The grade sheet
The grade sheet: see what changes a pallet's grade
A pallet reads as Grade A, B, C or core depending on the repairs and damage it carries. Switch them on and the sheet gives the grade and what it means.
The sheet reads
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How the sheet reads a pallet
The sheet follows standard grading practice as the trade describes it. Grade A has had no repairs and needs none. Grade B has been repaired with replaced deck boards, plates or plugs. Grade C has a poor appearance, usually several repairs, and deck boards that may not be fully intact. A core is a used pallet a shipper no longer needs, sold or handed to a recycler for inspection, repair, dismantling or, if beyond repair, grinding.
Real grading is done by eye and by hand, against the buyer's own rules. The sheet turns that into counts so you can see why a grade changes. Its repair threshold, four repairs for Grade C, is a rule of thumb chosen to keep the sheet plain, not a trade standard.
The rules, as the code applies them
These four lines are the rules the calculator runs, printed from the same code.
| Grade | The sheet reads it when | In plain words |
|---|---|---|
| Grade A | No plugs, no replaced boards, nothing broken, no cracked stringer, no damaged block. | No repairs, none needed. The grade food and outbound retail loads usually ask for. |
| Grade B | One to 3 repairs in all (plugs plus replaced boards) and nothing else wrong. | Sound, with repairs: replaced deck boards, plates or plugs. Fine for most warehouse and inbound use. |
| Grade C | 4 or more repairs, or one or two broken boards left in place. | Poor appearance, several repairs or boards that are not fully intact. For loads where looks and fit matter little. |
| Core | A cracked stringer or damaged block, or 3 or more broken boards, or any broken board on a pallet with 4 or more repairs. | Not worth shipping on as it is. A recycler repairs it, takes it apart or grinds it. |
What the sheet assumes
- A pallet with 4 or more repairs reads as Grade C, because several repairs is how Grade C is usually described.
- A cracked stringer, or a cracked or missing block on a block pallet, reads as a core: the frame is what the forks lift.
- Wet and mouldy boards add a note but do not change the grade. Moisture is a separate question, covered in the moisture guide.
- The sheet reads one pallet. A stack is sorted pallet by pallet, and a mixed load will always include more than one grade.
- Size changes nothing in the grade. It travels with the request so a buyer or recycler can see it.
Questions, answered
Can the sheet grade my actual stack?
No. It shows how the usual grading practice treats repairs and damage. A buyer or recycler grades the real stack against their own rules.
Why does a mouldy board not change the grade?
Mould is a condition of the wood, not of the build. A board with mould is replaced or the pallet is sorted out; the grade then follows from the repairs.
Why do four repairs make Grade C?
Grade C is described as a pallet with several repairs. The sheet draws the line at four to keep the rule plain and visible.
Send this sheet with your request
Pick Buy this grade or Sell these above, and the summary of your sheet goes into the request.