Guide
Pallet storage and safe stacking.
Stored properly a pallet lasts for years, stored badly it is scrap within months. The difference comes down to a few simple habits.
Pallets are valuable the day they arrive and forgotten afterwards. Stored properly they last for years; stored badly they are scrap within months. The difference comes down to a few simple habits.
Damp is what kills pallets
Timber and damp do not mix. A pallet left directly on soil or concrete in the rain draws water in. What follows comes in order: the pallet gets heavier, it goes mouldy and stains, the boards soften, the nails work loose and it breaks in handling.
This happens faster than people expect. A stack that spends the winter outside has lost real value by spring. A soaked pallet also cannot be used for food or clean goods, so its uses narrow at the same time.
How to store them properly
- Under cover. An enclosed warehouse is best, a canopy works too. If neither is available use a cover, but leave room for air, because damp gets trapped under tightly wrapped plastic.
- Raise them off the ground. The bottom pallet should not touch soil. Blocks or a sacrificial pallet underneath is enough.
- Stack them straight. Edges aligned, all facing the same way. A messy pile is both a tipping risk and impossible to count.
- Separate by size. Mixing 800x1200 with 1000x1200 costs you time at the moment of dispatch.
- Keep export pallets apart. If IPPC marked pallets get mixed in, you risk sending unmarked ones on an export load.
How high should a stack be
There is no single number, because the pallet type and the floor both matter. But there are two practical rules.
First: once the stack height exceeds twice the shortest side of its base, the tipping risk becomes serious. Second: a stack too tall to be lifted down by forklift is already too tall. Climbing a stack by hand should never happen.
Sort into three: sound, repairable, scrap
Not every pallet in the pile is worth the same. Half an hour once a month spent sorting them into three frees up space and raises what you get when you sell.
| Grade | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Boards intact, blocks in place, no nails lifting | Keep in use, fine for shipping |
| Repairable | A board or two broken but the frame is solid | Stack separately, repair or sell as a batch |
| Scrap | Frame gone, blocks shattered, timber rotten | Move it out before it takes up space |
A mixed pile is the biggest disadvantage when selling. A stack with scrap in it gets valued close to scrap overall. Sorted, the sound pallets fetch what they are worth.
How to reduce losses
Pallet losses go unnoticed in most businesses because nobody tracks them. Yet a few hundred pallets a year can quietly disappear. There are three usual causes: pallets going out with shipments and never coming back, pallets left behind on site, and nobody being responsible for them.
The fix is not complicated. Keeping a simple record of pallets in and out, noting the pallet count on the delivery paperwork, and making one person responsible for the pallet area cuts losses noticeably in most operations.
When to move them on
Past a certain point, accumulated pallets turn into a cost, because the space they occupy is worth money too. The general rule: if you could use that space for something else and you will not need those pallets in the next few months, there is no sense in holding them.
Pallets also lose value while they wait. A pallet that is sound today drops into the repairable grade after six months outside. Delaying the decision usually costs money.
Frequently asked questions
Can pallets be stored outdoors?
They can, but their life is shorter. A pallet on bare ground in the rain draws damp, gets heavy, goes mouldy and loses value within months. Keep them under cover and raised off the ground where possible.
How high can empty pallets be stacked?
There is no fixed figure, it depends on the pallet type and the floor. As a practical rule, once the stack exceeds twice the shortest side of its base the tipping risk becomes serious. Never climb a stack by hand.
Can a soaked pallet still be used?
Once dry it can be used for domestic shipping, but not for food or clean goods. Pallets that have gone mouldy or soft should not be used at all, since they can break in handling.
What should I do with pallets piling up in the warehouse?
Sort them into sound, repairable and scrap first. Keep using the sound ones and move the rest on. A mixed pile gets valued close to scrap, so sorting pays for itself directly.