Used and Remanufactured Wooden Pallets
Sy’s Pallet Service offers a variety of used and recycled wooden pallets as affordable alternatives to new pallets. Here are pictures of our most common inventoried recycled pallets we have on hand.
Every pallet is sorted, inspected, and repaired to meet the quality standards of our customers. For sizes that we do not routinely stock, we build custom remanufactured wooden pallets using reclaimed lumber from dismantled pallets. We also will custom build your new pallets with all new lumber. Or we can mix them up too, using some new lumber and some used lumber.
We also provide Heat Treat services for any of our pallets that need to be compliant with federal export requirements. We have all the equipment on sight to heat treat your pallets.
Definition of Recycled Wood Pallets
A recycled wooden pallet is any pallet that has been used before, and it may have repaired stringers or deck boards. In fact, the majority of pallets in circulation have been reused or repaired. Here are some characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of using a recycled pallet compared with using brand new.
Characteristics
Capacity Recycled pallets can hold anywhere between 1500 and 3000 pounds which is largely influenced by the way the product is distributed on the pallet. Pallets will hold more weight if the item is evenly placed on the pallet. Whereas pallets with concentrated loads in one particular area will not be nearly as sturdy.
Classifications Most companies will sort recycled pallets using a few key identifiers 1) dimension, 2) number of stringers, and 3) amount of repairs on the stringer – some companies will even sort pallets based on whether they are heavy-duty or light-duty. It is standard in the industry to use the terminology of “#1 Grade, #2 Grade” while some refer to their pallets as “A Grade, and B Grade.”
Advantages
Reduced moisture By virtue of a longer lifespan, recycled pallets have more time to dry and typically register 15% moisture content or less, while a new, “green” pallet can carry 25% or more moisture content. Dry pallets limit the opportunity for moisture to move from the pallet through the paper or cardboard packaging surrounding the product that needs to be shipped which could damage the packaging and also damage the product. Secondly, dry pallets are not as easily susceptible to mold. Moisture is one of the primary ingredients for mold growth, and so a dry pallet is at relatively low risk for attracting a mold spore and housing its growth.
Pricing Recycled pallets are significantly more cost-effective than brand new pallets. Based on national averages, recycled pallets tend to cost about 40 – 60% of the price of their new pallet counterparts. Especially here in MN as lumber prices can fluctuate quite a bit with the weather seasons.
Disadvantages
Inconsistent quality Because recycled pallets are collected from various locations. There is always the possibility of inconsistent quality in deck board spacing, stringer or deck board thickness, or nails that are not perfectly flush with the deck boards. Another disadvantage is the difficulty tracing exactly where each pallet has been. There is no pallet recycler that can absolutely guarantee where each pallet has been on each step of its illustrious pallet career. While many companies might not need to know this kind of information, a clean history is typically a concern for companies in heavily-regulated industries that deal with products like powdered food ingredients, food of any sort really, etc.
Limited supply Recycled pallets also undergo a cycle of short supply. Because a pallet recycler can only sell pallets they have picked up and repaired, recycled pallets are limited by the number of pallets available on the market. About every 3-5 years, the pallet industry undergoes a supply and demand issue of having more pallets available than there is demand, and then not enough pallets to go around.
Summary
A recycled pallet will hold a couple thousand pounds. They will stay dry, you will not know exactly where it has been, but recycled pallets do a great job of taking a simple product and transporting it from Point A to Point B.