The buy desk
Pallets for sale in Orlando, sorted by grade
Pallets for sale in Orlando come in three families: used pallets graded A, B or C, new pallets built to a spec sheet, and combo pallets made from recycled and new lumber. Choose by what the load needs, then ask.
Start with the load, not the pallet
A dock manager buying pallets is really answering three questions. What will sit on it? Where will it go? How long does it have to last? A case-picked grocery order that leaves the building and is unwrapped at a store needs a different pallet from a bottling run that comes straight back, and both differ from a crate headed for an overseas port.
The 48 x 40 is the most common wood pallet size in North America and the usual default. Beyond size the choice is grade, build and wood. The sections below take them in order, and each links to the page that goes deeper.
The buy options at a glance
| Family | What it is | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Used, Grade A, B, C | Pallets that have shipped before, sorted by repair level | Warehouse, inbound and most outbound freight |
| New | All-new lumber built to a spec sheet | Loads with a size, weight or finish requirement |
| Combo | Recycled and new lumber in one remanufactured build | Steady freight where used varies too much and new costs too much |
| Custom | Odd sizes and special specs | Nurseries, manufacturers and exporters |
| Heat treated | Wood heated to 56 °C at the core for 30 minutes | Export freight that crosses an ISPM 15 border |
Grades, in one paragraph
Grade A pallets have had no repairs and need none. Grade B pallets have been repaired with replaced deck boards, plates or plugs. Grade C pallets look poor, usually carry several repairs, and may have deck boards that are not fully intact. A mixed load is more than one size or grade together, the unsorted pile a dock collects over weeks. Each has its own page: Grade A, Grade B, Grade C and mixed loads.
Moisture comes with the pallet
In Orlando the question that follows grade is dryness. Wood with a moisture content below 20 percent will not support decay fungi, and a stack stored outside through the summer rains will not stay under it on its own. Food, pharmaceutical and plant loads care most. The mould guide explains what to look for.
What to put in the request
- The size, and whether it is a block or a stringer pallet.
- The grade or build you are after, or the freight, if you are not sure.
- How many, and whether it is one load or a steady flow.
- Whether the pallets must be dry, new, or carry the heat-treatment mark.
Why one trailer sets the order size
Most buying decisions end at a truck. Published loading guides put the floor of a 53-foot trailer at roughly 636 inches long and 98 to 100 inches wide, which takes 26 pallets of 48 x 40 laid out straight, two across and thirteen deep. Turned or pinwheeled layouts are reported at 28 to 30, and the sources disagree, so a count taken from a diagram is a starting figure and not a promise.
Weight can cap a load before floor space does: the same guide gives 42,000 to 45,000 pounds as the usual cargo limit. A buyer who knows the trailer count can describe a request as "one load" and be understood at once.
What the choice costs in practice
The families in the table differ mostly in how much variation the buyer must absorb. Used stock varies board by board. A Forest Service survey of 1,867 pallets found repaired pallets with average deck-board thickness of 0.64 to 0.66 inch against 0.61 inch for the new ones sampled, and the researchers found performance varied more in used and repaired pallets than in new ones, and more again as repair quality fell. That variation is why an automated rack or conveyor asks for new or tightly specified stock, and why a hand-loaded dock rarely notices.
Sources
Last reviewed 12 November 2026.
Classifieds: send your request
Say the size, the grade or build, the count and how often. The rest follows from that.