Combo pallets
A combo pallet is remanufactured from a mix of recycled and new lumber. It is stronger and more consistent than a used pallet and cheaper than an all-new one.
How it is built
A recycler dismantles pallets that cannot be fixed, keeps the good boards and stringers, and rebuilds them with new lumber where strength matters, often in the stringers or the lead boards. The result is a pallet with a known specification instead of a patchwork of repairs.
- Form condition
- combo.
- Brand mark
- A woven grid of boards and stringers.
- Compared with
- Stronger and more even than used; cheaper than all-new.
Who chooses it
Plants that want evenness without the full cost of new: heavier HVAC and equipment output from Moore and Norman, beverage lines that cannot tolerate mixed grades, and recurring supply where a stack has to behave the same every week. Read the combo versus new guide for the trade-off.
What to ask
Size, deck coverage, whether stringers are notched for four-way entry, how many per week, and whether any will be exported (a combo pallet can be heat treated if built for it). Because a combo is built to a pattern, a spec sheet helps as much as it does for new pallets.
Reading a combo pallet
A combo mixes new and recycled lumber, so the boards may differ in colour and age. That is normal. Look for consistent nailing and for new boards in the high-wear places such as leading edges and stringers. A combo with all the weak points reinforced often outperforms an old Grade A.
Where combos fit in a grading scheme
Grading scales usually run from new down to scrap, and combo sits in the middle because it is part new and part reclaimed. It is not a quality score so much as a description of construction. A well-made combo can match a Grade A in performance while costing less, and a rushed one can fall below Grade B.
Remanufacturers dismantle used pallets, sort boards, discard the damaged ones and nail good boards onto frames. New lumber is added where wear is highest, typically the leading boards and the stringers. The resulting pallet carries a fresh look in some places and a worn look in others.
When you request combos, say how heavy your loads are, how many handling cycles to expect and whether the pallet must be a particular colour or free of stamps. Those details separate a pallet that suits you from one that merely passes.
Questions to ask a remanufacturer
Ask what share of each pallet is new lumber, which parts are new, what fasteners are used and whether the pallet is graded against a published specification. A supplier who answers quickly and in detail is more likely to deliver consistent pallets.
Ask also about returns. A load of combos that fails inspection is a cost to both sides, and an agreement on a sample inspection before shipment avoids arguments.