Grades
Pallet grades, branded and explained
Pallet grades describe how much wear a pallet has: Grade A has no repairs, Grade B has sound repairs, Grade C looks rough. Combo, new and core sit beside them, each with its own brand mark here.
The marks, in order of wear
| Mark | Meaning | Form condition |
|---|---|---|
| New | All-new lumber, built to a spec sheet | new |
| Combo | Rebuilt from recycled and new lumber | combo |
| Grade A | No repairs and none needed | grade-a |
| Grade B | Repaired with replaced boards, plates or plugs | grade-b |
| Grade C | Poor appearance, several repairs, deck boards may be loose | grade-c |
| Core | A used pallet recovered for repair, dismantling or grinding | core |
A mixed load is not a grade; it is an unsorted blend of these. See mixed loads for how that sells.
Grading is a shorthand, not a law
Grades come from industry practice, in particular the old GMA specification that the organization itself no longer governs. Millwood's guide and iGPS each describe their grades slightly differently, which is why a request should describe the pallet as well as name the grade. Features that appear in guides include deck board spacing of at least 4 inches and repaired stringers or plugs larger than 1 1/4 inches on a Grade B pallet.
The takeaway for a buyer: Grade A for an outbound load a customer will inspect, Grade B for most dry freight, Grade C when the pallet is a one-way carrier, combo when you want evenness at a lower cost than new.
Why Oklahoma docks care
Grade decides what an outbound load looks like at the receiving dock. Fulfillment buildings near Will Rogers airport and along I-44 swap large volumes of Grade A and B 48x40s. Plants down I-35 specify combo or new for heavy units. Stockyards City and the feed trade tolerate rougher stock. See pallets by industry for how each trade ranks the grades.
Photos and the marks
Each grade carries a burned brand mark, a visual shorthand like the cattle brands registered around the Oklahoma National Stockyards in Stockyards City. They are drawn marks, not certifications; no grade here is an inspection or a rating by any authority.
The practical test
The practical test is the load. Ask whether the pallet will carry the intended weight through the intended number of trips without failing, and whether the receiver will accept its appearance. A pallet can be structurally sound and still unacceptable to a retailer that rejects visible repairs.
Keep a reference pallet for each grade you trade in. Photograph it, measure it and share the photo. Disputes that start with a word end quickly when both parties look at the same pallet.
Core
A core is a used pallet a shipper no longer needs, sold or handed to a recycler for inspection, repair, dismantling or, if beyond repair, grinding into chips for mulch, composite products or biomass. It is what most piles really are.
The word says where a pallet is in the trade, not how it looks: a sound 48x40 can be a core while it sits unsorted. Every dock has them. In this metro the largest flows come from the fulfillment buildings near Will Rogers airport, the Tinker corridor and the northeast I-35 hubs, and the oilfield-supply yards west on I-40 hold outdoor piles.
If sound 48x40s are in a pile, pulling them aside turns a clear-out into a sale. Cores that have stood wet for a season are more likely to be ground than repaired, because wood above 20% moisture content supports mould and decay. To sell them, see selling pallet cores; to clear them, see pallet recycling.
In this section
- Grade A palletsGrade A pallets have had no repairs and need none. What the grade means, who buys it in the Oklahoma City metro and what to ask for.
- Grade B palletsGrade B pallets are repaired with replaced boards, plates or plugs and are sound and cheaper. What to expect and what to ask for in Oklahoma City.
- Grade C palletsGrade C pallets look rough, have several repairs and may have loose deck boards. When they are the right call in Oklahoma City.
- Combo palletsCombo pallets are rebuilt from recycled and new lumber: stronger and more even than used, cheaper than new. When to choose one in Oklahoma City.