Products · pallets
The thing your boxes stand on matters more than people think.
A bulk box is only as square as the deck under it. We grade, repair and sell pallets alongside boxes because pairing them badly is the quickest way to destroy an otherwise perfectly reusable container.
- Core size
- 48 × 40 GMA
- Grades
- A, B and remanufactured
- Typical price
- $6 – $17
Price pallets
Size, grade, quantity and whether you need them heat-treated. Mixed box-and-pallet loads ship on one freight bill.
Answer first
Pair the pallet to the box, not to the price list.
A 48 × 40 gaylord sitting on a pallet that measures 47½ × 39¾ overhangs at every corner. Every forklift move then loads the bottom edge of the corrugated instead of the deck, and the box that should have made four more trips grades 4A after one. The pallet cost you two dollars less. The box cost you eight.
That is why we sell both, sorted, and why our buyers will ask what deck your boxes are going onto before they quote a grade. It is also why the repair bench handles pallets as well as boxes — a plugged stringer and two replacement deck boards turn a scrap pallet into a B grade that will carry loads for years.
Stock
What we hold and what it is for.
| Type | Size | Grade | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMA hardwood, 4-way | 48 × 40 | A | $12 – $17 | Racking, customer shipments, repeated box reuse |
| GMA hardwood, 4-way | 48 × 40 | B (repaired) | $6 – $10 | In-plant movement, one-way outbound loads |
| Block pallet | 48 × 40 | A / B | $14 – $22 | Heavy loads, automated handling, four-way true entry |
| Half pallet | 42 × 30 / 40 × 32 | A / B | $7 – $12 | Half gaylords, retail back-of-store, tight aisles |
| Plastic pallet | 48 × 40 | Used, inspected | $28 – $55 | Wash-down environments, food, pharma, cleanrooms |
| One-way / stringer skid | Various | Serviceable | $4 – $7 | Export and single-trip shipments |
| Remanufactured | 48 × 40 | Rebuilt from salvage | $8 – $12 | Cost-driven volume where cosmetics do not matter |
Questions
Pallets, answered.
What is the difference between an A grade and a B grade pallet?
An A grade 48x40 GMA pallet has all stringers unrepaired or properly plugged, full deck boards with no more than minor splits, and sits flat and square under load. A B grade has been repaired - typically a companion stringer or replaced boards - and is fully serviceable but cosmetically obvious. A grade suits customer-facing shipments and racking; B grade is right for in-plant use and one-way loads.
Do I need a heat-treated pallet?
Only for international shipments subject to ISPM 15. Domestic freight inside the United States does not require it. Heat-treated pallets carry the IPPC stamp and we sort them separately when a customer needs them.
Will a gaylord box fit any 48x40 pallet?
Almost, but overhang is the thing to check. A 48x40 box on a 48x40 pallet has zero tolerance - if the pallet is slightly undersized or a deck board is proud, the bottom edge of the box overhangs and that is exactly where crush damage starts. For repeated reuse we recommend pairing bulk boxes with A grade pallets that measure true.
Do you buy pallets as well as sell them?
Yes, on the same terms as boxes. Send counts, sizes and photographs. Broken pallets have value too - we sort, repair and remanufacture, and what cannot be saved goes to grind rather than landfill.
Anatomy
The seven parts of a pallet, and which ones matter to your boxes.
Most pallet buying is done on price per unit. Most pallet problems are caused by three components nobody looks at.
- Top deck boards
- Carry the load and support the box base. Five boards under 1,800 lb lets the base sag between them; seven or more prevents it. The single most important spec for bulk boxes.
- Stringers or blocks
- The structure between decks. Stringers give partial four-way entry; blocks give true four-way. Fork tips clipping box corners on side entry come from notched stringers.
- Bottom deck boards
- Spread load into the floor or the rack. Missing bottom boards cause racking deflection that transmits straight into the box above.
- Lead boards
- The outermost top boards. These take the first fork contact and are the most frequently replaced part on a repaired pallet.
- Chamfer
- The bevel on bottom deck boards that lets a pallet jack enter. Absent or damaged chamfers are a jam waiting to happen.
- Fasteners
- Nails or staples. Proud nail heads point-load the box base and cause punctures. We check every repaired pallet for them.
- Actual dimensions
- Not the nominal ones. A '48 × 40' measuring 47½ × 39¾ overhangs a 48 × 40 box at every corner and destroys it within months.
- Moisture content
- Wet pallets wick into the bottom course of corrugated. Kiln-dried or well-stored pallets are worth the difference on anything stored.
- IPPC stamp
- Heat-treatment mark required for international shipments under ISPM 15. Not needed domestically; we sort them separately on request.
Grading
What separates A from B, and what fails outright.
Pallet grading is less standardised than box grading, which is saying something. Here is exactly what we mean by each.
Grade A — unrepaired or properly plugged
- All stringers sound or plugged with a full companion
- Full-width top deck boards, no more than minor splits
- Sits flat under load with no rocking
- Measures true to 48 × 40 within a quarter inch
- No protruding fasteners on the top deck
- Suitable for racking, customer shipments and repeated box reuse
Rejected outright
- Cracked stringers through the fork opening
- More than two missing top deck boards
- Protruding nails that cannot be removed or set
- Mould, or moisture you can feel
- Chemical staining of unknown origin
- Deliberately cut-down pallets sold as standard sizes
Pairing
Which pallet for which box, and why.
| Box | Loaded weight | Pallet | Top boards | Entry | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 × 36, 4-wall | Under 1,200 lb | 48 × 40 GMA, B grade | 5+ | Any | The economical default for internal use |
| 48 × 40 × 36, 5-wall | 1,200 – 2,200 lb | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | 7+ | 4-way preferred | Overhang here is what destroys 5-wall boxes |
| 48 × 40 × 24, shallow | Up to 1,500 lb dense | 48 × 40 block | 7+ | True 4-way | Dense loads deflect stringer pallets |
| 48 × 40 × 48, tall | Under 900 lb | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | 5+ | Any | Stability matters more than deck strength |
| 48 × 45 automotive | Varies | 48 × 45 custom | 7+ | 4-way | Do not substitute a GMA — the overhang is severe |
| 44 × 44 square | Up to 1,800 lb | 48 × 48 | 7+ | 4-way | Slight underhang is fine and often preferable |
| 41 × 28 half | Under 900 lb | 42 × 30 half | 5+ | Any | Two per standard pallet position |
| 44″ round octabin | Up to 2,000 lb | 48 × 40 GMA, A grade | 7+ | 4-way | Base tray spreads load but still needs full support |
| Any, wash-down area | Varies | Plastic 48 × 40 | Solid deck | 4-way | Boxes and plastic pallets: watch condensation |
Order boxes and pallets on one bill.
Matched sets ship together, arrive square, and stop the overhang problem before it starts costing you containers.