| Missing board | Not fit for use | Count deck and bottom boards against the spec: 11 on an EPAL 1, 17 on an EPAL 2, 13 on an EPAL 3. A gap in the deck or base is obvious; check the underside too. |
| Missing block | Not fit for use | An EPAL 1 has 9 blocks in three rows of three. Look along each long side and down the centre for a missing foot. |
| Split block showing nail shanks | Not fit for use | Look at each block face. A crack is acceptable in classes A to C ('some splitting permitted'); the line is crossed when more than one nail shank shows through the split. |
| Twisted block over 10 mm | Not fit for use | Sight along the long edge. A block turned so its face sticks out past the board edge by more than about 1 cm fails. Class C allows up to 1 cm; classes A and B allow none. |
| Splintered deck or bottom board | Not fit for use | Run a gloved hand along board ends near the nails. Splinters that expose more than one nail shank on a board fail. |
| Board broken across or diagonally | Not fit for use | Look for cracks that run across the grain. The 2023 poster shows a crossways break, partly or completely through the board. |
| Rot, decay or damaged stringers | Not fit for use | Probe soft, dark patches with a key. Wood that crumbles or dents easily, or stringer boards with deep damage, mean the pallet can no longer be trusted with its rated load. |
| Contamination that could reach the payload | Not fit for use | Paint, oil, odour, mould and damp stains are the examples on the 2023 poster. Smell the pallet as well as looking at it. |
| Heavy splintering on several blocks | Not fit for use | Check all nine blocks. One chipped corner is wear; heavy splintering across several blocks is poor general condition. |
| Unacceptable components | Not fit for use | Measure a suspect board: EPAL 1 boards should be 22–24 mm thick (stringers up to 25 mm). Undersized blocks, rotten parts or boards with wane are the poster's examples. |
| Visible nail tips or too many nail shanks | Not fit for use | Look at both deck faces for points poking through, and count exposed shanks. Class C allows at most one per component and two per pallet, and no tips. |
| Repair not to specification | Not fit for use | New wood with no repair marking nail, mismatched board sizes or a nail pattern that differs from the rest of the pallet. |
| No legible EPAL marking | Not fit for use | Classes A, B and C need at least one legible EPAL mark on each side. Check both long sides. |
| Labels, tape, foil or cardboard stuck on | Class C | Shipping labels and stretch-wrap tails are the common case on import pallets. |
| Dark or weathered wood | Class B | Compare against a new pallet. Grey or brown weathering is the main difference between class A and class B. |
| Surface moisture | Class C | Damp surfaces after rain or a reefer are common. Mould or damp stains are a different matter: they count as contamination. |