Grade B pallets: repaired and still sound

BOX 01How to recognize it

The mark of a Grade B is a repair you can see. A plug is a short board nailed alongside a cracked stringer, between 6 and 24 inches long per iGPS. A new deck board may be paler than its neighbors. A metal plate may bridge a split.

• A plug beside one stringer, or two.
• One or more deck boards newer than the rest.
• Deck board spacing of at least 4 inches, and repaired stringers or plugs greater than 1¼ inches, as the Grade B conditions in Millwood's guide.
• Still flat, still whole, still carrying a full load.

BOX 02Who buys Grade B

The buyer is anyone whose pallet is a tool and not a presentation. Plants that ship parts between buildings, warehouses moving stock to other warehouses, and DCs with outbound that does not go to a picky customer all buy it. Southeast Memphis and Southaven buildings shed a lot of it too, which is why mixed docks often turn out to be mostly Grade B. See Southeast Memphis.

Price is the draw. A Grade B costs less than Grade A for a pallet that does nearly the same job, so a request that allows B opens more stock.

BOX 03Selling Grade B

Describe the repairs: how many pallets have plugs, how many have replaced boards. A pile of Grade B with a few more repairs than usual may be read as Grade C, so honesty helps both sides. For the line between A and B see the side-by-side guide, and for the stock that comes back after repair, recycled pallets.

BOX 04Common defects a B pallet carries

A Grade B pallet usually has one repaired board, a few scuffed edges, a mismatched deck board or visible wear at the fork openings. It lifts, stacks and racks, but not always as many times as an A.

The distinction between B and C is how many such flaws there are and whether any threatens the load. Put that in the request, and use the guide on Grade A versus Grade B if the line is unclear.

BOX 05Three piles, three readings

Pile one: 200 pallets, every stringer whole, about a quarter with one replaced deck board, no stains. That is a clean Grade B, and a buyer for storage or one-way shipping will take it. Pile two: 200 pallets, a tenth with a cracked stringer, a fifth with mismatched boards. That is B with a core fraction, and it reads as two stacks. Pile three: 200 pallets, half of which wobble when tilted. That is closer to C.

The difference between piles is not the letter written on the request, it is the fractions. Count the share of pallets with each fault and write them down. A buyer reads fractions faster than adjectives.

BOX 06What a repaired board tells you

A repaired deck board is visible as a newer, lighter plank among older ones, often fastened with different nails. It is not a defect in itself. It shows that someone thought the pallet worth repairing, and a repaired pallet usually has sound stringers, since a pallet with bad stringers would have been discarded.

A pile in which most boards are repaired, on the other hand, has been through many trips and is nearer the end of its life. That is the point where B becomes C.

BOX 07Selling a Grade B pile to the right buyer

Buyers of Grade B pallets fall into three groups: shippers who send goods one way, warehouses that need floor stock and manufacturers that feed a line and want a steady, uniform supply. Each reads the same pile differently. A one-way shipper cares about the count. A warehouse cares about strength. A manufacturer cares about sameness of size.

Writing your request toward one of the three raises the odds that it lands well. If your pile is uniform, say so loudly; if it is varied but sound, lead with strength.

BOX 08Wording a Grade B offer

A concise offer: "300 Grade B 48 x 40 stringer pallets; about one in five has a replaced deck board; stringers all whole; kept under a roof; no odor." The sentence names the grade, the count, the repair rate, the structure, the storage and the smell. Nothing else is needed for a first read.

BOX 09A note on stencils and brands

Many Grade B pallets still carry the stencil of a former owner: a company name, a pool logo or a tag number. A brand on the wood is not a defect, but it can mean the pallet belongs to someone else. Before offering stenciled pallets, find out whether the owner minds. Pallets that carry a pool's mark should be returned to it, not sold.

FAQStraight answers