How a mix forms
Freight arrives from different shippers, each on its own pallets. The receiving dock unloads, pulls the product off, and stacks the empties wherever they fit. Within weeks the pile holds 48 x 40 stringers, 48 x 45 skids, a few imported block pallets and a handful of odd sizes.
Describing the mix
| Component | Share, as you estimate it |
|---|---|
| Standard 48 x 40 | For example, 70 percent |
| Other standard sizes | For example, 15 percent, 42 x 42 or 48 x 48 |
| Block pallets | For example, 10 percent |
| Broken or rotten | For example, 5 percent |
The numbers do not need to be precise. A request that says mostly 48 x 40 with some block is far more useful than one that says pallets.
What a mix is worth
- The sound 48 x 40 stringers carry the value.
- Block pallets are worth listing separately; see block pallets.
- Anything with a stamp is worth noting, per the stamp guide.
- The broken share is waste or recycling.
Common places
Piles like this sit behind distribution centres in the Northwest Quadrant and the Freeport Center, and at parcel hubs. A weekly flow is better described as recurring dock surplus.
Ask for a pickup
Give the rough shares and the total count.
Sorting is optional, counting is not
You do not need to sort a mixed pile before you describe it. You do need a number. Walk the stack, count one layer and multiply by the number of layers, then round. Being 20 percent off is fine, as long as the description says "about".
- Count the stacks, then count one stack.
- Note any odd stacks that stand apart.
- Photograph the pile from the side that shows layer height.
- List contaminants separately.
Mixed loads move best when they are described with a share per size: for example, seven tenths standard, two tenths other inch sizes, one tenth imported.
Pallet heights and sizes in a mix
A mixed pile can contain pallets of different heights, which is why it stacks unevenly. A short block pallet, a tall reinforced skid and a standard stringer pallet do not nest. If the pile leans, say so. If it has been restacked by a forklift, say that too, since a stack built by machine is steadier than one thrown together by hand.
- Mention any leaning stacks.
- Mention any pallets that are visibly oversize.
- Mention whether the stack was built by forklift.
- Mention if plastic or metal pallets are mixed in.
Weather and mixed piles
Mixed piles often stand outdoors where they collect snow, rain and sun. A winter pile may be frozen together and need time to thaw before it can be pulled apart. Say if the pile is iced in, because a forklift that yanks at a frozen stack can crack the stringers that were sound.