Pallet grades, in plain words

BOX 01The grades in order

New and combo pallets are the other two choices on the request form: new is all-new lumber and combo mixes recycled and new.

BOX 02Who sets the grade

The GMA organization no longer governs pallet specifications, so grades are a trade habit, not a law. A buyer's Grade B may be a seller's Grade A. That is why the request asks for a description and a count, and why the guide below says what a pallet looks like at each grade rather than citing a standard. Deckboard spacing of at least 4 inches and repaired stringers or plugs greater than 1¼ inches are typical Grade B conditions per Millwood.

A plug used to repair a broken board can be between 6 and 24 inches long (iGPS). It is the usual sign of a Grade B.

BOX 03Choosing a grade

Pick the grade by what the pallet does. If the customer sees it, A. If it moves freight between your own buildings, B or even C. For a side-by-side, read Grade A versus Grade B.

BOX 04Grades are a conversation, not a standard

No body issues an official grade that every buyer accepts. The grades below follow a common reading in the trade, and a buyer who says "B" may accept a pallet another buyer would call C. The practical consequence is simple: describe the pallet, not only the letter.

A good description names three things: what is wrong with the worst pallet in the pile, what share of the pile is like that, and whether any pallet is damp. A request that includes them is read the same way by any buyer, and the letter becomes a summary.

BOX 05A rough test you can run in a minute

1. Pick ten pallets without choosing the best.
2. Lift each by one corner and look underneath at the stringers.
3. Count the pallets with any cracked stringer or a missing board.
4. Score them: none is closer to A, a few to B, most to C or cores.

This is a rough test and a buyer will make their own. It gives a request an honest first line.

BOX 06Grades by use, in one table

The table is a rule of thumb. Individual buyers differ, and a request should describe the pallet whatever grade it calls it.

BOX 07Why the same pile gets two grades

Two buyers can honestly grade one pile differently. A retailer who shows the pallet to customers grades harshly. A plant that uses it as a one-way base grades loosely. Neither is wrong; each is answering a different question.

So the useful move for a seller is to describe the pile's condition in facts and let each buyer apply their own grade. Facts include what is wrong with the worst pallet, how many are like that and whether any are damp.

BOX 08Grades and sizes together

A pile can be Grade A in one size and Grade C in another, and the honest description reports each separately. Anyone meeting a single grade for a mixed-size pile will assume the commonest size and the best condition. Splitting the description removes that guesswork.

BOX 09Where the grade names come from

The letters belong to the trade, not to a regulator. Millwood, Mecalux and iGPS each publish a version of the Grade A, B and C idea, and the three differ at the edges: one counts the number of repaired boards, another the straightness of the stringers, another the look of the deck. Reading two of them side by side shows how loose the boundaries are.

The grade pages use the common core of those descriptions and cite them. Where the sources disagree, the grade page says so.

FAQStraight answers