Grade A vs Grade B pallets: which one your load needs

BOX 01Side by side

The two grades carry the same load. What differs is how the pallet looks and how much history it carries.

BOX 02The test on a dock

1. Turn the pallet over. Any plug beside a stringer, any metal plate, any board that is newer than its neighbors, and it is B.
2. Look at the deck. Every board whole and flush, with no stain, and it is A.
3. Press down on each corner. If it rocks, it is not flat, and not A or B.
4. Smell it. A musty pallet is out of the running for food.

Grade B pallets can have repaired stringers or plugs greater than 1¼ inches and need deck board spacing of at least 4 inches, according to Millwood. Since the GMA organization no longer governs specifications, confirm what a seller means by each word.

BOX 03Which to buy

If a retail customer will unload the pallet, buy A. If it goes to a plant, B saves money and works. If you are unsure, send a request that allows either, and say so. The grades say more: Grade A, Grade B, and the used pallet buy page.

BOX 04A worked example of the line between them

Imagine two stacks of 48 x 40 pallets. In the first, every pallet has three full stringers, eleven sound deck boards and no stain. In the second, one pallet in four has a replaced deck board and a few have scuffed corners. The first is Grade A. The second is Grade B, even though each pallet works.

The line is not about whether a pallet will carry a load; both will. It is about how it looks to a customer and how long it will last. For one-way shipping, B is usually enough.

BOX 05When the difference does not matter

For a pallet that will be used once and discarded, the difference between A and B is usually not worth paying for. For a pallet that will go through a rack ten times, the difference may be worth a great deal. Know which you need before you decide.

FAQStraight answers