Pallets audit
Pallets: where the money leaks
Pallets cost money coming in and going out. Coming in, sites buy new when a recycled grade would carry the load, pay for heat treatment on domestic shipments, or use odd sizes that cost more. Going out, pallets end up in the trash, adding hauling cost and throwing away buy-back value. A pallet audit counts both directions.
Pallets are bought by receiving or shipping and thrown out by whoever has a full dock. The purchase and the disposal are on different budgets, so nobody sees the loop.
Where does the money leak?
- 1
New where recycled would do
Recycled and remanufactured pallets in the common 48 × 40 inch size are widely available in grades for different loads. Many internal moves and outbound loads ride fine on them.
Ask: Which of our loads truly need a new pallet?
- 2
Heat treatment you may not need
ISPM 15 sets treatment and marking rules for wood packaging in international trade. Domestic shipments generally don’t need it, though some customers ask for it anyway.
Ask: Which shipments cross a border, and which customers require heat-treated pallets?
- 3
Pallets thrown in the trash
Broken and surplus pallets go into dumpsters and roll-offs, adding volume and pickups. A recycler may collect them, and pay for good cores.
Ask: How many pallets leave in the trash each month?
- 4
Non-standard sizes
Custom sizes cost more and are harder to sell back. Sometimes they are needed; sometimes they are habit.
Ask: Which pallet sizes do we buy, and why each one?
- 5
No returns program
Customers and suppliers send pallets back to your dock. Without a program, those pallets are a disposal cost instead of inventory.
Ask: Do inbound pallets get reused, sold or thrown out?
What does the audit check?
- Pallets bought by size, grade and price over 12 months
- Which loads need new, which can use recycled grades
- Heat-treated purchases against export shipments and customer requirements
- Pallets leaving as waste, from hauling invoices and dock counts
- Buy-back and pickup options for surplus and broken pallets
What data is needed?
| Send | Why |
|---|---|
| 12 months of pallet invoices | Size, grade, treatment and price by order. |
| Counts in and out, even rough ones | To size a returns or buy-back program. |
| Hauling invoices | To see what pallet disposal costs today. |
No system access is needed. PDFs or spreadsheet exports are fine. The site doesn’t take uploads; documents are arranged after the reply to your request.
Questions buyers ask
Are recycled pallets strong enough?
For many loads, yes, but it depends on the load and the grade. Test a recycled grade on your heaviest typical load and your racking before switching the whole program.
Do I need heat-treated pallets?
ISPM 15 applies to wood packaging moving in international trade. For domestic-only shipments it generally isn’t required, unless a customer specifies it. Check your export lanes and customer requirements.