Combo pallets: recycled and new lumber together
A combo pallet is remanufactured from a mix of recycled and new lumber. It is stronger and more consistent than a used pallet and cheaper than an all-new one.
- Size
- Any
- Build
- Stringer
- Grade
- Combo
- Trades
- Recurring orders
- Repairs
- Rebuilt
How it is made
A recycler pulls sound components out of cores, such as good stringers and deck boards, and combines them with new ones. The result is a pallet to a single size and spec, built from parts that were judged one by one.
Why choose it
- A recurring order wants every pallet the same
- New is too much, but a mixed used pile is too variable
- The size is not the 48x40, and a recycler can rebuild to it
- A buyer wants a story: recycled lumber, new where it counts
A remanufactured pallet is often a size that is not a standard 48x40. That is a use for combo: odd sizes built from salvaged parts.
Combo against used
| Used | Combo | New | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumber | As found | Recycled and new | All new |
| Consistency | Varies | Good | High |
| Cost | Lowest | Between | Highest |
Where a stack of cores ends up is covered in pallet recycling. For a repeating purchase, the truckload route is the one to read.
What a buyer gets
A combo pallet is built, not just repaired, so it comes out of the shop to a known size, with boards that are all sound. The recycled lumber has been through inspection, and the new lumber goes where strength matters.
Recycled pallets in general are previously used pallets that have been repaired, refurbished or remanufactured for reuse, and combo is the remanufactured end of that range.
Ask before assuming
- Which parts are new: stringers, top boards, or both?
- Is every pallet in the order the same build?
- Are the decks flat enough for the line?
- Is a heat-treatment mark available?
A comparison to remember
A used pallet is a gamble about its history. A new pallet is a gamble about its price. A combo pallet is a bet that sorting and rebuilding gives a consistent product at a middle price.
Who makes combo pallets and why
Recyclers make them because the economics are good. Used boards cost little, new boards cost more, and a pallet that mixes them can be priced between used and new. The recycler controls the build and can make it match a customer's order, down to the number of boards and the placement of fasteners.
That control is the thing a buyer pays for. A pile of used pallets is a pile of different pallets, but a lot of 500 combo pallets is 500 of the same pallet.
Uses
- Recurring orders that must be consistent
- Sizes that are not the 48x40, rebuilt from salvaged parts
- Loads where all-new lumber is more than the product needs
A combo spec in four lines
48 by 40 inches, three stringers, seven top boards, three bottom boards, recycled and new lumber mixed, all boards sound and all fasteners flush. The same spec every week. That is what a combo order looks like.
Where combo pallets fit
A combo pallet suits a shipper that wants a consistent size at a lower cost than new, and does not need every board to match. It is a common choice for light and medium loads that travel one way and are not returned.
It is a poor choice where a customer inspects incoming pallets closely, where a rack has tight clearances, or where the pallet will carry a heavy point load. In those cases a higher grade or a new pallet is the better buy. Ask for the board count and a photograph of the underside before agreeing.
Grade meanings: pallet grade definitions as commonly used by buyers and sellers (read 11 November 2026). No single body enforces them.
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