Pallet wood species: hardwood vs softwood, and which to specify
Most North American pallets are made from mixed Eastern hardwoods (oak, maple, poplar and others) or softwoods such as Southern yellow pine and SPF. Density drives strength, stiffness, nail holding and weight. Specify a species class or group plus a grade rather than a single species.
Pallet lumber is whatever the regional sawmill economy produces cheaply. In the eastern half of the US that means low-grade hardwood cants. In the South it means Southern yellow pine. In the North and West it means spruce, pine, fir and Douglas-fir. The species a shop uses changes the pallet's strength, stiffness, nail holding, weight and price, so it belongs on the spec.
What wood are pallets made of?
Most new wood pallets in North America are made from one of two groups:
- Mixed hardwoods. Oak, maple, ash, poplar, gum, beech, birch and others, usually sawn from the low-grade center of logs (the cant) after the high-grade lumber has been cut away. This is the classic Eastern and Midwestern pallet.
- Softwoods. Southern yellow pine (SYP) in the South, SPF (spruce, pine, fir) in Canada and the northern US, and Douglas-fir and hem-fir in the West. Pooled block pallets and many machine-built pallets use kiln-dried SYP.
Imported pallets add radiata pine (Chile, New Zealand), European spruce and pine, and tropical hardwoods on some Asian-built pallets.
Species classes used in pallet design
The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets groups species into numbered classes with shared design values. The Pallet Design System (PDS) uses the same classes. A spec that names a class is more precise than "hardwood".
| Class | Name | Typical members |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-density Eastern hardwoods | Beech, white and green ash, yellow birch, hickory, hard maple, black cherry, elm |
| 3 | Medium-density Eastern hardwoods | Soft maple, sweetgum, sycamore, tupelo, black ash, magnolia |
| 7 | Low-density Eastern hardwoods | Aspen, basswood, cottonwood, buckeye, butternut |
| 21 | Eastern oaks | Red oak, white oak |
| 29 | Yellow poplar | Yellow poplar (tulip tree) |
| 11 | Douglas-fir–larch | Douglas-fir, Western larch |
| 12 | Hem-fir | Western hemlock, true firs |
| 13 | SPF | Spruces, jack/lodgepole/ponderosa/Eastern white pine, balsam fir |
| 14 | Low-density softwoods | Cedars |
| 22 | SYP | Loblolly, longleaf, shortleaf, slash pine |
The standard also sorts classes into density groups:
- Medium and high density: classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 11, 21 and 22.
- Low density: classes 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 and 29.
Some buyers restrict classes. The Home Depot's shipping platform requirements have excluded classes 7 and 14, for example; see Home Depot pallet requirements. The Uniform Standard's repair rules also restrict low-density classes to interior deckboards when replacing boards.
How species changes the pallet
Density is the single best predictor of how a species performs in a pallet. Denser wood is stronger, stiffer, holds nails better and resists edge damage from forks, but it is heavier and harder to nail.
| Property | High-density hardwood (oak, hard maple) | SYP, Douglas-fir | SPF, poplar, aspen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bending strength and stiffness | Highest | High | Lower |
| Nail withdrawal resistance | Highest | Good | Lower |
| Resistance to fork impact and splitting | Good, but prone to splitting near ends if nailed carelessly | Good | Lower |
| Weight | Heaviest | Medium | Lightest |
| Best nail type | Helically threaded | Annularly threaded | Annularly threaded |
Nail withdrawal in the Uniform Standard's connection equations rises with specific gravity to the power 2.5, so a modest change in density makes a large change in joint strength. That is why a softwood pallet often needs thicker deckboards or more fasteners than a hardwood pallet to reach the same rating. See hardwood vs softwood pallets for the trade-off in detail.
How much does species change pallet weight?
Species and moisture content together set weight. Examples from real PDS spec sheets for 48 × 40 in pallets, including nails:
| Lumber | Board feet | Weight as built (green) | Weight at 12% MC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Eastern hardwood (50/25/25 high/medium/low density) | 13.5 | 59 lb (27 kg) | 37 lb (17 kg) |
| Oak and high/medium-density hardwood mix | 17.0 | 75 lb (34 kg) | 48 lb (22 kg) |
| SPF | 13.9 | 45 lb (20 kg) | 30 lb (14 kg) |
Roughly, green mixed hardwood runs about 4.4 lb per board foot and dry hardwood about 2.8 lb. Green SPF runs about 3.2 lb per board foot and dry SPF about 2.2 lb. For more, see pallet weight and the board feet calculator.
Common pallet species at a glance
Oak
Oak (red and white) is the benchmark heavy-duty pallet wood in the Eastern US. It is dense, stiff and holds helical nails very well. It is also heavy when green, dries slowly and can check and split. Oak pallets are common for heavy industrial loads and long-life reusable pallets.
Yellow poplar
Poplar is a low-density hardwood that is light, easy to nail and cheap in Appalachian supply regions. It is weaker and softer than oak, so it is often used for deckboards in mixed-hardwood pallets or in lighter one-way pallets.
Southern yellow pine
SYP is the strongest common softwood for pallets and is widely kiln-dried. It is the main species in pooled block pallets and many machine-built GMA pallets. It is lighter than oak and has fewer defects when sawn as dimension lumber.
SPF
SPF is a group of light, pale softwoods sold together. It is lighter and weaker than SYP and is common in Canada and the northern US, often as 2 × 4 stringers and 1 × 4 or 1 × 6 deckboards.
Douglas-fir and hem-fir
These Western softwoods are strong for their weight. Douglas-fir is roughly comparable to SYP for pallet use.
Radiata pine
A plantation pine from Chile and New Zealand. It shows up on imported pallets and in imported cut stock. It sits in the international species classes in PDS.
How to specify species on a pallet
Name a group or class and a grade, and leave the shop room to use regional supply unless you have a technical reason not to.
- State a density floor. "Medium- or high-density hardwood, or SYP" covers most of the market and excludes the weakest classes.
- Exclude classes if a customer requires it. For example, "no species classes 7 or 14".
- Pair species with a grade. Species without a grade says little about knots, wane and splits. See pallet lumber grades.
- Pair species with moisture. A green oak pallet and a kiln-dried oak pallet differ by 30% or more in weight. See pallet lumber moisture.
- Match the nail to the wood. Helical nails for dense hardwoods, annular nails for softwoods and low-density hardwoods. See pallet nails and fasteners.
Plywood, OSB and composite (presswood) blocks are processed wood. They are exempt from ISPM 15 on their own, but a pallet that mixes them with solid wood still needs treatment for export. See heat-treated pallets.
Species and ISPM 15
Species does not change ISPM 15 treatment rules: every solid-wood pallet crossing a border needs HT (or another approved treatment) and the mark. Dense hardwood stringers and blocks take longer to reach 56 °C at the core, so kiln time is longer.
Specifying it for a quote
Put these species fields on your RFQ:
- Species group or class (for example "Mixed hardwood, classes 1/3/21 minimum" or "SYP")
- Excluded classes, if any
- Minimum grade per component
- Moisture condition (green, KD 19%, KD 15%)
- Whether recycled or combo lumber is acceptable
You can set the lumber mix on any template in the designer, for example the 48 × 40 GMA template, and send the finished spec to shops for pricing through custom pallets.
Frequently asked questions
What wood are most pallets made from?
In the eastern and central US, mostly mixed hardwoods such as oak, maple, poplar, gum and ash, often low-grade cants left over from hardwood sawmills. In the South and West, softwoods such as Southern yellow pine, SPF and Douglas-fir are common.
Are hardwood pallets stronger than softwood pallets?
Dense hardwoods such as oak and hard maple are stronger and hold nails better than most softwoods at the same size, but low-density hardwoods such as aspen and cottonwood are weaker than Southern yellow pine. Compare density classes, not the hardwood or softwood label.
Which pallet wood is lightest?
Low-density softwoods such as SPF and the true firs, and low-density hardwoods such as poplar and aspen, give the lightest pallets. They usually need thicker parts or more nails to match the capacity of a dense hardwood design.
Can I ask for a specific species on a pallet quote?
Yes, but it narrows supply and can raise the price. Most buyers specify a species group or class (for example medium- or high-density hardwood, or SYP) with a minimum grade, which lets the shop use what its region cuts.
Sources and references
- Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets, Annex B species classes (Woodpack Global, formerly NWPCA)
- Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, FPL-GTR-282 (USDA Forest Products Laboratory)
Related
- ComparisonsHardwood vs softwood pallets: strength, weight and costChoose hardwood (oak, mixed eastern hardwoods) for heavy loads, rough handling and many trips: it is dense, stiff and holds nails well but is heavier. Choose softwood (southern yellow pine, SPF) for lighter, more uniform, often kiln-dried pallets. Regional supply often decides.
- GuidesPallet lumber grades: what Standard, Utility and Economy meanPallet lumber is graded by the defects each part may contain: knots, wane, splits, decay and slope of grain. The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets sets minimum quality for reusable and single-use pallets, and PDS names grades from Select to Economy. Specify a minimum grade per component.
- GuidesPallet lumber moisture: green vs kiln-dried, shrinkage, weight and moldGreen pallet lumber can hold 50–80% moisture; kiln-dried (KD) lumber is dried to about 19% or less. Drier wood is lighter, stiffer and far less prone to mold, but green wood nails more easily and costs less. Heat treatment (HT) for ISPM 15 kills pests; it does not dry the pallet. Specify moisture separately.
- GlossaryMixed hardwood (pallet lumber)Mixed hardwood is pallet lumber made from several hardwood species that are not sorted by species, sold and specified as one mix. Spec sheets state it as percentages of density classes, such as 50% high, 25% medium and 25% low density.
- GlossarySouthern yellow pine (SYP)Southern yellow pine (SYP) is a group of pine species from the southeastern US (mainly loblolly, longleaf, shortleaf and slash pine). It is one of the densest and strongest softwoods used for pallets.
- GlossarySPF (spruce-pine-fir)SPF (spruce-pine-fir) is a group of light-colored, low-density softwood species sold together as one lumber group, mainly from Canada and the northern US. It is light, easy to nail and common in softwood pallets.
- GuidesPallet nails and fasteners: types, sizes, MIBANT and nail countsMost wood pallets use threaded nails: helical (screw shank) for dense hardwoods, annular (ring shank) for softwoods. A typical deck nail is 2-1/4 in long with 0.112–0.120 in (11.5–11 gauge) wire. The Uniform Standard requires at least 2 nails per joint on boards up to 5-1/4 in wide and 3 on wider ones.
- StandardsUniform Standard for Wood Pallets (Woodpack Global, formerly NWPCA)The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets is the North American industry standard for specifying, building and repairing wood pallets: terms, lumber quality, tolerances, fasteners, notches, repair and performance. Woodpack Global (formerly NWPCA) publishes it; it is voluntary and was revised in 2025.
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Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 1,301 words.