Industries · Automotive
Selling plastic pallets from automotive
Automotive plants and suppliers run 48 x 45 pallets that match heavy-duty bulk containers, usually in closed loops. A lot from this industry is read for ownership first.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
What automotive sellers have
Automotive users need heavy dynamic and static loads and favor closed-loop reuse. They sell when a model ends, a supplier switches, or a plant changes the loop footprint.
Footprints and styles in automotive lots
| Reads | Which | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 48 x 45 | the North American automotive pallet |
| Size | 48 x 40 | the general footprint |
| Size | 48 x 48 | heavy-duty parts |
| Style | rackable | heavy racks |
| Style | injection moulded | repair route and strength |
| Style | stackable | static rating |
The automotive market in numbers
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Private jobs | 288,633 |
| Establishments | 934 |
| Top states | Michigan 44,870; Texas 28,069; California 27,690; Kentucky 23,308; Alabama 22,311 |
| Top counties | Wayne MI 24,188; Bexar TX 6,165; Cook IL 5,473; Eaton MI 4,432 |
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Private jobs | 521,212 |
| Establishments | 6,414 |
| Top states | Michigan 111,465; Ohio 62,025; Indiana 52,146; Tennessee 38,791; Kentucky 32,261 |
| Top counties | Wayne MI 20,888; Macomb MI 20,279; Oakland MI 16,970; Kent MI 8,688 |
Michigan alone is 111,465 of the nation's auto parts manufacturing jobs, which is why a 48 x 45 pallet is found in a different set of docks from a 48 x 40.
How a automotive lot is read
Ownership comes first. A closed loop runs between known sites. If your plant ran the loop, the pallets are yours; if a customer's loop owns them, there will be a mark, a code or a tag to find.
Then a buyer reads the deck: heavy-use wear, corner damage, repairs. A uniform lot of 48 x 45 in one style is the best case.
What to say when you send a automotive lot
- Which loop the pallets belong to
- Any customer code or tag
- Footprint and style, with a model mark if you have one
- Count, with a split of whole and cracked
SOLD
Automotive pallets that are whole, unmarked and described.
RETURN
Automotive pallets with a pool name, a customer code or an RFID tag.
SCRAP
Automotive pallets with cracked, burnt or crushed decks.
Can I sell pallets from my parts supplier's loop?
Not unless the loop's owner says so. Pallets in someone else's loop are theirs. Check the record.
What if the plant retired the footprint?
That is a retired footprint lot. Send the count and the model mark.
Words you will meet
- GMA pallet
- The 48 x 40 in North American standard footprint.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- Injection moulding
- Pallet made by forcing molten resin into a mould at high pressure.
- Euro pallet
- 800 x 1200 mm footprint.
- Stackable
- Loaded pallets can sit on top of each other, up to the static rating.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- One-way pallet
- A cheaper pallet shipped with the load and not expected back.
- FM 4996
- FM Approvals standard that rates a pallet as equal to wood in fire tests.
- Compression moulding
- Moulding by pressing resin in a closed mould; one of six processes in use.
- CP9
- A chemical-industry pallet standard, 1140 x 1140 mm.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- Pooling
- Renting pallets from a company that owns, tracks and collects them instead of buying.
- Captive pallet
- A pallet owned and kept inside one company or loop.
- Structural foam
- Low-pressure moulding where a blowing agent expands the resin in the mould.
- Rotational moulding
- Resin heated in a rotating mould to make a hollow jointless part.
Who asks, and what they need
- Automotive plants and suppliers
- 48 x 45 pallets that match bulk containers; closed-loop reuse; heavy dynamic and static loads.
- Closed-loop and captive pallet users
- Large uniform lots of one size and style; repair and replacement parts.
- Retailers that collect pooled or one-way pallets
- Stacks of marked and unmarked pallets left by suppliers; need to know which can be sold and which belong to a pool.
What the sources say
- Counties with the most private motor vehicle manufacturing jobs (NAICS 3361) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Wayne County, Michigan (24,188), Bexar County, Texas (6,165), Cook County, Illinois (5,473), Eaton County, Michigan (4,432), Oakland County, Michigan (735), Los Angeles County, California (643). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 521,212 jobs across 6,414 establishments in motor vehicle parts manufacturing (NAICS 3363) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (111,465), Ohio (62,025), Indiana (52,146), Tennessee (38,791), Kentucky (32,261). (data.bls.gov)
- Counties with the most private motor vehicle parts manufacturing jobs (NAICS 3363) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Wayne County, Michigan (20,888), Macomb County, Michigan (20,279), Oakland County, Michigan (16,970), Kent County, Michigan (8,688), Spartanburg County, South Carolina (6,496), Cook County, Illinois (6,273). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 288,633 jobs across 934 establishments in motor vehicle manufacturing (NAICS 3361) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Michigan (44,870), Texas (28,069), California (27,690), Kentucky (23,308), Alabama (22,311). (data.bls.gov)
- 48 x 48 plastic pallets hold four 55-gallon drums without overhang; 48 x 45 matches North American auto parts bulk containers. (nelsoncompany.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 48 stackable pallet (STK 207) at 4,000 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 32 stackable pallet (STK 783) at 3,500 lb dynamic and 15,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- Counties with the most private refrigerated warehousing jobs (NAICS 49312) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Los Angeles County, California (2,320), Middlesex County, New Jersey (1,661), San Bernardino County, California (1,565), Cook County, Illinois (1,552), Wayne County, Michigan (1,041), Maricopa County, Arizona (871). (data.bls.gov)
- Rehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 rackable pallet is high-pressure injection molded co-polymer polypropylene, with 540 per 53 ft trailer. (rehrigpacific.com)
- PHS lists a 56 x 44 beverage pallet (STK 285) at 2,500 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- North American plastic pallets in the common sizes are about 5 to 6 in tall. (blog.containerexchanger.com)
- Private employers in the US averaged 575,006 jobs across 12,344 establishments in plastics product manufacturing (NAICS 3261) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Ohio (42,286), Texas (40,945), California (35,933), Pennsylvania (34,094), Indiana (33,122). (data.bls.gov)
- Counties with the most private meat and poultry processing jobs (NAICS 3116) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Hall County, Georgia (11,123), Cook County, Illinois (8,367), Sussex County, Delaware (8,212), Marshall County, Alabama (7,387), Fresno County, California (6,499), Douglas County, Nebraska (6,452). (data.bls.gov)
- Counties with the most private dairy product manufacturing jobs (NAICS 3115) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin (3,238), Los Angeles County, California (3,204), Franklin County, Ohio (2,930), Tulare County, California (2,916), Dodge County, Wisconsin (2,659), Marathon County, Wisconsin (2,535). (data.bls.gov)
- Counties with the most private grocery and related product wholesale jobs (NAICS 4244) in 2025, BLS QCEW, counties with disclosed data only: Los Angeles County, California (36,194), Cook County, Illinois (23,404), Miami-Dade County, Florida (14,422), Harris County, Texas (14,172), Dallas County, Texas (12,337), Maricopa County, Arizona (9,996). (data.bls.gov)
- PHS lists 48 x 40 stackable plastic pallets with dynamic ratings of 2,500 to 5,000 lb and static ratings of 3,000 to 30,000 lb. (phsinc.com)
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