Plastic or Wooden Pallets? Choosing the Right Option for Your Operation

Cost-Efficiency

Cost is often the first factor businesses weigh. Wooden pallets typically have a much lower upfront price than plastic pallets. If you’re procuring pallets in large quantities for an export operation, the immediate savings from wood can be significant. Wood pallets are widely available and can even be bought used or refurbished, further driving down cost. This makes wood ideal for one-way shipments or when you don’t expect to get the pallet back, since losing a cheap wood pallet hurts less than a pricey plastic one. 

On the other hand, plastic pallets demand a higher initial investment – often several times the cost of a wood pallet. This can be a hurdle, especially for small manufacturers. However, plastic pallets can pay off in the long run. They tend to last much longer before needing replacement, so the cost per use can be lower over time.

Durability and Longevity

Manufacturing and export operations put pallets through tough conditions—heavy loads, forklifts, stacking, and long transit. Here, the materials differ in how they hold up:

Wood pallets are sturdy and can handle very heavy loads, often more weight than an equivalent plastic pallet. This makes wood ideal for transporting heavy machinery parts, metal components, or bulk materials common in automotive and electronics maquiladoras. However, wood’s durability declines with rough handling and weather. Boards can crack, nails can bend or pop out, and repeated impacts will break even a well-built pallet. Moisture is also an enemy—wood can absorb water, leading to warping or rot over time. The good news is wood pallets can be repaired: if a deck board breaks, you can nail on a replacement piece. This reparability extends their useful life and is one reason wood pallets often survive multiple trips.

Plastic pallets are engineered for long lifespans without the need for repair. They are one solid piece (or have molded components), so there are no nails or boards to come loose. Quality plastic pallets are resilient against drops and impacts, flexing rather than splintering. They won’t absorb moisture or chemicals, meaning no warping, rotting, or corrosion. You can leave a plastic pallet out in the yard through rain or heat without it degrading as wood might. Many businesses find plastic pallets far less prone to breakage, resulting in a much longer service life per pallet. Keep in mind, though, if a plastic pallet does crack or suffer structural damage, it usually cannot be repaired easily – it must be replaced entirely. 

Sustainability and Environmental Impact

Sustainability is a key consideration for many companies today. Both wood and plastic pallets have environmental pros and cons, and the “greener” choice depends on how you use and dispose of them:

Wood is a natural, renewable resource. Most wooden pallets are made from fast-growing or readily available wood species (like pine) and often use lumber by-products or lower-grade cuts that might otherwise go to waste. At end-of-life, wood pallets are biodegradable and can be recycled or repurposed rather easily. Old or broken pallets can be ground into mulch, wood chips, or pressed into wood composite products. This means they won’t sit in a landfill for centuries – nature can reclaim wood. Additionally, many pallet suppliers engage in sustainable forestry, so the wood comes from responsibly managed forests.  All of this makes wood pallets look very eco-friendly, especially compared to plastic. However, there are caveats: if wood pallets aren’t recycled and instead are just thrown away, they contribute to landfill volume and potential deforestation if demand isn’t managed. Still, when compared to the plastic waste problem, wood is generally seen as the more environmentally friendly option.

Plastic pallets are made from polymers (like HDPE or PP), often derived from petroleum. The production of plastic pallets is energy-intensive and initially has a larger carbon footprint per-pallet than producing a wood pallet. Moreover, if a plastic pallet ends up discarded improperly, it becomes plastic waste that does not biodegrade, persisting in the environment for centuries. That sounds grim, but the flip side is how long you can use a plastic pallet. Because they last so much longer and can be reused many times, one plastic pallet might replace dozens of single-use wood pallets, potentially reducing overall waste if managed in a closed loop. Many plastic pallets today are also made from recycled plastics, and at end-of-life they can be recycled again (melted down to create new pallets or other products) rather than sent to a dump. This circular potential is a big plus: in a pooling system or closed supply chain, plastic pallets can virtually eliminate the steady stream of broken wood pallets that need disposal. There’s also an operational sustainability angle: plastic’s lighter weight means lower fuel consumption when transporting pallets, and no need for chemical fumigation treatments required for wood (we’ll get to that under compliance) – both factors can cut down on emissions. To decide sustainably, consider your company’s green goals. If using renewable materials and avoiding plastic is paramount, high-quality wood pallets (from certified sustainable sources) fit well. If reducing waste and maximizing reuse is the goal, plastic might win out, especially if you ensure old plastic pallets get recycled. In practice, both types can be sustainable when managed responsibly (e.g., repairing and recycling wood, or reusing and recycling plastic). It’s wise to also check your customers’ or partners’ environmental preferences; some may have initiatives (for example, a client might prefer no plastic or conversely might prefer reusable packaging).

Hygiene and Cleanliness

For industries with strict hygiene requirements—like food processing, medical devices, or pharmaceuticals—the pallet material can directly affect cleanliness. This is a critical consideration for many maquiladoras that handle sensitive products or components.

Standard wooden pallets are porous and can absorb moisture, oils, or spills. They also can harbor bacteria, fungi, or pests in the wood grain if not kept clean. In fact, wood pallets can become a breeding ground for bacteria over time and are hard to fully sanitize once contaminated. You cannot simply hose down a wood pallet and call it sterile water might actually worsen the issue by soaking in. For general manufacturing (say, automotive parts), a bit of dust or an oil stain on a pallet might not be a big deal. But for any operation where cleanliness is paramount, this is a red flag. Additionally, wood can splinter or shed bits of wood and nails, which may contaminate products. No one wants wood chips in their medical equipment packaging or a rusty nail scratching their goods. Some measures can mitigate these issues: using heat-treated or chemically treated wood pallets can kill pests and reduce mold, and adding a slip-sheet or liner on top of a wood pallet can create a barrier between the wood and the product. Still, the inherent nature of wood makes it less suitable for cleanroom-like environments or where you need absolute sanitation.

Plastic pallets shine in hygienic applications. They are non-porous, so they do not absorb liquids or contaminants. If a plastic pallet gets dirty, you can wash it, steam-clean it, or even chemically sanitize it, and it dries quickly without residue. This makes it easy to maintain a high level of cleanliness cycle after cycle. Plastic pallets also don’t harbor pests or microbes as easily, and there’s no risk of mold from residual dampness. Because of these traits, food and pharmaceutical industries often choose plastic pallets to comply with their strict sanitation standards.

Making the Right Choice for Your Operation

By now it’s clear there’s no one-size-fits-all answer – the best pallet material depends on your specific operational priorities. To help translate these factors into a practical decision, consider the following guidelines:

Choose Wooden Pallets if… your top priority is low upfront cost, and you operate mostly one-way shipments. For example, if you ship heavy automotive parts from Juárez to various clients and don’t expect the pallets back, the economical choice is sturdy wood pallets. Wood is also suitable if you require high load capacity (handling very heavy equipment) or if minor pallet damage can be tolerated and fixed. 

Choose Plastic Pallets if… you run a closed-loop supply chain or can ensure pallets are returned for reuse. In a shuttle between a factory and a distribution center, plastic’s durability will pay off. Opt for plastic when hygiene is critical – e.g. handling food ingredients, medical goods, or electronics that can’t afford dust and contaminants. Plastic is the better choice if you want to avoid regulatory hassles for international shipping, since they don’t need heat treatment or pest inspection. Also consider plastic if your company has sustainability initiatives focusing on reuse; a long-lasting plastic pallet reduces continuous consumption of wood resources. 

Consider a Mixed Strategy if… your operation has varied needs. Many maquiladoras use plastic pallets for certain sensitive internal processes or exports, and wood for everything else. For instance, you might use plastic pallets within your clean facility or for cross-border transfers to your U.S. warehouse but ship final products out on wood pallets that customers can discard. This way you balance cost and performance. 

If you’re unsure, we’re here to help. At Brexia, we provide both plastic and wooden pallet solutions and work with you to find the best fit based on your operation’s size, volume, and regulatory requirements.

Choosing the right pallet is more than logistics—it’s about making smart decisions that impact your efficiency and bottom line.

Learn More