Guides · Plastic pallets vs wood lots
Plastic pallets against wood in a lot
This desk deals in plastic only. If your stack holds both, separate it. Plastic and wood are different products with different rules, and they should not be counted together.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
How they differ
| Point | Plastic | Wood |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | About 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy | A typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb |
| Trips | Often described as 100 trips or more | Fewer |
| Cost new | Can cost roughly 10 times as much as hardwood | Lowest up front |
| Export | Exempt from ISPM 15 | Treated and certified under ISPM 15 |
| Repair | Hard; cracked parts are welded | Boards replaced |
| Splinters | Splinter free | Can splinter |
Why separate them
Wood pallets are about 30 percent 48 x 40 GMA in the new US market, and a dock's mixed stack is usually mostly wood. A plastic buyer wants plastic. A wood yard wants wood. Counted together, neither is read fairly. Pull the plastic into its own lane and count it alone.
Where plastic wins and where it does not
Plastic is easier to sanitise and lighter than wood, but it can cost about ten times as much and is hard to repair. Plastic pallets can also deform, or creep, under heavy long-term loads. Those facts are why a buyer inspects a plastic lot closely and why a used plastic pallet is worth a close look.
The form fields this guide fills
- Quantity
- Pallet size
How this guide ends
SOLD
Plastic pallets that are whole and unmarked.
RETURN
Plastic pallets with a pool mark.
SCRAP
Cracked plastic pallets.
Plastic or wood pallets: which is better?
Wood costs least up front. Plastic is easier to sanitise, lighter than wood and splinter free, often lasts 100 trips or more, but can cost about ten times as much and is hard to repair.
Do you buy wood pallets?
No. This desk is plastic only.
Words you will meet
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- ISPM 15
- The international standard for treating wood packaging against pests. Plastic pallets are outside it.
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- Open deck
- Top deck with gaps between slats or ribs; lighter and drains.
- Heat treated (HT)
- ISPM 15 treatment for wood: core at 56 C for 30 minutes. Not needed for plastic.
- Closed deck
- Solid top deck with no gaps; keeps small items from falling through.
- Cruciform base
- Bottom with a cross-shaped member as well as a perimeter, for strength and automated handling.
- Picture frame
- A raised rim around the deck edge that keeps cartons from sliding off.
- Anti-slip
- Textured deck or rubber grommets that reduce load slip.
- 4-way entry
- Forks or a jack can enter from all four sides.
- 2-way entry
- Forks enter from two opposite sides only.
- Nestable
- Empty pallets stack inside one another, cutting empty storage space by up to 75 percent.
- Nest increment
- How much height each extra nested pallet adds to a stack.
- Rackable
- Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
- Creep
- Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
- Thermoforming
- Heated plastic sheet formed over a mould; lighter pallets.
Who asks, and what they need
- Warehouses with automated storage
- Rackable pallets with a stated rack rating, cruciform base, consistent size for conveyors.
- Closed-loop and captive pallet users
- Large uniform lots of one size and style; repair and replacement parts.
- Chemical and drum shippers
- 48 x 48 and 45 x 45 pallets for drums and bags; chemical resistance.
What the sources say
- Plastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Plastic pallets are often described as lasting 100 trips or more, and can cost roughly 10 times as much as hardwood pallets. (en.wikipedia.org)
- USDA APHIS requires wood packaging material entering the US to be treated and certified under ISPM 15, and lists plastic pallets among alternatives that are not subject to APHIS regulation. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. (en.wikipedia.org)
- The 48 x 40 in GMA pallet makes up about 30 percent of new US wood pallets. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Metal pallets are under 1 percent of the pallet market. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Georgia Ports Authority moved 5.7 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 to June 2025), up 8.6 percent or 450,000 TEUs, the Port of Savannah's second-busiest year after 5.76 million in FY2022. (container-news.com)
- Wood packaging material entering the US must be treated and certified per ISPM 15. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15; wood must reach a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes for heat treatment. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Rehrig Pacific's rackable pallet has a two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair and options for FDA-approved colours, RFID and up to 15 percent black recycled content. (rehrigpacific.com)
- NFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them. (en.wikipedia.org)
- An ICC article says unlisted plastic pallets may require raising the commodity hazard class by two classes, and gives an example needing about 55 percent more sprinkler water. (iccsafe.org)
- The International Fire Code permits pallets listed and labeled under FM 4996 or UL 2335 to be treated as wood pallets for sprinkler design. (iccsafe.org)
- A 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood. (iccsafe.org)
- HDPE has resin identification code 2, a density of 930 to 970 kg/m3, melts at 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded. (en.wikipedia.org)
- PHS lists its EXP 100 nestable (48 x 40 x 5.2 in) at 78 pallets per stack and 2,340 per truckload, and its EXP 116 (48 x 40 x 5.75 in, 15,000 lb static) at 40 per stack and 1,260 per truckload: a higher static rating comes with fewer pallets per stack. (phsinc.com)
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