Pallets for chemicals
Chemical freight leans on the 48 x 42 and the 48 x 48 and has to keep spills in mind. Wyandotte and the Southwest Detroit riverfront are the centers.
Where chemicals are made
BASF Wyandotte sits on the north riverfront of Wyandotte, descended from the 1893 Michigan Alkali Company. Southwest Detroit has a refinery: 48217, in Boynton and Oakwood Heights, holds the Marathon refinery south of the River Rouge. Wayne County lists chemicals among its industries.
What chemical docks have to think about
- Contamination. A pallet that has soaked up a chemical should not go back into general circulation.
- Stain versus spill. Ask what the pallet carried before you buy or sell it.
- Load rating. Drums and totes are heavy.
- Plastic or wood. Chemical shippers sometimes choose plastic; wood is the focus here.
Selling a chemical dock
Pallets that never touched product and sat in a clean receiving area are ordinary pallets. Those that did should be said to be so. When in doubt, describe it in the request and let a buyer decide. Pallet cores covers pallets that are not worth repairing.
Buying for chemicals
Say the size in inches, the load per pallet, and whether four-way entry matters. If you need a run of 48 x 48, ask about new and custom. For the standard size, used pallets.
Questions from chemical docks
Do we need a safety data sheet to sell a pallet?
Not for a clean one. For a pallet that touched product, describe what it carried.
Is a plastic pallet more suitable?
Some shippers choose plastic for spill resistance. Wood is the focus here.
Which size is best?
Whichever fits the drums. A 48 x 48 holds a square of four drums neatly.
Wood absorbs
Wood is porous, and a pallet that sat under a leaking drum has taken up the liquid. It will not come clean. Separate such pallets early, and keep the clean ones in a dry corner of the dock where nothing can drip on them.
Dealing with a shipper that audits
Chemical companies often audit their waste and reuse streams. A buyer who takes their pallets should expect a few questions about where they go, and a seller who can answer them gets more cooperation. Keep a record of what you sold, to whom, and when.
Documentation
Keep a note of which pallets touched product, with dates. If a question arises later, the record is your protection.
Storage rules
Some chemicals require pallets to be stored under cover and away from ignition sources. Follow those rules for stock waiting for pickup.
Training
Staff who handle chemical pallets should know the sheet for each product.