Standards
Pick the grade in the form. If you are not sure which one you need, describe the application in the message and we will tell you — including when a lower grade would do.
The last four per cent
Everything the sort deck rejected, on its way to the grinder. It leaves as mulch, bedding and boiler fibre — not as landfill.
The absence of a standard is the single biggest source of dispute in the used pallet trade. Two quotes for “Grade A 48×40” can be twenty per cent apart and both be honest, because one yard permits a companion stringer and the other does not.
Our standard is deliberately at the strict end. We do not allow any stringer repair in Grade A, because racked loads are exactly where repaired stringers get tested and a failure there is a dropped load, not an inconvenience.
The full inspection criteria are on the Grade A specification sheet, which is the internal document our sort deck works from.
The four grades
$7.50 – $12.00
All members original or replaced full-length. No stringer repairs of any kind. Uniform appearance, under 19% moisture, square to within a quarter inch.
Racked ≈ 2,100 lb
Use for Racking, food and pharmaceutical handling, automated systems, anything that has to come back.
$5.00 – $8.50
Up to two replaced deck boards, or one stringer repaired with a full-length companion. Mixed colour acceptable. Structurally sound, cosmetically obviously used.
Racked ≈ 1,500 lb
Use for One-way outbound shipping, floor stacking, internal movement where appearance is irrelevant.
$4.50 – $7.00
Built from recovered lumber, usually a five-board deck rather than seven, often cut down from a larger orphan footprint. Sound, light, visibly rebuilt.
Racked ≈ 1,200 lb
Use for Expendable outbound loads, light product, anything where the pallet will not come back.
$1.50 – $6.00 (we pay)
Unsorted incoming stock, sold by us only to other processors. Includes broken units destined for dismantling or grinding.
Racked Not rated
Use for Not a product you should be buying to ship on. If someone offers you 'cores' as usable pallets, walk away.
Side by side
| Criterion | Grade A (#1) | Grade B (#2) | Remanufactured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top deck boards | 7, all full length | 7, up to 2 replaced | 5–7, recovered lumber |
| Board splits | None over ¼″ | None over 2″ | None structural |
| Stringer condition | No cracks, no repairs | One companion repair permitted | Recovered, docked to length |
| Stringer plugs | None | Permitted | Permitted |
| Squareness | ± ¼″ | ± ½″ | ± ½″ |
| Moisture | Under 19% | Under 19% | Under 19% |
| Appearance | Uniform, no heavy staining | Mixed acceptable | Visibly rebuilt |
| Protruding nails | None | None | None |
| Odour / residue | None | None | None |
| Static load | ≈ 6,000 lb | ≈ 4,500 lb | ≈ 3,500 lb |
| Dynamic load | ≈ 3,000 lb | ≈ 2,200 lb | ≈ 1,800 lb |
| Racked load | ≈ 2,100 lb | ≈ 1,500 lb | ≈ 1,200 lb |
Terms you will hear elsewhere
“A/B mix” — an unsorted blend, priced between the two. Fine if you know the ratio; a gamble if you do not. “Premium A” or “A+” — usually Grade A plus an appearance sort. “Economy” — almost always Grade B or below. “Recon” — remanufactured.
The one question to ask any supplier
“Does your Grade A permit a repaired stringer?” The answer tells you more about a yard than any brochure. There is no wrong answer — plenty of good operations allow it — but a supplier who cannot answer immediately is not grading to a standard at all.
Questions
No. There are widely-used conventions and there are industry bodies that publish guidance, but there is no certifying authority and no legal definition. Grade A means what the seller says it means, which is why comparing quotes requires comparing definitions.
If it goes into a rack, or touches food, or goes through an automated system, Grade A. If it leaves your building once and never comes back, Grade B or remanufactured. The full decision logic is in Grade A vs Grade B.
In our system, a deck board replaced full-length does not; a stringer repair does. A unit repaired to the deck only can return as Grade A provided every other criterion is met. See repair standards.
Unsorted incoming stock, bought by weight or by the trailer and sold between processors. Cores are raw material, not a product. If a supplier offers you cores as shippable pallets, that is the whole warning.
Tell us within five business days, send photographs of the units in question, and we replace or credit the shortfall. We do not argue about it — the cost of the occasional replaced load is lower than the cost of a reputation for arguing.