Reference Service Life
Typical service life spans vary significantly based on pallet material:
Standard wooden pallets: 1–2 years in general warehousing; only 6–12 months in high-turnover e-commerce operations; less than 1 year in humid environments (prone to mold and cracking).
Plastic pallets: 2–3 years for recycled material models; 5–6 years for standard virgin material models; over 8 years for high-quality, modified virgin material models.
Steel pallets: 8–12 years for high-quality models meeting national standards; up to approximately 15 years for hot-dip galvanized, corrosion-resistant models with proper maintenance.
Estimating Life Based on Turnover Cycles
Actual turnover cycles provide a more precise estimate of remaining service life, independent of the duration of use:
General indoor warehousing: 150–200 turnover cycles for plastic pallets.
High-frequency express delivery handling: Over 300 turnover cycles for plastic pallets.
Outdoor open-air environments: Only 50–80 turnover cycles for plastic pallets.
Criteria for End-of-Life
A pallet is considered to have reached the end of its service life and should be scrapped or replaced if any of the following occur:
Structural damage: Fracture of 3 or more support legs; diagonal cracking across the deck; deformation exceeding 10 mm.
Loss of functionality: Dynamic load capacity drops below 60% of the rated value; anti-slip patterns are completely worn away (friction coefficient < 0.3).
