Pallet questions
Short answers to what dock leads ask most: sizes, grades, mixed loads, cores, heat treatment and Canada.
Sizes
What size pallet does the automotive industry use?
The 48 x 45 inch pallet is the size listed for the automotive industry. It ranks seventh in North American production. See 48 x 45.
What is the standard pallet size?
48 x 40 inches, the GMA pallet. It is the most common wood pallet size in North America and about 30% of all new wood pallets made in the US. See 48 x 40.
Is a 48x45 pallet the same as a 48x40?
No. Both are 48 inches long, but the 48x45 is five inches wider. The comparison explains where it matters.
How many pallets fit in a 53 foot trailer?
Worked from a 636 by 100 inch floor and a single layer, 48 x 40 pallets give 26 loaded straight or 30 loaded turned. See the trailer guide for the working.
Grades and repairs
What is the difference between grade A and grade B pallets?
Grade A has had no repairs. Grade B has been repaired with replaced deck boards, plates or plugs. See the grades.
What is a combo pallet?
A pallet remanufactured from a mix of recycled and new lumber, stronger and more consistent than a used pallet and cheaper than an all-new one. See combo pallets.
What is a core?
A used pallet a shipper no longer needs, handed on for inspection, repair, dismantling or grinding. See cores.
Selling and clearing
Who buys used pallets near me?
Pallet recyclers and remanufacturers buy sound stock. Detroit Pallet Yard takes the request for Metro Detroit docks. See sell used pallets.
How much are used pallets worth?
It depends on size, grade, count and how often. See what a used pallet is worth.
Can you sell broken pallets?
Yes, as cores. They are repaired, taken apart for boards or ground up. See mixed and broken piles.
Heat treatment and Canada
Do pallets going to Canada need to be heat treated?
Wood packaging imported into Canada from the continental United States is exempt from CFIA policy D-98-08, pending a phased move to full ISPM 15. Your customer may still ask. See the Ontario guide.
What does the ISPM 15 stamp mean?
It shows wood packaging that was heat treated or fumigated to the international standard. See reading the stamp.
Not answered here
Some questions depend on a particular dock, and no general answer helps. Ask them through the request page and include what you can: the address, the size, the count, a photo.
A note on prices
Answers here avoid prices because a pallet's worth depends on size, grade, count and rhythm, none of which a general page can know. Ask for terms through the request and compare what comes back.
Contact
Questions that are not answered here can be sent through the request page. Mention the page you were reading.
Reading answers
Each answer is short on purpose. Pages linked from it carry the detail.
Common themes
Most questions concern size, grade, count, and the stamp. Those four cover nearly every pallet request.
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