Services · rescue
Pallet repair & refurbishing
A broken deck board is a four-minute repair. Replacing the pallet is a decision to throw away ninety-eight percent of a working object because two percent failed.
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In short
Pallet repair restores damaged pallets to a defined grade rather than replacing them. We replace broken deck boards with full-length lumber, add glued and nailed companion stringers, pull protruding fasteners, and re-grade the finished pallet. Roughly four in five cores entering our yard are repaired and returned to service.
We repair our own inbound stock and we repair customer-owned fleets on a return basis. Repaired pallets can be heat treated and stamped if they are going for export.
What we repair, and how
Deck board replacement
Broken, split or missing top and bottom deck boards are replaced with full-length boards of matched thickness. We do not patch with offcuts — a short board transfers load unevenly into the stringers and creates the next failure.
Companion stringers
A cracked stringer gets a companion: a matched piece glued and nailed alongside the original along its full length. Done properly this restores close to original strength. Done with staples and no glue, which is unfortunately common, it does not.
Plugging and end repair
Damaged stringer ends around the notch are cut back and plugged with a shaped insert. This is the repair most likely to be done badly, and the reason we grade repaired stringers down from Grade A.
Fastener remediation
Protruding nails are pulled rather than hammered flush. A hammered nail migrates back out under vibration and shreds a stretch wrap somewhere in transit.
Re-grading
Every repaired pallet is re-graded after work. A repaired pallet is a solid Grade B, not a Grade A, and we will not sell it as one. See pallet grades.
Repairing your own fleet
If you run a captive pallet fleet — pooled internally, cycled between sites, or a custom design you own — we will take damaged units, repair them and return them to you.
- We collect, or you deliver, on an agreed cadence
- Damaged units are assessed and quoted by repair category, not by guesswork
- Anything beyond economical repair is diverted to recycling with your consent, and its recovered value credited
- Repaired units are returned graded, banded and counted
For custom designs we hold the cut list, so repairs use the correct components rather than approximations.
When repair stops making sense
We will tell you when to stop. A pallet is beyond economical repair when:
- More than one stringer is cracked or previously repaired
- The stringer has failed at the notch on both sides
- Rot, mold or delamination is present anywhere in the structure
- Over roughly forty percent of deck boards need replacement
- It has been chemically contaminated
At that point the right answer is dismantling, and the recovered lumber goes into reclaimed material. That is not a failure of the process. It is the process.
Repair categories, and what each one tells you
We quote repairs by category rather than by the hour. That is partly for transparency and partly because the category mix is genuinely diagnostic — it tells you what is happening to your pallets out in the operation.
- Deck board replacement. The commonest and cheapest. A high rate points at handling — fork strikes, dropped loads, or product too heavy for the deck coverage.
- Companion stringer. A cracked stringer gets a matched piece glued and nailed along its full length. A high rate almost always points at fork entry through the notched side. See why pallets break at the notch.
- End plug. Damaged stringer end around the notch, cut back and plugged. The repair most often done badly elsewhere.
- Fastener remediation. Proud nails pulled, not hammered flush. A high rate points at fastener specification or at green lumber that has shrunk.
So a fleet showing heavy notch damage has a driver-training or layout problem. A fleet shedding deck boards has a fastener problem. Both are fixable at source, which is worth considerably more than the repairs themselves.
Running a fleet repair loop
For captive fleets and custom designs, a repair loop is almost always cheaper than replacement — and dramatically so for custom pallets, where replacement means a production run.
How it works:
- Cadence agreed. We collect, or you deliver, on a fixed rhythm.
- Assessed and categorised, not estimated. You see the category breakdown.
- Beyond economical repair diverted with your consent to recycling, and the recovered value credited.
- Returned graded, banded and counted.
For custom designs we hold your cut list, so repairs use the correct components rather than approximations — which matters, because a repair made with the wrong board thickness is a future failure.
Reference
Repair or dismantle — the thresholds we use
| Condition | Decision | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One cracked stringer | Repair — companion | Restores most of the original span strength |
| Two cracked stringers | Dismantle | Structural allowance used up |
| Stringer already repaired once | Dismantle | A second repair is not reliable |
| Notch failure on both sides of one stringer | Dismantle | No sound section left to attach to |
| Up to ~40% of deck boards damaged | Repair | Labour still below the value of a Grade B unit |
| Over ~40% of deck boards damaged | Dismantle | Rebuilding, not repairing |
| Rot, mold or delamination | Dismantle or reject | Cannot be made sound |
| Chemical contamination | Reject | No safe outlet, including lumber recovery |
| Sound but unmarketable footprint | Dismantle | Worth more as lumber than as unsold stock |
Avoid these
Mistakes we see
Patching with offcuts instead of full-length boards
A short board transfers load unevenly into the stringers and creates the next failure a few trips later. Every replacement board we fit is full length.
Stapling a companion stringer
Staples work loose under vibration. A companion must be glued and nailed along its full length or it is decoration rather than a repair.
Hammering proud fasteners flush
A nail is proud because the joint has loosened. Driving it back hides the symptom, and it migrates out again inside a wrapped load where it shreds film and scratches product.
Repairing a treated pallet with untreated wood
It invalidates the ISPM-15 mark while leaving the mark in place — the worst combination, because it looks compliant and is not.
Selling repaired pallets as Grade A
Grade A is defined by original, unrepaired stringers. Blurring that makes the whole grading system meaningless, which costs more in trust than it earns in margin.
Checklist
Work through this before you order
Setting up a fleet repair loop
- Fleet size and generation rate of damaged units
- Your own footprint and any custom cut list
- Collection cadence, or delivery arrangement
- Whether beyond-repair units are returned or diverted
- Whether any units are ISPM-15 marked and need re-treatment
- Reporting you want on the category breakdown
Questions
Before you ask us
Is a repaired pallet as strong as a new one?
A properly repaired pallet with one replaced deck board is effectively as strong as it was originally. A pallet with a companion stringer is close but not identical, which is why it grades as B rather than A and should be floor stacked rather than racked.
Can you repair pallets at our site?
For large standing volumes we can discuss on-site repair. Below that, transport to the yard and back is almost always cheaper than mobilising a crew and equipment.
How do you price repairs?
By repair category rather than by the hour: deck board replacement, companion stringer, end plug, fastener remediation. You get a category breakdown so you can see where fleet damage is concentrated.
Can repaired pallets be heat treated for export?
Yes, and they must be if the original treatment predates the repair. Replacing a board with untreated wood invalidates the ISPM-15 mark. We re-treat and re-stamp.
How much does a pallet repair cost?
It is quoted by repair category — deck board replacement, companion stringer, end plug, fastener remediation — rather than by the hour, so you can see where fleet damage is concentrated rather than just what it cost.
How many times can a pallet be repaired?
Structurally, once per stringer. A pallet with a companion stringer should not receive a second structural repair. Deck boards can be replaced repeatedly, which is why deck damage is far less consequential than stringer damage.
Will repaired pallets look consistent?
No. Replacement boards are frequently a different species and colour from the original. That is cosmetic and it is why repaired stock is not suitable for customer-facing retail display.
Can you repair pallets that are not ours originally?
Yes — we repair our own inbound stock and customer-owned fleets alike. For designs we did not build, one sample lets us match board thickness and notch geometry properly.
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