Pallet repair restores a damaged wooden pallet to usable condition by replacing broken boards or blocks, reinforcing cracked stringers and renailing loose components, usually at a fraction of the cost of a new pallet. The method depends on the system: licensed EPAL repairers must use specified parts and a marked repair nail, North American recyclers mostly reinforce stringers with companion pieces, and any repaired pallet used in export must still comply with ISPM 15.
Why pallets are repaired
A wooden pallet rarely fails as a whole. Damage concentrates in a few places: lead deck boards hit by forklift tines, blocks knocked loose, and stringers cracked at the notches. Replacing those parts brings the pallet back into circulation while most of its wood keeps working, which is both cheaper and less wasteful than building new.
Repair is a large activity in its own right. A 2016 survey of US repair firms by Park, Horvath and Bush (BioResources) cites research showing that production of recovered pallets in the United States grew from 143 million units in 1995 to 326 million in 2011. In Europe, the open EPAL exchange pool depends on a network of licensed repairers to keep Euro pallets exchangeable.
The repair process step by step
Most repair operations follow the same sequence, whether manual or partly automated:
- Receiving and inspection. Incoming used pallets ("cores") are checked one by one and sorted into reusable as-is, repairable and scrap.
- Sorting by size and type. Pallets are separated by footprint, construction and, where relevant, system (EPAL, GMA-style 48 × 40 in, pooled pallets that must be returned to their owner).
- Dismantling of scrap pallets. Pallets that are beyond repair are taken apart, usually with a bandsaw dismantler, to recover boards and blocks as repair parts. See pallet dismantling machines.
- Part preparation. Recovered boards are trimmed to length, and stringers are notched or blocks reconditioned.
- Repair. Damaged components are removed and replaced, or reinforced, at a repair table or station.
- Marking and finishing. Repair marks, treatment marks or customer paint codes are applied.
- Stacking and loading. Repaired pallets are stacked by grade for dispatch.
The US survey above found that inspection, nailing and painting remained largely manual, while board trimming and sorting were the most automated steps. Equipment for this work is covered in pallet repair machines and stations.
Repair methods by pallet type
Block pallets (Euro and similar)
Block pallets are repaired mostly by direct replacement: a broken deck board, stringer board or block is cut or pulled out and an equivalent component is nailed in. Because the design is modular, a skilled repairer can replace a single board quickly. The key requirements are that replacement parts match the original in dimensions, species rules and quality, and that the correct nails and nailing pattern are restored.
Stringer pallets (North American style)
On stringer pallets, the stringer is a long structural member that is laborious to replace. Repairers therefore usually reinforce it instead:
| Method | Description | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Half companion stringer | A shorter piece of stringer stock nailed alongside the damaged section | Crack at one end or one notch |
| Full companion stringer | A full-length piece nailed alongside the damaged stringer | Crack along most of the length |
| C-block (plug) | A block nailed against the stringer to bridge a break | Localized damage, often at notches |
| Metal plate | A toothed steel plate pressed across a crack | Hairline or short cracks |
| Stringer replacement | Damaged stringer removed and replaced | When reinforcement is not acceptable |
In the Park et al. survey, 89% of responding firms used half companion stringers, 36% used C-blocks, 11% used full companions and 36% used metal plates. Customers sometimes restrict the number of companions or plates per pallet because each adds weight and can affect fork entry, so repair grades should be agreed in writing.
EPAL repair rules
In the EPAL system, only licensed repairers may repair EPAL Euro pallets, and every repaired pallet must carry an EPAL repair marking nail showing the EPAL trademark and the repairer's licence number. Repair without these nails is not permitted. To be licensed, a repairer needs, among other things, at least one equipped workstation, pneumatic nailers for EPAL-approved 90 mm and 40 mm nails, a wood moisture meter, a digital caliper or calibrated gauges for board dimensions, a copy of the EPAL Technical Regulations, and an order confirmation for repair nails from an approved supplier. Applicants submit test pallets for evaluation. The application route is described in how to get an EPAL licence.
EPAL publishes criteria that make a Euro pallet non-exchangeable and therefore in need of repair. They include:
- a board missing, or broken crossways or at an angle;
- a block missing, or split so that more than one nail shank is visible;
- a block twisted so that it protrudes more than 1 cm beyond the outer edge;
- visible nail tips, or more than two visible nail shanks per pallet;
- missing EPAL marking on both corner blocks of one long side, or no legible EPAL marks;
- components that do not meet the Technical Regulations (for example undersized, rotten or with wane);
- contamination that could transfer to goods, such as oil, paint, odor or mould;
- repairs not carried out to specification.
Licensed repairers are subject to the same unannounced external inspections as producers. How used EPAL pallets are graded after repair is explained in used EPAL quality classes.
ISPM 15 and repaired pallets
Repair can affect a pallet's phytosanitary status. Under ISPM 15, a pallet in which up to approximately one third of the components have been replaced counts as repaired: only ISPM 15-treated wood (or processed wood material) may be used, and each added component must carry its own mark, unless the whole unit is re-treated and re-marked. Where more than about one third of the components are replaced, the unit is remanufactured: it must be fully re-treated, all previous marks must be permanently obliterated (for example by painting over or grinding) and a new mark applied. National plant protection organizations may impose stricter rules, such as requiring old marks to be removed even after minor repairs. Details are in ISPM 15 rules for reused, repaired and remanufactured pallets.
Economics: repair or scrap?
Repair is worthwhile when the cost of labor, parts and handling is lower than the value of the repaired pallet. The main cost drivers are:
- Labor time per pallet, which depends on damage level, station ergonomics and worker skill.
- Parts supply, ideally from dismantled cores; buying new lumber for repairs raises costs.
- Core cost and transport, since collection is often the largest hidden cost.
- Treatment and marking, if the pallet must be re-treated for export.
- Grade value, because a higher-grade repaired pallet sells for more.
A simple decision rule is to estimate repair minutes and parts per pallet type and compare the resulting cost with the selling price of that grade. Pallets that need multiple stringers, have rot, oil contamination or more damaged parts than the rules allow are usually dismantled for parts or ground into chips. Trading of repaired pallets is described in the used pallet trade.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone repair a Euro pallet?
Physically yes, but only an EPAL-licensed repairer may repair an EPAL Euro pallet and keep it in the EPAL system. An unlicensed repair makes the pallet non-exchangeable.
Does a repaired pallet need to be heat treated again for export?
Not necessarily. If up to about one third of the components are replaced with ISPM 15-treated wood and each new component is marked, re-treatment is not required by ISPM 15. If more than about one third is replaced, the pallet must be re-treated and re-marked.
What is a companion stringer?
A companion stringer is a piece of stringer stock nailed alongside a cracked stringer to restore its strength. It can be half-length or full-length.
When should a pallet be scrapped instead of repaired?
When repair costs exceed the value of the repaired pallet, or when damage includes rot, contamination or structural failures that the applicable rules do not allow to be repaired.
Sources
- Process Methods and Levels of Automation of Wood Pallet Repair in the United States (Park, Horvath, Bush, 2016) — BioResources
- Requirements for EPAL Euro pallet repairers (data sheet) — EPAL
- EPAL Quality and Exchange criteria — EPAL
- Guide to approval as repairer of EPAL Euro pallets — EPAL
- ISPM 15 (2009 version) — IPPC