01
Scrapping instead of repairing
Landfill haul plus a replacement runs $26–$41 per pallet. A repair runs $2.20–$4.80.
FixAdopt a repair-first policy and measure cost per trip rather than price per pallet.
01What we actually do to a damaged pallet
- Intake grade. Sort into reusable, repairable and dismantle. A pallet that fails twice does not get a third look.
- Board replacement. Broken deck boards are pried, the nails pulled, and a recovered board of matching thickness fitted with helical screws.
- Companion stringer. A cracked stringer gets a second stringer nailed alongside. Structurally sound, adds weight, drops the pallet to Grade B.
- Plugs and mend plates. Broken notches are plugged; splits are spanned. Both are repairs of last resort before dismantling.
- Re-nailing. Loose decks are re-secured — one of the most common and least visible defects.
- Metal check. Every repaired pallet passes a protruding-fastener inspection on both faces. This is a safety step, not a cosmetic one.
- Re-grade. By a second grader, against the published criteria.
02The economics, plainly
| Route | Cost per pallet | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Landfill the damaged pallet, buy new | $13 + $28 = $41 | One new pallet, one methane source |
| Landfill the damaged pallet, buy recycled | $13 + $13 = $26 | One recycled pallet |
| Repair it | $2.20–$4.80 | The same pallet, graded, back in service |
| Dismantle for boards | Net revenue | Repair stock for other pallets |
The number that surprises operations teams is the life extension. An unrepaired pallet fleet averages five to seven trips before it becomes scrap. A fleet on a repair programme routinely averages ten or more, which nearly halves the annual purchase requirement.
03Fleet repair programmes
- On-site repair — we bring a crew and a rig to your dock for scheduled sessions. Best where pallets cannot leave the premises.
- Collect, repair, return — your pallets come to us, get repaired, and come back as your pallets, not swapped for someone else's.
- Swap programme — we take damaged and deliver graded from stock on the same trip. Fastest, no downtime, no ownership tracking.
- Repair and re-treat — for ISPM-15 fleets, repair with treated stock, re-treat the assembly and re-stamp.
Which one is right depends almost entirely on whether the pallets are genuinely yours or simply a pool you draw from. If you have never counted them, start with a swap programme and count later.
By the numbers
The figures worth remembering
Four numbers that decide most of what follows on this page.
- Cost of a repair
- $2.20–4.80Cost of a repair
- Skilled time per repair
- ~90 secSkilled time per repair
- Extra service trips from a repair programme
- +3–5Extra service trips from a repair programme
- Graders who see every repaired pallet
- 2Graders who see every repaired pallet
Rules of thumb
Carry these in your head
- 01Repair is the cheapest pallet you will ever buy.
- 02A second grader at the exit is the cheapest quality control there is.
- 03Anything that fails inspection twice goes to the dismantler. No third look.
- 04Re-nailing a loose deck takes 25 seconds and prevents a pallet coming apart on a fork.
Before you order
The decisions we will ask you to make
A quote turnaround is limited by how many follow-up questions we have to ask. Working through this list removes nearly all of them.
- 01
Are the pallets genuinely yours?
If you have never counted them, start with a swap programme and count later.
- 02
Can they leave the premises?
If not, on-site repair with our crew and rig is the model.
- 03
ISPM-15 fleet?
Repairs must use previously treated stock, or the assembly must be re-treated and re-stamped.
- 04
Grade after repair
A companion stringer drops a pallet to Grade B. Say if that matters for retail-facing or weight-sensitive loads.
- 05
Volume and cadence
Scheduled sessions cost less than reactive call-outs, exactly as with collection.
What goes wrong
Expensive mistakes, and the fix for each
Every one of these turns up in ordinary purchase orders. All of them cost multiples of whatever they appeared to save.
02
Believing repaired means weakened
Wood pallets fail at the stringer notch, and a companion roughly doubles the material at that exact point.
FixAccept repairs for general freight. The trade-off is weight and grade, not strength.
03
Using a local shop on a treated fleet
One untreated replacement board invalidates the IPPC mark, invisibly.
FixKeep treated repair stock, or route treated pallets to a facility that re-stamps.
Side by side
Repair against the alternatives
| Route | Cost per pallet | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Landfill it, buy new | $13 + $28 = $41 | One new pallet, one methane source |
| Landfill it, buy recycled | $13 + $13 = $26 | One recycled pallet |
| Repair it | $2.20–$4.80 | The same pallet, graded, back in service |
| Dismantle it | Net revenue | Repair stock for other pallets |
Against our interest
When this is the wrong answer
We would rather lose the order than sell you the wrong thing. These are the situations where this page is not what you need.
- 01
Pallets that have already failed inspection twice
There is no third look. At that point the boards are worth more as repair stock for other pallets than the assembly is worth as a pallet.
- 02
Treated export fleets repaired by whoever is cheapest
One untreated replacement board invalidates the IPPC mark invisibly. Either the repairer holds treated stock and re-stamps, or the pallet stops being export-compliant.
- 03
Retail-facing loads where a companion stringer is unacceptable
Companions are structurally excellent and visibly obvious. If the pallet reaches a sales floor, specify no companions and expect to dismantle more.
What moves the price
Cost drivers, and roughly how much each one is worth
A quote is not a list price with a discount applied. It is these variables added up, which is why two quotes for nominally the same thing can differ so widely.
| Driver | What it is | Rough effect |
|---|---|---|
| Repair type | A lead board is 35 seconds; a companion stringer plus three boards is closer to three minutes. | $2.20 to $4.80 |
| Programme model | On-site crew, collect-repair-return, or swap from stock. | Swap is cheapest, on-site dearest |
| Treated stock requirement | Repairing an ISPM-15 fleet means holding treated boards and re-stamping. | +$1.10–1.90 where re-treatment is needed |
| Volume and scheduling | Scheduled sessions against reactive call-outs, exactly as with collection. | 20–35% |
Due diligence
Questions to ask any supplier
Us included. The answers tell you a great deal, and so does how quickly they arrive — a yard that has these documents ready is a yard that has thought about them.
- 01
“Do I get my own pallets back, or equivalent stock?”
- 02
“Who re-grades after repair, and is it a different person?”
- 03
“Do you hold treated repair stock for ISPM-15 fleets?”
- 04
“What repairs drop a pallet out of Grade A?”
- 05
“Can you audit a sample of our fleet and tell us the repairable share?”
The rulebook
Standards and authorities that actually apply
Plenty of pallet marketing invokes standards loosely. These are the real documents behind this subject, and what each one does and does not cover.
- ISPM-15 repair provisions
Every component of a marked pallet must have been treated. Repair with untreated wood invalidates the mark and requires re-treatment and re-marking.
- ANSI MH1
Defines the components a repair replaces, so a repair specification can be written unambiguously.
- ISO 8611
Test methods that show a companion stringer restores — and usually exceeds — original strength at the notch.
- Our published grade criteria
Numeric limits on what repairs are permitted at each grade, so a repaired pallet's grade is a measurement rather than an opinion.
Vocabulary
The terms used on this page
Defined the way the trade uses them, not the way a dictionary would.
- Companion stringeralso: Sister stringer
- A second stringer nailed alongside a cracked original during repair. Structurally sound, adds 3–5 lb, and disqualifies a pallet from Grade A.
- Plug
- A wooden insert fitted into a broken notch to restore stringer material. One is permitted in Grade A; three in Grade B.
- Mend plate
- A metal plate fastened across a split stringer. A repair of last resort; disqualifies a pallet from Grade A and usually from Grade B.
- Lead board
- The outermost deck board at each end of the pallet. Takes the most abuse from fork tines and is the most frequently replaced component.
- Drive screwalso: Helical nail
- A helically threaded fastener that resists withdrawal roughly three times better than a smooth-shank nail. Our standard.
- Grade A
- Our top recycled tier: no companion stringers, two or fewer replaced deck boards, one plug maximum, squareness within 0.5 inch.
- Grade B
- Companion stringers permitted, up to five replaced boards, up to three plugs, squareness within 0.75 inch. The most commonly traded recycled grade.
From the journal
Longer reading on this subject
Written by the people who grade, repair and haul the wood — including the articles that argue against buying from us.
Operations5 min readRay Castellanos
The arithmetic of a repaired pallet
Ninety seconds of my time is worth more than any other ninety seconds in this building, and it is not close.
Read
- repair
- cost
- maintenance
Materials6 min readMarcus Ellery
Nine blocks: an argument for block pallets in closed loops
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.
Read
- block pallets
- closed loop
- repair
Grading5 min readMarcus Ellery
Publishing our grade criteria, and why that was uncomfortable
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.
Read
- grades
- transparency
- quality
Questions
Answers to what buyers actually ask
Straight answers, including the ones that cost us the sale.
How much does pallet repair cost?
Between $2.20 and $4.80 per pallet depending on the work required and the volume. A single lead board replacement sits at the bottom of that range; a companion stringer plus three boards sits at the top. Compare that with $11–$16 for a replacement recycled pallet.
Is a repaired pallet as strong as an unrepaired one?
Often stronger. Wood pallets fail at the stringer notch, and a companion stringer roughly doubles the material at that point. A replaced deck board fitted with helical screws holds better than a fatigued original held by smooth-shank nails.
Can you repair heat treated pallets without voiding compliance?
Yes, and it must be done deliberately. Either repair using previously treated wood, or repair with untreated wood and then re-treat and re-stamp the whole pallet. Repairing a marked pallet with untreated wood and leaving the old mark is a compliance failure that stops containers.
Do I get my own pallets back?
On a collect-repair-return programme, yes — we track them as your asset. On a swap programme you get equivalent graded stock immediately, which is faster and cheaper but means the specific pallets change hands.
At what point is a pallet no longer worth repairing?
When the repair cost approaches the value of the deck it produces. Repairs run $2.20–$4.80 against a graded deck worth $11–$16, so most damage pays to fix. Multiple broken stringers, a split bottom deck or rot move it into the fibre stream, and we will not sell a repair we do not believe in.