Grade A pallets: no repairs, none needed

01 What a load of grade A looks like

Open the trailer and the stack looks uniform: the same size, boards in line, no metal plates, no short plugs nailed beside a longer board. A little wear on the edges of the stringers from forklift entry is normal. What you do not see is the patchwork of a repaired pallet.

02 Where it fits

• Loads that go to a customer who will look at the pallet.
• Clean-room-adjacent and food-adjacent docks.
• Automated lines that rely on consistent heights.
• Racked stock where uneven decks matter.

03 Grade A and new

Grade A is used and unrepaired. New is built from all-new lumber and never shipped on. A grade A used pallet can look as good as a new one for a fraction of the lumber, but its history is unknown. For a high-value or inspected load, new is the safer ask.

04 Supply

Grade A is the grade most 3PLs want back for outbound freight, so it sells fast when sorted. If your dock receives clean 48 x 40 pallets from suppliers and keeps them dry, you may be sitting on grade A.

05 Asking for grade A

1. State the size.
2. State that grade A means no repairs and boards in line.
3. Say whether brand marks or stains matter.
4. State the count and the rhythm.

06 Photographing a grade A lot

A few clear pictures help a buyer confirm the grade: the top deck flat on, the bottom deck flat on, a corner showing board thickness and a close view of any repair. Daylight avoids shadows that hide cracks.

07 Grade A in a supplier's words

Millwood describes its grade A as the balanced band: minor stringer repairs allowed, solid or plated stringers, consistent deckboard spacing and alignment, up to 1 inch out of square, and load performance verified. Its premium band above it is near-new. The legacy numbering ran 1A, 1 and 2, so a buyer who asks for a grade A should say which scale is meant.

08 Premium and A compared