Broken pallets, cleared from the corner of the dock
A broken pallet has a cracked stringer, a split deck board or a missing block; some can be repaired and the rest are dismantled or ground.
- Size
- Any
- Build
- Stringer, block
- Grade
- Core
- Trades
- Docks, yards
- Towns
- Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon
Which damage can be fixed
| Damage | Repair | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Split or missing deck board | Replace the board | Often still Grade B |
| Short crack in a deck board | Plug beside it | Grade B |
| Cracked stringer | Plate over the crack, or a companion stringer | Grade B, if sound after |
| Missing block | Block replaced or the pallet dismantled | Case by case |
| Crushed or rotten wood | No repair | Parts or ground |
A cracked stringer is the most common reason a pallet drops a grade, since the stringers carry the deck. The repair uses a metal plate hammered over the crack, or a second stringer set alongside the broken one, and the pallet is Grade B afterwards.
Describing the damage
- Most common problem: cracked stringers, split boards, protruding nails, mould
- Share broken against sound in the stack
- Sizes, with a split if mixed
- Whether it is weather damage, forklift damage or age
- Whether any pooled pallets are mixed in; those are not the dock's to sell
Forklift damage and how it shows
Forks that miss the opening break the leading deck board and sometimes crack the stringer. A dock with this pattern will see lots of boards broken on the same side. Whether a damaged pallet is worth repairing depends on the stringer: a whole stringer makes repair possible, a cracked one usually does not.
Weather damage is different. Wet pallets stacked outdoors go grey, then dark, then soft. Those are often past repair.
If the stack is a mix of sound and broken, split the request: sell what is sound and clear the rest. A load of nothing but broken pallets is a core request.
Plugs, plates and companion stringers explains each repair.
A pallet's life in a table
| Damage | Likely route |
|---|---|
| One split deck board | Repair with a replaced board |
| Cracked stringer, rest sound | Repair with a plate or companion stringer |
| Several split stringers | Dismantle for boards |
| Crushed or rotted | Grind |
The same table is a good way to describe a stack. Say how many pallets sit in each row, and the recycler can plan.
What a forklift driver can do
Most damage happens at the dock, when a fork enters a pallet at an angle and cracks a stringer. Training drivers to enter squarely and to stop before the fork touches the back deck board is a cheap way to cut the number of cracked stringers.
A table of causes
| Cause | Typical damage |
|---|---|
| Fork enters at an angle | Cracked stringer or block |
| Load too heavy for the grade | Bowed or split deck boards |
| Dropped from a height | Several broken boards |
| Stored outdoors | Rot, loose nails, mould |
| Pulled with a chain | Torn boards and bent nails |
A pile of broken pallets in numbers
A dock that clears 50 broken pallets a week produces 2,600 over a year. If a quarter of them can be repaired, that is 650 pallets back in service, a meaningful saving. Counting what is truly beyond repair is worth the minute it takes.
What counts as broken
A pallet is broken when it cannot carry a load safely: a snapped stringer, a missing block, several broken deck boards or a split along a notch. A single cracked deck board is usually repairable and does not make the pallet scrap.
Separating the two groups before a request is sent changes the outcome. Repairable pallets can have value to a pallet repairer, while true scrap goes for grinding or reclaim. A pile described by count and by what is wrong with it is easier to place.