Clean, dry pallets for food and grocery loads
A food pallet is a clean, dry 48x40, Grade A or B, with wood under about 20 percent moisture content, which will not support mould.
- Size
- 48x40 (GMA)
- Build
- Stringer, four-way if needed
- Grade
- Clean, dry A or B
- Trades
- Food, grocery, beverage
- Towns
- Wyoming, Byron Center, Walker
What a food dock checks first
A food or grocery receiving dock looks at the pallet before the cartons. Is it clean? Is it dry? Does it smell? Are the boards sound enough to rack? Grade matters, but moisture and mould are what get a pallet turned away.
Moisture content in plain terms
Moisture content (MC) is how much water is in the boards. Wood with a moisture content below 20 percent will not support mould, mildew, decay or fungus. Above that, mould is a matter of time and warmth.
| Check | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|
| Smell | Neutral or faintly woody | Musty, sour |
| Surface | Dry, no dark patches | Dark or fuzzy patches, stains |
| Boards | Flat, nailed flush | Cracked, protruding nails |
| Moisture | Under about 20% MC | Damp to the touch |
| Size | 48x40 for most grocery lines | Mixed sizes in one stack |
A hand check is not a measurement. If a dock needs a number, ask for the moisture content and how it was measured.
Four-way, if the dock needs it
Grocery docks that run pallet jacks and forks from every side want four-way entry, which means the pallet has notched stringers or a block frame. The four-way page explains the build. A stringer pallet with solid stringers is two-way; the fork enters from two sides.
Storage after the pallets arrive
Even a slight air velocity of a few feet per second can help prevent mould on stored pallets. Stack off the ground, keep rain off, and leave a gap between rows. The mould guide goes through storage and what to do with a stack that has gone bad.
Wyoming is home to a very large foodservice distributor and a snack food plant; Byron Center has grocery wholesale distribution; Walker has grocery headquarters and distribution. Those docks share a standard: the pallet should arrive clean.
Ask for a price with the count, the grade, the moisture need and the rhythm.
Six signs of a good food-dock pallet
- The wood smells like wood, with no musty or sour note
- No green or black staining in the grain, which suggests mould
- Nails sit flush, with no points showing through the deck
- No oil, grease or chemical marks on the top or the edges
- Deck boards are whole, with no splinters that would catch a liner
- The pallet has been stored indoors or under cover, off the ground
A receiving dock that checks these six things will turn away a few pallets a week and avoid a lot of trouble. It helps the seller too: a stack that passes the six can be described as clean and dry without argument. The moisture figure to remember is 20 percent; wood below it does not support mould.
A pre-delivery check
Ask a seller to photograph the stack on the day of delivery, from two sides and from below. Compare the photograph to the delivery. If the stack differs, say so before unloading.
Which dock rules a seller should know
A buyer in food should tell the seller about any audit rules the plant works under, such as a requirement to keep pallets off the ground or to inspect them on receipt. The seller can then check its own process against them.
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