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Repair or recycle: deciding about a cracked plastic pallet

Last reviewed Nov 12, 20267 stages

The short answer

Repair a cracked plastic pallet when it is a common footprint with one clear fault. Recycle it when it is warped, brittle, burnt, or cracked in a bearing part.

Plastic is hard to glue, so repair means welding.

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Five questions and a photo. We say what we think happens next once the pallets have been seen.

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A pallet is shredded and ground to flake, sorted by resin and colour, and moulded into a pallet again.

Look at the crack

A crack in a deck board is often repairable. A crack through a runner or a corner block is not. Bearing parts are what carry the load.

Look at the model

Some pallets use a snap-lock design for repair. Rehrig’s rackable is two-piece snap-lock. A pallet designed for repair is worth repairing.

Look at the use

A repaired pallet is not for racking or food contact without the maker’s say. For floor storage, it may be fine.

Decide

If sound after repair, reuse. If not, grind. The sums are small. The time is large. For a big load, grinding is usually the answer.

What repair involves

Plastic welding melts the edges of a crack and fuses them. It needs a clean break, the right tool and the right resin. A repaired pallet is not rated like a new one.

When repair is not worth it

A pallet with multiple cracks, a broken runner or damage near a load-bearing corner is usually past it. The cost of repair adds up faster than its value.

A quick rule

If the pallet is a common size, has one clean crack and no marks, it may be worth repairing. Otherwise, regrind.

Repair or recycle

Fault	Repair	Recycle
Deck crack	Often	If many
Runner crack	Rarely	Usually
Missing block	Swap if snap-lock	Otherwise
Warped	No	Yes
Burnt	No	Yes

What the sources say

en.wikipedia.orgPlastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair.
en.wikipedia.orgHDPE has resin identification code 2, a density of 930 to 970 kg/m3, melts at 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's rackable pallet has a two-piece snap-lock design for quick repair and options for FDA-approved colours, RFID and up to 15 percent black recycled content.
blog.containerexchanger.comNorth American plastic pallets in the common sizes are about 5 to 6 in tall.
en.wikipedia.orgAbout 500 million pallets are made each year as of 2020, with about 2 billion in use in the US.
nelsoncompany.comFreezing can make some pallet materials brittle and reduce performance.
nelsoncompany.comThat Nelson model lists about 60 pallets per stack and 1,800 per truck.
nelsoncompany.comOnly pallets designed for unsupported racking carry a racking rating.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 standard-duty nestable pallet weighs 26.5 lb with a static rating of 10,000 lb and dynamic 3,000 lb.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 rackable pallet weighs 44.2 lb with a dynamic rating of 4,000 lb, static 10,000 lb and edge rack 2,000 lb.
phsinc.comPHS lists its EXP 100 nestable (48 x 40 x 5.2 in) at 78 pallets per stack and 2,340 per truckload, and its EXP 116 (48 x 40 x 5.75 in, 15,000 lb static) at 40 per stack and 1,260 per truckload: a higher static rating comes with fewer pallets per stack.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 heavy-duty nestable pallet is 48.25 x 40.25 x 6.5 in, weighs 28.5 lb, is rated 10,000 lb static and 3,500 lb dynamic, has a 2.55 in nest increment and 1,200 units per 53 ft trailer; the page lists no racking rating.
nelsoncompany.comThat Nelson model is under 5 in tall, which the page says suits air freight, and works with automation and most roller conveyors.
en.wikipedia.orgMetal pallets are under 1 percent of the pallet market.

Terms on this page

Footprint: The length and width of a pallet’s deck, for example 48 x 40 inches.
Welding repair: Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
Deck: The flat surface that carries the load. A pallet may have a top deck, a bottom deck or both.
Runners: Bottom rails that touch the floor or rack and carry the load.
Rackable: Rated to sit on rack beams, with a stated racking load.
Creep: Slow bending of plastic under a heavy load held for a long time.
Racking load: Weight a pallet carries bridging an open span in unsupported racking. Often the lowest rating.
Food contact: A material that touches food directly. Recycled content in food-contact use is held to rules a pallet deck usually is not.
Reuse cycle: One trip out with a load and back again. Some pallets are rated for a number of them.
Granulator: A machine with rotating knives that cuts plastic down to a set size, then pushes it through a screen.
Ownership check: Our first step with any pallet that carries a name, logo, tag or colour that suggests another owner.
Regrind: Plastic ground from used or scrap parts into flakes for moulding again.
HDPE: High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.

Questions people ask

Can plastic pallets be glued?

HDPE is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded.

Is a repaired pallet as strong?

Not necessarily. Check with the maker.

How many repairs are worth it?

Fewer than you hope. For big loads, recycle.

Who repairs plastic pallets?

Some pallet services do. We name none.

Does a repaired pallet keep its rating?

No. The rating belongs to the pallet when it was new.

Sources, reviewed Nov 12, 2026: Wikipedia, pallet; Wikipedia, high-density polyethylene; Rehrig Pacific, 40 x 48 rackable pallet.

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