Pool-marked · RFID
RFID-tagged pallets: whose they are
RFID is a tag moulded into or fixed on a pallet so its owner can track it. A tagged pallet usually has an owner, so treat it as theirs until you can show otherwise.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
What a tag looks like
Some RFID tags are moulded into the pallet, so you will see a smooth rectangular panel on a foot, a corner or the deck edge. Others are fixed on, so you will see a label or a button. A pallet can carry a tag and no name, or a name and no tag. Either is a flag.
- A flat panel, often rectangular, set into a foot, corner or runner.
- A raised round or square button on the deck edge.
- A sticker or label with a code.
- A recess where a tag used to be.
Tagged does not always mean pooled
Pallet makers sell RFID options on pallets for private fleets. One maker lists RFID as an option on its rackable pallet, along with FDA-approved colours and recycled content. So a tag can mean a pooled pallet, or a captive pallet in somebody's own closed loop, which might be yours. The way to tell is the record, not the tag.
| You see | You know | You do |
|---|---|---|
| A tag and a pool name | A pooled pallet | RETURN |
| A tag and your own brand | Probably your captive pallet | Check your records, then read it as a sale |
| A tag and no name | An owner you cannot see | Hold it apart; ask the supplier |
| No tag, no name | Unmarked | Sort by grade |
Never remove a tag
Cutting out, covering or disabling a tag is the one thing this desk will not help with. It turns a question about ownership into a question about intent. Leave the tag in place, record it, and ask.
Can I sell RFID-tagged pallets?
Not until you can show they are yours. If the tag belongs to a pool, they go back. If it is your own fleet, keep the records and send the lot.
Does the sorter handle tags?
Yes. Choose the marks option for an RFID tag or another name. The ruling is RETURN until you show otherwise.
Words you will meet
- Lip
- Raised edge on the deck, or an optional soft lip, that keeps the load in place.
- Picture frame
- A raised rim around the deck edge that keeps cartons from sliding off.
- Recycled-content pallet
- A pallet moulded partly or wholly from post-industrial or post-consumer resin.
- Closed deck
- Solid top deck with no gaps; keeps small items from falling through.
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- PP
- Polypropylene. More rigid than HDPE and better with heat and harsh chemicals; used where rack stiffness matters.
- Edge rack
- Resting on the rack beams by the pallet's edges only, with no support in the middle.
- Open deck
- Top deck with gaps between slats or ribs; lighter and drains.
- Runners
- Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
- Anti-slip
- Textured deck or rubber grommets that reduce load slip.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Commodity classification
- Sprinkler design class of stored goods; an unlisted plastic pallet can raise it.
- Injection moulding
- Pallet made by forcing molten resin into a mould at high pressure.
- Compression moulding
- Moulding by pressing resin in a closed mould; one of six processes in use.
- Profile extrusion
- Pushing resin through a die to make long shapes that form pallet parts.
Who asks, and what they need
- Distribution centres with surplus pallets
- Sell or recycle excess lots, mixed makers and colours, broken pallets.
- Plastic recyclers and pallet makers
- Buy broken pallets by weight as HDPE or PP feedstock; want clean, sorted, separated by resin and colour.
- Warehouses with automated storage
- Rackable pallets with a stated rack rating, cruciform base, consistent size for conveyors.
What the sources say
- 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)
- California AB 1760 (2022) lets recyclers take possession of stray proprietary pallets if the owner cannot be identified or fails to retrieve them in time, with a 35-day period before they can be declared abandoned. (palletenterprise.com)
- CHEP USA sued two California recyclers over CHEP-marked pallets they would not return; a Los Angeles court granted CHEP's motion to retrieve pallets in one case (article dated February 1, 2024). (palletenterprise.com)
- Rehrig Pacific offers the standard-duty nestable with recycled content of up to 90 percent in black, and describes it as 100 percent recyclable. (rehrigpacific.com)
- In 2011 a Quebec court ruled that CHEP's identified blue pallets belong to CHEP and cannot be sold. (palletenterprise.com)
- iGPS announced FM approval in 2008 for its all-plastic RFID-tagged pooled pallet, which had UL 2335 certification from 2007. (freightwaves.com)
- Rehrig Pacific's heavy-duty nestable can be made with post-consumer or post-industrial recycled material, up to 30 percent in black and up to 10 percent in colour, and is RFID compatible. (rehrigpacific.com)
- Private employers in the US averaged 73,136 jobs across 1,811 establishments in refrigerated warehousing (NAICS 49312) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (9,969), Texas (6,638), New Jersey (5,388), Georgia (4,453), Pennsylvania (4,102). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 168,222 jobs across 2,809 establishments in dairy product manufacturing (NAICS 3115) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Wisconsin (28,840), California (18,374), New York (11,603), Ohio (8,963), Texas (7,529). (data.bls.gov)
- Private employers in the US averaged 173,844 jobs across 2,936 establishments in fruit and vegetable preserving (NAICS 3114) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (27,518), Wisconsin (11,014), Washington (10,988), Ohio (10,327), Texas (9,194). (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)
- Private employers in the US averaged 829,364 jobs across 49,933 establishments in grocery and related product wholesale (NAICS 4244) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: California (109,827), Texas (75,474), Florida (63,967), New York (50,594), Illinois (48,629). (data.bls.gov)
- Rehrig Pacific says its reusable products are designed to be recyclable at end of life and run a buyback program. (rehrigpacific.com)
- A 48 x 40 pallet fits 30 stacks in a turned pattern on a 53 ft dry van, per one supplier. (nelsoncompany.com)
- Private employers in the US averaged 556,647 jobs across 4,689 establishments in meat and poultry processing (NAICS 3116) in 2025 (BLS QCEW). States with the most jobs: Texas (44,780), Georgia (42,030), North Carolina (35,715), Arkansas (34,773), Iowa (33,386). (data.bls.gov)
- Counties with the most private warehousing and storage jobs (NAICS 493) in 2025, BLS QCEW: San Bernardino County, California (67,058), Riverside County, California (51,310), Dallas County, Texas (44,657), Maricopa County, Arizona (42,291), San Joaquin County, California (28,518), Clark County, Nevada (28,250), Middlesex County, New Jersey (26,309), Will County, Illinois (25,357). (data.bls.gov)
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