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Technical questions go straight to the graders.
Two prices for the same words are usually two different products.
A buyer sent us a competitor's quote asking why ours was eleven percent higher. Four questions established that the documents described materially different platforms: theirs was B-grade on a 5/3 economy deck, ex-yard, with no buyback; ours was Combo at an agreed 60/40 on a 7/5 deck, delivered, with a surplus credit. Normalised, ours was about fourteen percent cheaper per unit delivered.
Seven variables hide inside one line item: grade, board count, combo ratio, freight, tolerance, treatment and buyback. None of them are secret and most quotes omit several. The fix is a nine-row worksheet, filled in by asking rather than assuming, and one computed line — landed cost per unit delivered, net of recovery credit. That is the only number that is actually comparable.
On the other side of the same problem: a complete specification gets you a quote in one pass instead of three, a fixed part number, buffer stock held against your spec, and a sort line that starts setting material aside for you. That last effect is why standing customers get better consistency as well as better pricing. It is not loyalty, it is a sort line behaving rationally.
- Ask for board count and grade in writing. Those two settle most of the variance in most comparisons.
- Compare landed cost per unit delivered, net of buyback — not unit price.
- 'Combo' without a numeric ratio is an invitation to a disagreement nobody can win.
- Send the load case before the drawing is frozen. Half of all specs are wrong in both directions at once.
- The non-conformance clause has real value and appears on no price comparison.
- Specifying 'heavy duty, to be safe' because nobody knows the load case
- Re-ordering against 'the same as last time' with no part number behind it
- Comparing a delivered price against an ex-yard price
- Treating a buyback rate quoted on A-grade returns as applying to a B-grade return mix
- Choosing a supplier who will not take your non-salvageable cores, and paying a tipping fee for them elsewhere
3 on procurement, newest first.
Writing a pallet spec your supplier cannot misread
A complete specification is about fourteen lines. Here is the template, with the ambiguity removed from each one.4 min · 823 words · Marcus, yard supervisor
April 15, 2025How to compare two pallet quotes that are not comparable
Two prices for “48x40 recycled” can differ by 40% and both be fair. Here is the normalisation worksheet.4 min · 834 words · Rosa, logistics
January 9, 2024Six lines that turn a pallet RFQ into a usable quote
Most requests we receive cannot be priced without three emails of clarification. These six lines eliminate all three.4 min · 805 words · Rosa, logistics
The tables behind these posts.
The same data we work from in the yard, so you can check the arguments above against the numbers.
| Footprint | Inches | Millimetres | Construction | Top / btm boards | Weight lb | Dynamic load | Racked load | Board feet | Positions per 53′ van |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 GMA | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 33–48 | 2,100–2,800 lb | 1,500–2,500 lb | 37 | 30 |
| 48 × 40 heavy | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer, thicker | 7 / 7 | 46–58 | 3,000–4,000 lb | 2,200–3,000 lb | 44 | 30 |
| 48 × 40 economy | 48 × 40 | 1219 × 1016 | 3-stringer | 5 / 3 | 28–34 | 1,200–1,800 lb | Not recommended | 27 | 30 |
| 48 × 48 | 48 × 48 | 1219 × 1219 | 4-stringer or block | 7 / 5 + perimeter | 52–68 | 3,000–4,500 lb | 2,000–3,000 lb | 46 | 26 |
| 42 × 42 | 42 × 42 | 1067 × 1067 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 32–44 | 2,000–2,600 lb | 1,400–2,200 lb | 34 | 30 |
| 40 × 48 | 40 × 48 | 1016 × 1219 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 33–48 | 2,100–2,800 lb | 1,400–2,300 lb | 37 | 30 |
| 48 × 42 | 48 × 42 | 1219 × 1067 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 35–50 | 2,200–2,900 lb | 1,500–2,500 lb | 39 | 30 |
| 40 × 40 | 40 × 40 | 1016 × 1016 | 3-stringer, notched | 6 / 4 | 28–40 | 1,800–2,400 lb | 1,200–2,000 lb | 31 | 30 |
| 48 × 36 | 48 × 36 | 1219 × 914 | 3-stringer, notched | 7 / 5 | 30–42 | 1,900–2,500 lb | 1,300–2,100 lb | 33 | 34 |
| Euro / EPAL 1 | 47.2 × 31.5 | 1200 × 800 | 9-block | 11 + 3 bearers | 50–57 | 3,300 lb nominal | 2,200 lb nominal | 33 | 40 |
| Euro 2 / industrial | 47.2 × 39.4 | 1200 × 1000 | 9-block | 11 + 3 bearers | 60–70 | 3,300 lb nominal | 2,200 lb nominal | 41 | 30 |
| Euro 3 / half | 31.5 × 23.6 | 800 × 600 | Block | Varies | 20–26 | 1,100 lb | Not rated | 17 | 80 |
| Quarter / display | 23.6 × 15.7 | 600 × 400 | Block or moulded | Varies | 9–14 | 550 lb | Not rated | 9 | 160 |
| Asia standard | 43.3 × 43.3 | 1100 × 1100 | 9-block | Varies | 48–60 | 2,200 lb nominal | 1,800 lb nominal | 36 | 28 |
| Australia standard | 45.9 × 45.9 | 1165 × 1165 | Block | Varies | 55–66 | 2,200 lb nominal | 1,800 lb nominal | 40 | 26 |
Capacities are indicative ranges for recycled stock, not certifications — see load capacity for how the three ratings differ. Trailer positions assume the better of the two orientations on a 630″ × 98″ floor. Usable floor of a 53-foot dry van. Reefers and curtainsides run shorter and narrower.
| Criterion | Grade A / #1 | Grade B / #2 | Combo | Core / as-is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plugs permitted | No | Yes | In the B portion | N/A — unsorted |
| Companion boards | No | Yes | In the B portion | N/A |
| Stringer repair | No | Yes, plug or plate | In the B portion | N/A |
| Missing boards | None | None | None | Possible |
| Weathering | Light | Visible | Mixed | As received |
| Dimensional tolerance | ±⅜ in | ±½ in | ±½ in | Unchecked |
| Protruding fasteners | None | None | None | Possible |
| Rated load | Full | Full | Full | Unknown |
| Indicative price index | 100 | 62–70 | 75–85 | 30–45 |
| Re-stamped with passport | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Price index is relative, with A-grade set at 100, and moves with the market. Note that rated load is full on A, B and Combo alike — grade is a cosmetic and repair-history statement, not a strength one. Grades explained in full.
| Driver | Weight | Direction | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core availability | Highest | Counter-cyclical | Supply comes from platforms being retired, which tracks goods movement. Recycled prices can firm in a slowdown. |
| Freight & diesel | High | Direct | Pallets are bulky and cheap per pound, so trucking rates move our price faster than lumber does. |
| New lumber index | Moderate | Direct, lagged ~2 quarters | Transmits through new pallet prices, damped at every step. |
| Footprint scarcity | Moderate | Inverse to popularity | An unusual 42×42 can cost more than a common 48×48. Popularity is cheapness. |
| Seasonality | Moderate | Peaks Sep–Oct | Harvest, retail build and construction overlap in eight weeks. |
| Grade mix in the pool | Low–moderate | Widens the A/B spread | A hard winter or a beaten-up inbound stream lowers A-grade yield. |
| Treatment & certification | Low | Direct | A fixed adder per unit, not a market force. |
Note the first row: recycled supply is harvested from platforms being retired, so it can tighten in a slowdown. Buyers tracking only the lumber index are reliably surprised. Full breakdown.
| Tier | Stock release | Repaired stock | New build | Heat treated | Surplus pickup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | 24–48 hours | 3–5 business days | 7–12 business days | Same day on held stock | 48 hours, full trailer |
| Regular | 3–5 business days | 5–8 business days | 10–15 business days | 48 hours | Next scheduled run |
| On demand | Next paired run | 8–12 business days | 12–18 business days | 72 hours | Full trailers, scheduled |
Working days from a confirmed order against an agreed specification. Standing-release customers run shorter than these because we hold buffer stock sorted to their spec.
The terms these posts assume you know.
Vocabulary is the cheapest performance upgrade in this industry — almost every argument we have with a new customer comes down to two people using the same word for different objects.
- Companion board
- A second board nailed alongside a damaged one to share the span. A legitimate repair; drops a pallet to B grade.
- Core
- An unsorted, un-repaired used pallet — raw material for a recycler. Sold by the load.
- GMA
- Grocery Manufacturers Association, whose 48×40 spec became the de facto North American pallet.
- Plug
- A lumber insert repairing a broken stringer. Structurally sound; cosmetically obvious.
- Whitewood
- Any non-pooled, non-rental pallet — owned outright rather than leased from a programme.
Where procurement meets what we actually sell.
Procurement questions we get.
What should a complete pallet specification contain?
Fourteen lines: footprint and tolerance, construction and fork entry, jack access, top and bottom deck configuration, notch geometry, lumber, board thickness, moisture, fasteners, treatment, grade, and the load case. Assign it a part number and re-order against the number rather than the conversation.
Why is one quote so much cheaper than another?
Most often grade or board count — a B-grade 5/3 against a Combo 7/5 is a 30 to 40 percent difference and both can honestly be called '48×40 recycled'. Second most often it is freight, because pallets are bulky and cheap per pound and a yard thirty miles closer has a structural advantage nobody can negotiate away.
Is a term agreement actually cheaper?
Yes, and not as a favour. A standing commitment lets us sort to your specification continuously rather than scrambling when an order lands, which genuinely costs us less. It also removes lumber volatility, the September squeeze and freight-rate movement from your cost base.
Eleven more areas.
NoteSubject pages are reachable from the blog index and from every post rather than the main menu. The full archive lists all forty posts by year.