Used pallets, sorted by grade, for Oklahoma City docks

Grade A, B and C in plain words

Grade is a buyer's shorthand for how much a pallet has been through. There is no single law behind it, and the GMA no longer governs pallet specifications, so a good request describes the pallet instead of relying on the letter alone.

Millwood's grading guide lists deck board spacing of at least 4 inches and repaired stringers or plugs as features of Grade B. A plug is a short board nailed beside a cracked stringer to repair it, and it can run anywhere from 6 to 24 inches long according to iGPS. Seeing one is normal on a Grade B pallet, not a defect.

Sizes you will actually find

Used stock follows the freight. 48x40 is by far the most plentiful, because it is the North American standard and the pallet most docks send out and receive. 48x48, 42x42 and 48x45 turn up in smaller volumes tied to chemical, beverage and automotive freight; check the size chart before you ask for one.

A standard 48 x 40 GMA pallet typically weighs 33 to 48 pounds empty and stands 5.5 to 6 inches tall. If your racking beams or conveyor are tight, give the height as well as the footprint.

Questions worth asking before you buy

1. Is the stack sorted by size, or mixed? A mixed stack is a different request from a sorted one.
2. Has it stood on bare ground through a wet spring? Wood below 20% moisture content will not support mould; a stack that sat in a May rain can be well above that.
3. Are the notched stringers intact? Four-way entry depends on them.
4. Does any of it need to be heat treated and stamped? Used pallets can carry an ISPM 15 mark from earlier export use; a mark proves the treatment, not the pallet's current condition.

Where Oklahoma City's used pallets come from

Used 48x40s collect at distribution buildings near Will Rogers airport, on the northeast side beside I-35 where UPS runs an automated facility of more than 180,000 square feet, and along the Tinker corridor. Cores and Grade C come from yards and back lots further west. See the five legs for the road each kind of stock tends to come down.

Reading a sample before you accept a load

Ask for the sample to come from the middle of a stack, not the top. Top pallets are the ones people have looked at; middle pallets show the real average. Lift one by a corner and watch how the deck sags, run a thumb along the leading edges for splinters and look underneath for a stringer that has started to split along the grain.

Count the repairs. One plate or one replaced board is ordinary Grade B work. Three or four on a single pallet means it has been through many cycles. Check that every nail head sits flush, because a raised head tears shrink wrap and cuts hands. Then check the dimensions with a tape on three pallets, since a 48 by 40 that measures 47 by 39 will not rack properly.

Used pallets also vary in smell and moisture. A pallet that feels heavy, smells of mould or shows dark stains on its boards has been wet for a long time, and a food or pharmaceutical receiver will refuse it. A dry, grey, sound pallet from an indoor warehouse is a different product from an identical-looking one that sat in a weedy lot.

Questions, answered

Where to next

• Pallet grades, branded and explained
• 48x40 pallets for Oklahoma City docks
• Pallet guides, in plain words