Already dried
New pallets are frequently built from green lumber at 25–30% moisture. They shrink, boards loosen and nails back out in the first month. A recycled pallet has completed that movement.
Product 01
Recycled Pallets
In short
A recycled pallet is a used pallet that has been inspected, repaired where necessary and returned to a defined grade. It costs meaningfully less than new, performs identically for the vast majority of applications, and carries roughly a tenth of the embodied carbon. This is the core of what we sell, and it is what leaves our Evendale yard on most trailers.
Quote: Recycled Pallets
Send the details and a named person at the Evendale yard replies within one business day with pricing, freight and a piece count — in writing.
The grades, without the marketing
Grade vocabulary varies between yards, which creates most of the friction in this industry. Here is precisely what each of our grades means in terms a receiving inspector can check.
| Grade | Stringers | Deck boards | Appearance | Racking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A / #1 | No plugs, no companions, no visible cracks | 7 top, 5 bottom, all full width | Uniform colour, clean, no staining | Approved |
| B / #1 | Plugs permitted, no companions | 6–7 top, 4–5 bottom | Mixed colour, light wear | Approved |
| B / #2 | Plugs and companion stringers permitted | 5–7 top, 3–5 bottom | Visible repair, mixed widths | Case by case |
| #2 Economy | Multiple repairs permitted | 5+ top | Heavy wear, mixed species | Not recommended |
Whatever a grade is called, the question worth asking your supplier is: what will you reject? A yard that cannot answer that question in specific terms is not grading, it is sorting.
Why recycled outperforms new more often than people expect
Field-proven
A pallet that has already survived several trips has demonstrated that its lumber has no hidden defect. New wood has not been tested by anything.
Lower embodied carbon
No felling, no kiln, no mill transport. The dominant carbon cost of a recycled pallet is the truck that brings it to you.
Immediate availability
Standing inventory ships in 24–72 hours. New builds are a 10–15 business day lead time in normal conditions.
Cost
Typically 40–60% below the equivalent new build, with the gap widest on standard footprints where core supply is deepest.
Same handling
Fork entry, conveyor compatibility and racking behaviour are identical when grade is specified correctly. The forklift cannot tell.
Typical specification — recycled 48x40 GMA
| Attribute | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 in × 40 in (1219 mm × 1016 mm) |
| Height | 5.5 in – 6.5 in |
| Weight | 33 – 48 lb depending on species and grade |
| Species | Mixed hardwood (oak, maple, poplar); softwood present in some lots |
| Deck configuration | 7 top / 5 bottom boards, flush or overhang |
| Stringers | 3 × nominal 1.5 in × 3.5 in, double-notched for four-way entry |
| Static capacity | 4,000 – 6,000 lb |
| Dynamic capacity | 2,000 – 2,800 lb |
| Racked capacity | 1,500 – 2,500 lb (A/B #1 grade only) |
| Moisture content | Below 19% for indoor and export stock |
| Units per 53-ft trailer | ~550 – 600 stacked and banded |
The receiving inspection card
Print this and put it on the dock. Six checks, in this order, ten seconds a unit. It is the same sequence our graders work to, and the order matters more than the criteria because the decision terminates as early as possible.
- Turn it once and look at both stringer faces
Any crack over 3 in, any through-split, any metal plate — reject. This ends roughly one decision in six immediately, which is why it is first.
- Run a hand across the top deck
Any nail head standing proud is a shiner. Reject regardless of how good the rest of the pallet is. It scratches product, catches conveyors and cuts hands.
- Count the top boards, then the bottom
Seven and five for a full GMA. A missing interior board is minor; a missing lead board is not, because lead boards take the fork impact.
- Look for repair evidence
Plugs are acceptable at B. Companion stringers drop it to #2 and should stay out of racking. Plates are a reject.
- Smell it and look for staining
Mould bloom, chemical staining, residue, odour. This is the check that protects everything downstream, and the one to be conservative on.
- Only now, appearance
Colour uniformity, weathering, mixed species. Last, because it is the only criterion that does not affect whether the pallet works.
Checking appearance first is what untrained inspectors naturally do, because it is the most visible property. It means every unit gets a full inspection even when it was already disqualified at step one.
What actually arrives: a year of intake
Published because buyers plan against an imagined pool rather than the real one. This is the composition of everything that crossed our weighbridge in the twelve months to August 2026, and it explains a lot about lead times on non-standard footprints.
| Footprint | Share of intake | What it means for availability |
|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 GMA | 71.3% | Always available in every grade. The only footprint we never run short of. |
| 48 × 48 square | 6.1% | Rotating stock. Rising year on year with battery and energy freight. |
| 42 × 42 drum | 3.8% | Recovered supply thin — most of what we sell is remanufactured. |
| 48 × 45 automotive | 3.4% | Concentrated in the Detroit and Bowling Green lanes; remanufactured to order. |
| 36 × 36 beverage | 2.9% | Seasonal. Peaks June to September; ask early if you need it in spring. |
| 1200 × 800 Euro / EPAL | 2.6% | Arrives as import packaging and accumulates at importers, mainly Chicago. |
| 1200 × 1000 ISO 2 | 1.9% | Asia-sourced freight. Prime remanufacture feedstock for 42 × 42. |
| 40 × 48 reversed GMA | 1.4% | Stringers on the 40-in axis. Frequently mis-ordered as a 48 × 40 — check the drawing. |
| Everything else | 6.6% | Roughly forty further footprints across the year, none above 0.9%. |
The species mix underneath that is roughly 38% oak, 19% yellow poplar, 15% southern yellow pine, 11% maple, 7% ash and the remainder mixed. The pool leans hardwood because hardwood survives long enough to be recovered — it is survivorship, not preference, and it is why single-species recycled stock does not exist in volume no matter who promises it.
Cost per trip, worked through properly
Unit price is the wrong comparison between recycled and new, because the two do different numbers of trips before they need attention. Cost per trip is the honest measure, and it changes the answer more often than people expect.
| Option | Trips before first repair | Repairable? | Residual core value | Where it wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled hardwood A/#1 | 4 – 7 | Yes, 4–7 cycles | Real | Racking, closed loops, grocery compliance |
| Recycled hardwood B/#2 | 3 – 5 | Yes, fewer cycles left | Real | Floor storage, internal movement, one-way |
| New hardwood build | 4 – 7 | Yes, full life ahead | Real | Automation, documented provenance, tight tolerance |
| New softwood build | 2 – 4 | Moderate — splits rather than cracks | Low | Weight-billed freight, one-way export |
| Plastic, closed loop | 30 – 100+ | No — regrind only | Low | Washdown, cold chain, high-return-rate loops |
| Plastic, open loop | 1 | No | None to you | Almost never. An expensive way to give away an asset. |
Common questions
Are recycled pallets strong enough for racking?
A and B #1 grades are, when the racking is rated for the load and the pallet is supported correctly. Companion-repaired #2 units should stay out of racking.
Do recycled pallets come with a heat treatment stamp?
Only if they were treated. Many recycled cores carry an old HT stamp, but a stamp from a previous life does not certify the current condition. For export we re-treat and re-stamp under our own program.
How clean are they?
Dry, free of residue and free of visible contamination. We run a dedicated clean-core line for food and beverage customers with no agricultural or chemical returns in it.
Can I see them before I buy?
Yes. Every quote includes photographs of the actual reserved lot, and you are welcome at the Evendale yard during business hours to inspect in person.