New plastic pallets, sourced to your spec
New, defined
- Grade
- New, unused
- Marks of use
- None
- Papers
- Model sheet, resin and colourant documents to ask for
- Source
- Makers, matched per load
- Virgin resin
- Ask if the product touches the pallet
New means never been in service: factory-fresh, no marks of use, no trips. We source new plastic pallets from makers, so a new pallet here arrives with the maker's model sheet and resin documents available to ask for.
Used grades exist on other sites, from like-new Grade A through repaired and mixed lots to scrap. This one sells new only, and this page shows how new differs and what you pay attention to when you move a dock off wood.
New against used
| Grade | What it means | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| New, unused | Never in service. Clean, no marks of use. | Food, pharma, closed loop, anywhere papers matter |
| Like new, Grade A | A few trips only. Suppliers use their own words: no universal plastic standard exists. | General warehouse |
| Used, sound and clean | Many trips, scuffs, colour variation, but whole. | General-purpose or closed-loop work |
| Used, repaired | Cracked or chipped part welded or swapped. | Not for food-contact or racking without the maker's say |
We deal only in the first row. If you need used or reconditioned pallets, that is a different purchase with different checks.
What a new pallet should come with
- A model name and a maker. Not "a 48 x 40 plastic pallet" but one model.
- The three ratings. A used Nelson 48 x 40 HDPE pallet shows how wide the spread can be: 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic, 2,200 lb racking at 49 lb.
- The resin and colourant. HDPE is the most common pallet resin: tough and moisture resistant. Polypropylene is more rigid and is recommended for unsupported racking.
- Virgin resin or recycled content, written down. Where the product touches the pallet, stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE.
Moving a dock from wood to new plastic
Plastic pallets weigh about 3 to 15 lb when light and up to 300 lb when heavy; a typical GMA wood pallet weighs about 37 lb. Plastic is often described as lasting 100 trips or more and can cost roughly ten times as much as hardwood. It is hard to repair, and it can creep under long heavy loads. A dock that buys new plastic is buying a repeated trip count, so it fits closed loops best.
Read the wood to plastic switch guide for the whole-dock checks: racks, conveyors, stretch wrap and how handling changes.
What new should mean in a quote
- A pallet that has not been through a supply chain before, with the maker named.
- The resin stated, virgin or recycled-content, with the percentage where the maker lists one.
- The colour and any marks, because recycled content often limits colour.
- The ratings of the new model, not the ratings of a similar used one.
A used Nelson 48 x 40 x 6.3 in HDPE one-piece pallet shows how a listing differs: it weighs 49 lb, carries 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic and 2,200 lb racking, and its colours vary. A new pallet from the same maker would be specified to a colour and a model. That is the difference between buying a pallet and buying whatever the stock shelf holds.
From request to trailer
- Send the ship-to. A delivery ZIP, a footprint and a quantity, in pallets or in trailers. If you do not know a rating, describe the load.
- We match a model. We pick a maker and model whose published static, dynamic and racking load fit the load, and say so when only one maker fits.
- You get a count. The quote carries the maker's own per-trailer figure where one is published, and says plainly where none is.
- Papers and delivery. For food or pharma we attach the resin and colourant documents. A standing supply repeats the same line on every order.
What a complete request carries
- The footprint, in inches or millimetres, and whether it is fixed by a rack bay or a container.
- How many pallets, or how many 53 ft trailers.
- The ratings the load needs: static for the stack, dynamic for the move, racking only if the pallet sits on beams.
- Food, pharma, chemical, automotive, warehouse or export use, which sets the papers.
- One load now, or a standing supply with the same line on every order.
- Where it goes and when, and anything marked on the pallet: colour, logo, RFID tag.
Terms on this page
- Racking load
- Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
- Virgin resin
- New, unblended resin that has not been through a product before.
- Closed loop
- Pallets that travel between known sites and come back, so they are never lost to a downstream user.
- PP
- Polypropylene. More rigid than HDPE and better with heat and harsh chemicals; used where rack stiffness matters.
- Creep
- Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
- Nest ratio
- How many empty pallets fit in the height of one.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- Open deck
- Top deck with gaps between slats or ribs; lighter and drains.
- Closed deck
- Solid top deck with no gaps; keeps small items from falling through.
Questions at the dock
What are brand new plastic pallets?
Pallets never in service. They carry no marks of use and come from a maker's production.
Do you offer virgin plastic pallets?
Many models can be built from virgin resin, and some applications call for it. Tell us the use and we ask the maker for the resin document.
Can new plastic pallets go on racks?
Only designs made for racking carry a racking load rating. Check that rating first.
Keep reading
Last reviewed 2026-11-12.