | None | None | None |
| Squareness | ±0.5 in | ±0.75 in | ±1.0 in |
| Typical use | Retail DC, food, racking | General freight, storage | One-way, scrap, yard |
If your receiving team rejects on appearance rather than structure — common in grocery and pharma DCs — tell us at quote stage. We run a separate A-clean sort that screens for stain, mould shadow and paint marks on the top deck. It costs about $1.40 more per pallet and it eliminates the argument at the gate.
The persistent myth is that a repaired pallet is a weakened pallet. In practice the failure mode of a wood pallet is almost never the deck board — it's the stringer, at the fork entry notch. A pallet with two replaced deck boards and an intact stringer is stronger than a pallet with original boards and a hairline stringer split you can't see.
| Pallet | Static load | Dynamic load | Racked (edge-supported) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New 48x40 GMA hardwood | 6,000–7,500 lb | 2,800–3,000 lb | 2,200–2,800 lb |
| Grade A recycled 48x40 | 5,500–7,000 lb | 2,500–2,800 lb | 1,800–2,500 lb |
| Grade B recycled 48x40 | 4,500–6,000 lb | 2,000–2,500 lb | 1,200–1,800 lb |
| Grade C recycled 48x40 | 3,000–4,500 lb | 1,500–2,000 lb | Not recommended |
We would rather lose the order than sell you the wrong deck. Recycled wood is the right answer for the overwhelming majority of domestic freight, and the wrong answer in a handful of specific cases.
Recycled pallet pricing is not a list price with a discount. It is a local market clearing price, and it moves weekly. Four inputs dominate:
Read the full breakdown in our pallet pricing guide, or send a quantity through the form and we'll price your actual lane rather than a national average.
By the numbers
Rules of thumb
Before you order
Name the grade and the numeric limits — companion stringers, replaced boards, plugs, squareness. Supplier grade names do not govern unless you say they do.
If anything sits on a beam, tell us the load weight. Racked capacity is often under a third of static and it is the number that decides safety.
Mixed hardwood runs 8–12 lb heavier than Southern Yellow Pine. On a 26-pallet trailer that is up to 312 lb of payload.
Three boards for floor stacking, five if the pallet will be racked. This is the cheapest capacity upgrade available.
If a receiving DC rejects on stain or mould shadow, specify an A-clean sort. It costs about $1.40 and removes the argument at the gate.
Only if it crosses an international border. Domestic freight never needs it, and paying for it is pure waste.
Dock or ground level, own forklift or not, receiving window, and whether a trailer can be parked. All of it moves the freight number.
What goes wrong
Grade A costs $2–4 more per unit than Grade B and buys you the absence of companion stringers. If nothing spans and nothing is racked, you are paying for cosmetics.
FixMatch grade to support condition. Floor-stacked → Grade B or C. Racked over 1,800 lb → Grade A.
A 53-foot trailer costs the same whether it leaves three-quarters full or full. Under about 450 units, per-unit freight climbs steeply.
FixOrder less often and more each time. Pallets do not spoil, and the storage cost is almost always less than the freight saving.
A large share of used pallets sold in the US are cores — swept off a dock, stacked and resold, with no sort and no repair.
FixAsk whether the pallets are graded and repaired, and what happens to a unit that fails inspection twice.
The IPPC mark stays visible and the pallet is no longer compliant. This is invisible on inspection and stops containers.
FixRepair with previously treated stock, or re-treat and re-stamp the whole assembly.
Side by side
| Application | Minimum grade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Retail-facing display | A-clean | The pallet is packaging at that point |
| Racked storage over 1,800 lb | A | Edge-supported failure risk |
| Racked storage under 1,800 lb | B | Adequate margin |
| Automated conveyance | A | Dimensional tolerance, no snag points |
| General LTL freight | B | Best cost per trip |
| Floor-stacked storage | B or C | Nothing spans, load fully supported |
| Scrap and yard movements | C | Structure only, appearance irrelevant |
Against our interest
AS/RS shuttles and robotic layer pickers are commissioned against a dimensional profile. Recycled stock runs ±0.5 to ±1.0 in against the ±0.25 in those systems expect, and the jam costs more than the pallet saved.
Wood absorbs and holds moisture, which is the whole problem. Where the process requires washing between loads, plastic is not the cheaper option — it is the only option.
Grade A recycled tops out around 2,500 lb edge-supported. Above that, specify new hardwood, a block pallet, or rack decking so the pallet stops spanning at all.
What moves the price
| Driver | What it is | Rough effect |
|---|---|---|
| Core availability in your lane | A metro with heavy inbound retail generates a surplus; a manufacturing corridor consumes more than it produces. | Up to $4 per unit between metros |
| Grade and sorting labour | Every step up the grade ladder means more sorting and more rejection. Labour has risen faster than lumber over five years. | $2–4 between Grade B and Grade A |
| Freight distance and load size | A trailer costs the same half full. Below about 450 units the per-unit freight climbs steeply. | 30–50% of landed cost |
| Season | Q4 retail build-up holds cores inside distribution centres while demand rises. Q1 releases them. | 8–18% swing |
Due diligence
“Can you send me your written grade criteria, with numbers rather than adjectives?”
“Is every pallet graded by hand, and is it re-graded after repair by a different person?”
“What happens to a pallet that fails inspection twice?”
“Can freight be itemised separately from the unit price on the quote?”
“How many pallets are on a typical load to my address, and what does the next break point cost?”
“What is your reject rate on repeat accounts, and how do you measure it?”
The rulebook
The US standard covering pallet dimensions, terminology and definitions for unit-load bases.
Governs what words like 'stringer' and 'deck board' mean — not what 'Grade A' means.
International test methods and performance requirements for flat pallets, including bending and durability testing.
Standard test methods for pallets and related structures used in materials handling and shipping.
There is no federal, ANSI or ISO standard defining recycled pallet grades. Every yard writes its own — which is why the criteria belong in your purchase order.
This is the single most important thing to understand when comparing quotes.
Vocabulary
From the journal
Two truckloads of Grade A 48x40 from two suppliers can look like different products. Neither yard is being dishonest. The problem is that nobody outside your purchase order defines the word.
There was a real argument internally about this. Publishing a number means you have to hit it every time, including on the Friday when the load has to go.
The strength argument is real and it is not the important one. What decides block versus stringer over a fleet's life is what happens when something breaks.
Reference
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Common sizes stocked | 48x40, 48x48, 42x42, 48x45, 36x36, 40x48 |
| Species | Mixed hardwood (oak, maple, gum), SYP, mixed softwood |
| Deck configuration | 4-way notched, 2-way, flush or wing |
| Board count (48x40 GMA) | 7 top, 3 stringer, 3–5 bottom |
| Nominal weight | 33–48 lb depending on species and moisture |
| Moisture content | ≤19% on kiln-run stock; ambient on standard |
| Heat treatment | Available on request, ISPM-15 stamped |
| Minimum order | 1 trailer for delivery; 25 units for yard pickup |
| Lead time | 24–72 hours stock, 5–7 days for A-clean sorts |
Questions
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