Presswood vs solid wood pallets

§1Side by side

Solid wood and Presswood compared on the points a buyer negotiates
Point	Solid wood	Presswood
ISPM 15	Must be treated and marked	Exempt as processed wood
Nesting	No	Yes
Moisture	Tolerates wet conditions better	Loses strength when wet
Repair	Repairable	Not repairable
Fasteners	Nails	None

§2Export is the main case

For one-way export loads, presswood removes treatment, marking and inspection risk at the destination port. Compare its delivered price with an HT pallet for the same lane, including freight: presswood nests, so more fit on an inbound truck.

§3Limits

Check the rating sheet for racking and load. Keep presswood dry. Don't expect many trips.

§4Test it on your numbers

The calculator opens with both options loaded. Enter your own quotes; nothing is pre-filled.

Trips per yearPallet shipments per year on this flow.

Years

Discount rate (%)

Your numbers. Every field starts empty: no vendor prices are assumed.
Input
Delivered price per pallet ($)From your supplier's quote, including delivery.
Disposal / handling per trip ($)What you or the receiver pay to get rid of it.
Buyback credit ($)Credit per pallet from a buyback program, if any.
Pallet weight (lb)Weigh a sample.
Freight ($ per cwt)Your LTL rate per 100 lb, if you pay by weight.
Freight legs per tripLoaded legs that carry the pallet's weight.
Cost per trip	n/a	n/a
Cost per year	n/a	n/a
Net present cost, 3 yr at 8%	n/a	n/a

Enter a price (or a pool's fee) in at least one scenario to compare.

How these numbers are calculated

One-way:      CPT = P + D − S
Closed loop:  N = min(L_trips, 1/ℓ)
              CPT = (P − S_end)/N + R_c + H + ℓ·P + Rep
Pooled:       CPT = F_issue + r_day·d + F_transfer + ℓ·F_lost + F_admin/trips
Plastic:      closed loop + W (wash) per trip
All:          + tare freight T = w × ($/cwt ÷ 100) × legs
Annual        = CPT × trips per year
NPV           = capital at t=0 + Σ annual / (1+i)^t, t = 1..years
Capital (owned loops) = pool size × P, pool size = trips/yr ÷ min(N, 52)
Break-even dwell d* = (CPT_owned − F_issue − F_transfer − ℓ·F_lost) / r_day

Pool size assumes each pallet turns at most weekly. Results are only as good as the inputs.

§5How to decide

Presswood suits light-to-medium one-way export loads; solid wood suits everything else.