How a pallet gets repaired
Three repairs do most of the work: a plug beside a cracked stringer, a nail plate over a split board, and a companion stringer along a broken one. Any of them turns a Grade A into a Grade B.
The three repairs
| Repair | Fixes | How |
|---|---|---|
| Plug | A cracked or split stringer | A short board, anywhere between 6 and 24 inches long, is nailed alongside the crack. |
| Plate | A split deck board | A metal nail plate is pressed across the split to hold the two halves together. |
| Companion stringer | A damaged or broken stringer | A full-length board is fixed beside the damaged one to restore its strength. |
| Replaced deck board | A missing or snapped board | The old board is pulled and a new or sound recycled one nailed on. |
The drawing above shows the first three, with the repair in yellow and the nails as dots.
What a repair does to the grade
A pallet with no repairs and none needed is Grade A. One that has been repaired with replaced deck boards, plates or plugs is Grade B. Grade B pallets require deck board spacing of at least 4 inches and may have repaired stringers or plugs longer than 1 1/4 inches. A pallet with several repairs and loose boards is Grade C.
When a repair is not worth it
- More than one stringer cracked. Two plugs on two stringers is a lot of repair for one pallet. It may be cheaper to dismantle it.
- A twisted frame. Nails will not straighten wood that has taken a set.
- Rot or contamination. A repair does not clean a pallet that has been soaked in oil or chemicals.
Repairs and export
A repaired pallet can be a question if it is headed overseas under ISPM 15. If a pallet was repaired after it was treated, ask whether the repair wood is treated and marked too. Heat-treated pallets.
Questions about repairs
How long is a plug?
Between 6 and 24 inches.
When is a repair not worth it?
When the stringer is split along its length or a block is broken.
Do repairs change the grade?
Yes. Repaired pallets move from Grade A to Grade B.
Who repairs
A pallet recycler has the tools and the boards to do it quickly. At a dock, a loose board can be nailed, but a repair that carries load belongs to someone with the proper equipment.
Seeing a repair
A plug is a patch set into a damaged board or stringer. A plate is a metal strip nailed across a split. A companion board sits beside a cracked one to share the load. Each shows as a different color or texture against the original wood, which is how an inspector counts repairs. A pallet with two or three neat ones is a Grade B; a pallet where the repairs outnumber the original boards is not.
What to do with the leftovers
Boards removed during a repair are usually discarded, though sound ones can be reclaimed. A recycler will tell you which it prefers.
Grade after repair
A repaired pallet is a Grade B by the common definition. Too many repairs make it a Grade C.
Tools
A pallet shop uses pneumatic nailers, dismantlers and saws. A dock should not attempt more than a loose-board fix.
Records
Keep a note of which pallets were repaired.