Resources
Nine guides, written by people who actually grade pallets.
Ask a question we have not covered
If the answer is useful to more than one person, it usually ends up on this page. Put the question in the message field.
- Written quotes, usually inside one business day
- Loads from 100 pallets to full 53' trailers
- We buy as readily as we sell — tell us which way it flows
The last four per cent
Everything the sort deck rejected, on its way to the grinder. It leaves as mulch, bedding and boiler fibre — not as landfill.
Cluster 01
Buying and selling
The commercial side: what things are worth and how to compare quotes.
How to sell used pallets for what they are actually worth
Most sellers lose money in the twenty minutes before the truck arrives, not at the negotiating table. Here is how buyers actually value a load, and what you can do about it.
OpenComparison · 10 min readRecycled vs new pallets: the comparison, including where new wins
We sell both and make more margin on new. Here is the honest comparison anyway, including the four situations where recycled is the wrong answer.
OpenCost guide · 9 min readReducing pallet costs: where the money actually leaks
Unit price is where everyone looks and it is rarely where the money is. Here are the five costs that are usually larger, in rough order of size.
OpenCluster 02
Specification and standards
The technical side: grades, load ratings and compliance.
Pallet grades explained: why nobody agrees on what Grade A means
There is no certifying body and no legal definition. Two honest quotes for the same grade can be twenty per cent apart. Here is how to compare them properly.
OpenTechnical guide · 9 min readPallet load capacity: static, dynamic and racked, and why the third one matters
Three numbers, and the one people quote is almost never the one that matters. Racked capacity is typically a third of static — and racking is where pallets fail.
OpenCompliance guide · 8 min readISPM-15 explained without the jargon
The rule is one sentence long. The failures are almost always administrative — a repair with untreated lumber, or a label over the stamp.
OpenCluster 03
Programs and comparisons
Structural decisions: pooling, materials and recycling programs.
Pallet pooling vs buying: an honest comparison from someone who sells pallets
We sell pallets, so we have an obvious interest here. Pooling still wins in several specific situations, and pretending otherwise would be useless to you.
OpenComparison · 9 min readWood vs plastic pallets: the loop decides it
We are a wood company, so read this with that in mind. The honest answer is that plastic wins in a genuine closed loop and loses badly everywhere else.
OpenOperations guide · 10 min readA practical guide to pallet recycling for operations managers
Written for the person who has been handed 'sort out the pallet situation' and a wall of empties behind the dock.
OpenReference
Not an article, but you probably want it.
Three reference pages that get used more than any of the guides above, and one interactive tool.
Questions
Using the library.
Do I have to give you an email address to read these?
No. There are no gated PDFs here, no lead-capture wall on the content and no download form. Every one of the nine guides is a web page you can read, print or send to a colleague without telling us who you are.
Who writes the guides?
The people who run the Columbus sort deck. We have been buying, grading and recycling pallets here since 2009, and each guide exists because we were asked the same question enough times to write it down properly rather than answer it again.
Which guide should I start with?
It depends on the problem. If you have pallets piling up, start with how to sell used pallets. If the spend looks wrong, start with reducing pallet costs. If you are writing a specification, start with pallet grades explained.
What is the difference between the guides and the reference pages?
The nine guides argue a case and take ten to fifteen minutes to read. The reference pages are for looking something up: the size library holds twenty-two footprints with the loading maths, the grading standard is published in full and the glossary defines every term used on this site.
What if my question is not covered by any of the nine?
Send it. We answer in writing within one business day, and if the answer turns out to be useful to more than one person it usually becomes the tenth guide. Several of the nine started exactly that way.