Last updated August 18, 2026
Seven questions separate a pallet supplier who holds up from one that looks fine on a quote sheet. Most of them never come up until a load is short and the line is down.
Price is the easiest thing to compare and the least useful. Two suppliers quoting the same 48x40 pallet can differ by weeks on lead time, by a full grade on recycled stock, and by whether anyone answers on a Friday afternoon. The questions below surface that before a contract does.
Can they build to spec, or only sell what they stock?
Ask for a pallet built to a dimension they do not already carry.
A manufacturer will ask about load weight, footprint, and forklift type, then quote it. A distributor will steer toward the closest stocked size. Both answers are legitimate, but only one handles an odd footprint.
The follow-up matters more: what is the minimum run on a custom size? A supplier who builds custom in truckload quantities only is a stock supplier wearing a manufacturer's label.
What is the real lead time, and what happens on a rush?
Almost nobody publishes this. Ask for a number, in days, for a standard order and a custom build.
Then ask the harder version. A plant that runs out on a Wednesday needs to know what Thursday looks like. Is there a rush policy? Does it carry an upcharge? Has it ever actually been used?
A supplier who cannot name a typical lead time is either not tracking it or not comfortable with the answer. Both are worth knowing before the first order.
Are the pallets certified for export?
Many international destinations require wood packaging to meet ISPM 15. The standard requires heating the wood to a core temperature of 56°C and holding it for at least 30 minutes, after which the pallet carries a stamped IPPC mark.
The question that matters is who does the treating. A supplier who heat treats in-house controls the schedule and the paperwork. A supplier who buys treated stock is depending on someone else's queue.
Ask for the IPPC facility number. It appears on the stamp, it is verifiable, and a certified facility will give it without hesitating.
What does their recycled grading actually mean?
Grade A is not a regulated term. It means whatever the yard says it means.
The common definitions run roughly as follows, and they drift by supplier past this point.
What recycled pallet grades usually describe
| Grade | Stringers | Deck boards | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A | No visible repairs | Minimal replacement | Clean and consistent |
| Grade B | Plugged or companion stringers allowed | Mixed and replaced boards | Visibly used |
Ask to see both grades in person, or ask for photos of what leaves the yard. A supplier confident in their grading will offer before being asked. The pallet that arrives should match the pallet that was described.
Do they take empty pallets back?
Empties are a cost either way. The question is whose.
Three models exist. Some suppliers pay cash for returned pallets. Some credit the account against future orders. Some haul them free as a service to customers. All three beat paying a junk removal company, and all three keep the yard clear.
Worth confirming volume thresholds and whether pickup runs on a schedule or on request. A buyback program that requires a full trailer before anyone comes out is not much use to a plant generating forty pallets a week.
Who picks up the phone when a load is short?
Ask for a name and a direct number.
The answer reveals the shape of the company. A named customer service manager who knows the account handles a problem differently than a support queue routing to whoever is free. Neither is wrong, but only one gets a truck moving the same day.
Also worth asking what happens after hours, and whether there is a contact for a line-down situation. Most suppliers have never been asked, and the answer is revealing.
How far away are they, and do they run their own trucks?
Distance sets everything else. Rush orders, buyback pickups, and same-week fixes all depend on a plant being close enough to send a truck.
A supplier running their own fleet controls delivery timing. A supplier on common carrier is scheduling around someone else's network, which is fine for planned orders and difficult for urgent ones.
Ask where the wood is actually milled and built, not where the sales office sits. Some national suppliers list a local address that turns out to be a branch or a landing page, with production several states away.
What should be done with the answers?
Run the same seven past the current supplier before shopping. Sometimes the incumbent answers well and the problem is a process gap, not a vendor.
- Build to spec, and the minimum run on a custom size
- Lead time in days, standard and custom, plus the rush policy
- ISPM 15 treatment in-house or bought in, and the IPPC facility number
- Written grading criteria for recycled stock
- Buyback model, volume threshold, and pickup schedule
- A named contact with a direct number, and an after-hours path
- Distance to the plant, and own fleet or common carrier
Where a supplier answers poorly, ask a second supplier the same questions and compare. If a supplier cannot clearly answer these questions, it may be worth comparing alternatives.
Next: Compare custom, recycled, and GMA standard 48x40 pallets or read How to spec a custom pallet: what to measure before requesting a quote.