Yard tools

Pool size
calculator.

Most operations buy against peak demand and then wonder why they run short. The number you actually need is peak demand multiplied by the whole cycle time — on site, out, dwelling, coming back — plus a repair float. This is that calculation.

Pallets needed in circulation: 4,673
Cycle time: 18 days
Turns per year: 11.8
Replacement: 275 / month

Quote request

Build the pool with us

Send the result and we will reserve the stock, stencil it with Passport codes and put the collections on a standing day.

No phone tag. No sales sequence. One reply from one person.

4,673

Pallets in circulation

Working population plus floats

3,960

Working population

On site, out, dwelling, returning

713

Float

317 repair + 396 spare

275

Monthly replacement

6% annual loss rate

Each stage is your daily volume multiplied by the days spent in that stage — the standard Little's-law approach to any circulating asset.
Stage	Working	Pallets
On site before shipping	220 × 4 days	880
In transit, outbound	220 × 2 days	440
Dwelling at the customer	220 × 9 days	1,980
In transit, returning	220 × 3 days	660
Working population	sum of the four stages	3,960
Repair float	8% of the working population	317
Spare float	10% of the working population	396
Pool size	working + both floats	4,673
Shipped per year	220 × 250 working days	55,000
Annual losses to replace	6% of pallets shipped	3,300
Turns per year	annual shipments ÷ pool size	11.8

Where operations get this wrong

Buying for peak demand instead of for the whole cycle
Forgetting the days a pallet dwells at the customer
Treating the repair float as an optional extra
Counting only what is visible on the dock today
Assuming the loss rate is zero because nobody measures it

Typical dwell times we see

Internal site transfer: 1–2 days
Regional retail DC: 5–12 days
National retail, slow lanes: 14–30 days
Export, one-way: Never returns
Collar and bin systems: Per campaign
Seasonal agricultural: One harvest

If the pallet does not come back, it is not a pool — it is a consumable, and you should buy the cheapest grade that survives the trip.

Go deeper

Yard reference

Every number we publish, in one place

The same appendix appears at the foot of our reference pages so you never have to leave an article to check a figure. All of it is revised annually and matches the constants used by the Carbon Ledger.

Stock specification

Stock footprint: 48" × 40" (1219 × 1016 mm)
Deck height, GMA stringer: 5½" (140 mm)
Deck height, block pallet: 5¾" (146 mm)
Deck height, EPAL 1: 144 mm
Board thickness, nominal: ⅝" (16 mm)
Top deck boards, #1 grade: 6–7
Bottom deck boards, #1 grade: 4–5
Stringers per pallet: 3, notched or solid
Species: Mixed hardwood, oak-dominant
Mass, recycled 48×40: 33–42 lb / 15–19 kg
Mass, new 48×40: 37–48 lb / 17–22 kg
Mass, EPAL 1: 22–25 kg / 49–55 lb
Moisture ceiling at dispatch: ≤ 19%
Fasteners: Helical-thread 2½"

Typical values for our 48×40 recycled stock. Exact board counts vary by grade and batch.

Order terms

Metro delivery minimum: 100 pallets
Pickup minimum (selling to us): 50 pallets
Drop-off minimum: None, during yard hours
Out-of-region freight: Full trailer
Quote validity: 14 days
Standing-order pricing: Fixed for the quarter
First order terms: Prepaid or card
Account terms: Net 30, approved
Buy-back payment: Cheque or ACH, 10 business days
Sample before contract: 20 pallets, free
Grade dispute remedy: Same-day re-grade, replace or credit
Reserved stock: Up to 8 weeks against a confirmed order

Standing-order customers get fixed quarterly pricing.

Grades, side by side

Load figures are observed operating capacities for a 48×40 footprint under a uniformly distributed load. Apply your own safety factor — 1.5 for dynamic handling, 2.0 for long-term racked storage. Price index: 100 = new hardwood.
Grade	Top / bottom boards	Repairs allowed	Static	Dynamic	Racked	Price index
A / Premium	7 / 5	None visible	4,600 lb	2,800 lb	1,800 lb	42–52
#1 Grade	6–7 / 4–5	Full-length companions	4,000 lb	2,500 lb	1,500 lb	30–40
#2 Grade	5–6 / 3–4	Plugs and companions	3,200 lb	1,800 lb	Not advised	20–28
Core / Mixed	As arrived	Unsorted	Unrated	Unrated	No	12–20
New hardwood	7 / 5	n/a	5,000+ lb	3,000 lb	2,200 lb	100
Heat-treated #1	6–7 / 4–5	Companions, re-treated	4,000 lb	2,500 lb	1,500 lb	38–48

The life of one deck, stage by stage

Durations are medians from our line records and the Passport programme; the population is survivor-biased and we say so.
Stage	Typical duration	What happens	Carbon position
Timber to pallet	Weeks	Sawn, nailed, often shipped wet	12.6 kg CO₂e embodied
First life	2–4 years	Hardest service; lead board usually fails	Credit begins at reuse
First repair	2 minutes	Lead board replaced with salvaged stock	+1.8 further lives on average
Second to fifth life	6–12 years	Grading, companions, re-nailing, re-grading	11.6 kg CO₂e avoided per cycle
Structural retirement	—	Stringers rotted or deck beyond rebuild	Stored carbon still retained
Repurposed	Decades	Collars, crates, table tops, cladding	Carbon stays in the material
Fiber	1–3 years	Mulch or bedding, then soil	Released slowly
Thermal	Immediate	Boiler-grade chip	Released at once — last resort

Total cost of a pallet programme, indexed

Index 100 = reactive spot buying. Observed across our managed accounts; your mix will differ, and we will model it against your own invoices for free.
Cost line	Spot buying	Managed programme	Comment
Pallet purchase price	Index 100	78–86	Grade matched to the job, not to panic
Emergency purchases	6–11% of spend	≈ 0%	Reserved stock removes the Friday scramble
Disposal and haulage	Index 100	0–20	Cores are bought, not binned
Internal labour on wood	Index 100	45–60	Sorting at source, scheduled collection
Product damage from pallets	Index 100	60–80	Fewer failures from under-specified decks
Admin and reconciliation	Index 100	30	One netted invoice a month
Reporting effort	Index 100	10	Diversion and CO₂e arrive automatically
Net first-year change	—	−18% to −34%	Observed across our managed accounts

Glossary — thirty terms worth knowing

Core: A used pallet bought for grading — the currency of the industry.
Deck board: Any board on the top or bottom face of a pallet.
Lead board: The outermost deck board at each end; absorbs every fork entry.
Stringer: The long member running the length of a stringer pallet; usually three.
Stringer board: On a block pallet, the board that ties the blocks together.
Block: One of the nine supports in a block pallet.
Notch: The cut-out in a stringer that creates four-way fork access.
Chamfer: A bevel on a lead board's lower edge to ease fork entry.
Companion: A full-length board nailed alongside a damaged stringer. A strong repair.
Plug / scab: A short piece fixed over a break. A weaker repair; #2 grade here.
Re-nail: Restoring the fastener pattern on a loose but intact pallet.
Regrade: Moving a pallet between grade lanes after inspection.
Down-cut: Re-cutting a larger deck into a smaller footprint.
Static load: Capacity at rest on a flat, continuous surface.
Dynamic load: Capacity while being lifted and moved.
Racked load: Capacity spanning beams with no deck support. Always the smallest figure.
Unit load: Pallet, product and wrap considered as one structure.
Overhang: Load or deck projecting beyond its support. The leading cause of rack failure.
Flue space: The gap between back-to-back rack bays; six inches minimum in most codes.
GMA: The Grocery Manufacturers Association 48×40 specification.
EPAL: The licensing body for the European 1200×800 block pallet.
ISPM-15: The international phytosanitary standard for wood packaging.
HT: Heat treatment: 56 °C at core for 30 minutes.
IPPC mark: The wheat-sheaf stamp evidencing phytosanitary treatment.
Collar: Four hinged timber sides that turn a pallet into a container.
Top cap: A lightweight cover protecting the uppermost layer of a stack.
Dunnage: Timber used to fill voids, brace loads and spread point loads.
Fiber: Ground wood: mulch, animal bedding or boiler-grade chip.
Diversion rate: Share of intake kept out of landfill. Ours is 100%.
Reuse rate: Share of intake that leaves as a pallet. Ours is 94%.

Still wondering?

Eight questions that arrive most weeks. The full set lives on the FAQ page, and anything missing can go straight into the form at the top of this page.

Ask the yard

Asked most weeks

What is your minimum order?

100 pallets for metro delivery, 50 for a pickup of material you are selling us, a full trailer for out-of-region freight, and no minimum at all if you collect from the yard.

How quickly can you deliver?

Recycled stock in standard grades is usually same or next business day inside the metro. New builds run 3–7 business days; heat-treated 2–5.

Do you pay for used pallets?

Yes, for sound cores and most odd sizes. Genuinely scrap or contaminated wood carries a removal fee instead, and the offer always separates the two.

Can recycled pallets be used for export?

Only with a valid ISPM-15 heat-treatment mark. We re-treat and re-stamp recycled decks in our own registered chamber wherever the regulation allows it.

Are pallet grades standardised?

No. There is no enforced national standard, which is why we publish thirteen named defects and put the grade definition in writing before any contract.

Why is there no phone number?

The yard is loud and pallet enquiries are specific — counts, sizes, grades, postal codes. Written requests get accurate answers, usually the same business day.

Do you serve my area?

Routinely within 300 miles of St. Louis. Past roughly 950 miles the freight cancels the carbon benefit of reuse, and we will say so rather than quote it.

What happens if a load disappoints?

Tell us the same day. We re-grade, replace or credit, and we examine the lane that produced it. Grade disputes are information, not arguments.

Next step

A pool is cheaper than a habit

Send the figure and we will reserve the stock, stencil it and put the collection on a named weekly day.

Open the quote formPallet management All tools

Request a quote