Grade A vs Grade B pallets

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The signs, side by side

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Reading a pallet in thirty seconds

1. Look at the three stringers from the end. A plug appears as a short board beside the main timber.
2. Run your eye along the deck boards for different colors and fresh nails: those are replacements.
3. Check the board spacing. A Grade B specification calls for deck-board spacing of at least four inches in some guides, which is a point where inspectors differ, so do not argue grade on spacing alone.
4. Look for plates across board joins, a second sign of repair.
5. Look at the bottom deck. Damage there is easy to miss.

No single sign defines the grade; the count and pattern of repairs does. The GMA organization no longer governs pallet specifications, so grade names are a trade convention, and a buyer's idea of Grade B may differ slightly from yours. Say what you see, not just the grade.

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Which one a load needs

A clean outbound line, such as food or packaged consumer goods, wants Grade A. General freight, parts and industrial loads ship fine on Grade B. A pallet with several repairs and doubtful deck boards, Grade C, is usually a core. A clean-room line wants neither unless it is clean, dry and consistent; see medical devices.

Grade B is not a defect. It means a pallet that would otherwise have been ground was repaired and returned to use. That is also why it costs less than Grade A.

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Keep reading

• Used pallets, sortedUsed pallets for San Jose docks, sorted by size and grade, with plain notes on what each grade carries and where it falls short.
• Surplus 48x40sDocks in Santa Clara, Milpitas and Edenvale collect 48x40s faster than they reuse them. What makes a sound surplus load worth selling.
• GuidesPlain guides to pallet grades, sizes, heat treatment, value, trailer counts and floor space, written for South Bay docks.