Looking for grade c (fair) pallets? Browse live listings from suppliers across the US.
Browse ListingsAbout Grade C (Fair) Pallets
A Grade C pallet is a used pallet that still carries a load but shows heavy wear: weathered or stained boards, multiple repairs, mismatched replacement boards and surface splits in deck boards. Stringers or blocks must still be intact or repaired; a pallet with a broken stringer left as it is is a core, not a Grade C.
The step down from Grade B (#2) is consistency and margin. Grade C loads vary more in board thickness, deck height and sometimes footprint, and suppliers apply the grade less uniformly than A or B. Assume a Grade C pallet carries less than the same design in better condition, and inspect before loading anything heavy or stacking.
Grade C fits loads where the pallet will not come back and appearance does not matter: scrap, internal storage and light outbound freight.
What to Look For When Buying
- Every stringer or block intact or repaired; no broken stringer left as-is
- No protruding nails that could puncture product or tires
- Deck board splits at the surface only, not through a fastener
- Footprint within tolerance for your racking or trailer
- No mold or chemical residue
Ideal For
- One-way shipments of light or low-value goods
- Internal floor storage
- Scrap and waste collection
- Reclaimed lumber for projects
Not Recommended For
- Beam racking
- Automated handling
- Food, pharma or retail customer deliveries
Buying Tips
- Inspect in person or ask for photos of several pallets from the load
- Ask the supplier how their Grade C differs from their Grade B
- Keep Grade C out of beam racking unless each pallet is checked
- Ask whether the load is one footprint or mixed sizes
What buyers pay
$5.39average per unit, $4.36 to $6.79
Service life
Grade C describes heavy wear, not a trip count; inspect before each use and retire a pallet at the first broken stringer.