Pine and fir are both softwoods but have a wide range of hardnesses depending on exact species age and origin.
Tell hardwood from pine pallet.
Hardwoods come from deciduous trees that lose their leaves on an annual basis while softwoods come from trees that stay evergreen.
Shipping pallets are usually made either from hardwoods like hickory mahogany maple oak teak and walnut or from various types of pine which are softwoods.
Oak pallets also check off the list nicely although raw materials are a bit costlier.
Pine is the most common and abundant type of wood in north america and there are dozens of different species of pine.
How to tell what kind of wood a pallet is.
Of course this points to the reason why you are likely to either have a pine pallet or an oak pallet sitting in your warehouse.
Hardwood is more dense than pine and would require less material to provide the adequate strength needed to ship your products safely.
Hardwood is typically purchased green high humidity wet and therefore has more problems associated with mold as well as warping as it s dries.
Sometimes pine is less expensive than hardwood species.
Sorry guys the thumbnail test will tell you if the wood is soft or hard but not whether it is a hardwood or softwood.
Alan one way shipping pallets can be made from any type of lumber depending on the price of the material.
There are a few easy ways to identify what type of wood your pallets are made of.