Criteria
From EPAL Quality Classification poster, EPAL 08/2023.
- No adhesions such as cardboard, foil, tape or labels; some residue permitted
- Signs of use, but no dirt or contamination that may transfer to the payload
- No twisted blocks; fork clearance clear; legs firmly attached
- At least one EPAL marking legible on each side
- Some splitting permitted in the wood
- May have been repaired, with a repair marking nail as proof of licensed repair
Characteristics
- Pallet has already been used
- Mainly dark-coloured
- Surface moisture from use or environment is permitted
In practice
Class B is class A with darker wood. The structural and cleanliness criteria on the 2023 poster are word for word the same; only the characteristic changes from 'mainly light coloured' to 'mainly dark coloured'.
That makes class B the sensible ask for many North American exporters: it is structurally sound, machine-suitable per the poster, and usually easier to source than class A.
Typical use: General warehousing and conveyor use where colour does not matter; the poster still marks class B as MCH-suitable.
Defects that put a pallet here
Status of the classification
The EPAL Quality Classification is a non-binding recommendation. It applies only when the companies involved agree to use it. Without that agreement, only the EPAL Terms of Exchange apply, under which new and used EPAL Euro pallets of classes A, B and C are exchangeable without restriction.