New pallets built to your spec for Orlando shippers

When new beats used

New is the answer when a load has a rule attached. A spec sheet may name a size, a deck-board count, a fastener type or a maximum weight, and a sorted used stack cannot always meet it. Export freight with its own requirements, products that go to a customer with a written pallet policy, and loads that cannot afford variation are the usual cases.

A new build also has no history. It has not been wet, repaired or stacked outside, which matters in a metro where the rainy season runs from June to September.

What the spec sheet covers

Size

Length by width, in inches. 48 x 40 is the standard; others are on the size table.

Build

Stringer or block, and two-way or four-way entry. The types hub explains each.

Deck boards

How many, how wide, and how they are spaced on top and bottom.

Fasteners

The nails or staples used, which affect how a pallet survives repeated handling.

Treatment

Whether the wood must be heat treated and stamped for export. See heat-treated pallets.

New against its neighbours

A combo pallet mixes recycled and new lumber, so it runs more even than used and costs less than a full new build. A custom pallet is a build to a size or spec nobody stocks. A new standard pallet sits between: all-new wood in a common size. If you are choosing between these, the buy desk table sets them side by side.

New is not automatically dry

The Forest Service survey measured moisture on the pallets it tested: the new pallets sat between 17 and 20 percent, and the used ones, seasoned by a year or more of use, between 10 and 12 percent. Fresh lumber can arrive wetter than reconditioned stock. A buyer in Orlando who needs wood under the 20 percent line for a food or plant load should ask for the moisture condition of a new pallet at delivery, not assume it.

A new pallet in a spec sheet

• Footprint, with stringer length first.
• Number and width of top and bottom deck boards, and the gap between them.
• Entry: two-way, or four-way through notches or blocks.
• Nail or staple type, since fasteners decide how a pallet survives handling.
• Moisture target and whether an ISPM 15 mark is required.

Lead time and the run

A new build is made to order or taken from a builder's stock of common sizes, and the difference decides how soon it can be used. A common size from existing lumber is a simple cut-and-nail job. An unusual size needs the right lumber cut and a jig to hold it, which only pays off over a run. For a one-off, a combo or used pallet in the nearest size is often a better answer.

Why a new pallet can still be refused

A new pallet is not automatically acceptable. A receiver with a written policy may exclude certain fasteners, bark, or a heavy chemical smell from treated wood. A pallet made of unseasoned lumber may bleed sap onto cartons. A pallet with a stamp that is smudged or cut off is a problem for an export load. Checking the first pallet from a run against the policy, before the whole run is made, avoids a rejected trailer.