Guide — Authenticity
An authentic EPAL pallet trades well above an unlicensed copy — which makes counterfeits common across Europe. Here are the 7 mandatory markings to check before buying, to avoid pool rejections and supplier penalties.
In short: an authentic EPAL pallet is identified by 7 mandatory markings. The absence of even one is a red flag. A counterfeit exposes the buyer to rejections in the EPAL exchange pool, the loss of the exchange value (€5 to €15 per pallet) and problems with demanding customers (retail, food industry).
The EPAL/Euro pallet (800×1200 mm) is the reference load carrier of European B2B. Its value comes from an open exchange pool: each pallet circulates in a loop between shippers, carriers and consignees, who trade it at equal value (€5 to €15 depending on grade and region). In much of Europe — Benelux, Germany, Central Europe — this exchange culture is deeply rooted: retailers and carriers count pallets one by one at the dock.
The system only works because every pallet is produced under an EPAL licence granted to an approved manufacturer. Certification guarantees exact dimensions, timber quality, board count, nail type and ISPM 15 treatment. A buyer of EPAL pallets is not just paying for wood: they are paying for access to the pool.
The problem: counterfeits are widespread. Without the mandatory markings, a pallet that merely « looks like » an EPAL will be rejected by pool operators, turning your stock into one-way pallets worth a fraction of their supposed value. On 1,000 pallets a month, the gap can add up to thousands of euros per month. As a reference point, our published range for EPAL grade 1 is €10.50 – 13.30 excl. VAT — an unlicensed copy sells for roughly half, and is worth nothing in the exchange circuit.
The most visible marking: the EPAL logo in an oval, branded into the wood with a hot iron. It must appear on the 4 corner blocks of the pallet, at mid-height. Older convention: the « EUR » logo in a rectangular frame (pre-2013 pallets). Both are still valid in the pool today, but the oval EPAL logo is the current standard.
All EPAL pallets must be ISPM 15 treated (the international phytosanitary standard). The marking is mandatory: a rectangular frame containing the IPPC wheat-ear pictogram + the country code + the producer number + the treatment method (HT = heat treatment 56 °C / 30 min; MB = methyl bromide, banned in the EU). On a French-made pallet: FR-XXX HT. Without this mark, the pallet cannot be used for export outside the EU. More about ISPM 15 →
Every pallet carries the licence number of the approved EPAL manufacturer. It is a unique identifier tied to the country code. On epal-pallets.org, you can check that the number matches a licensed producer whose licence is currently valid. A non-existent or deactivated number = counterfeit, or a pallet from a manufacturer that lost its licence.
On one of the blocks or at the bottom of the centre board, you can read the year of production (4 or 2 digits). A well-maintained EPAL pallet lasts 5 to 7 years in circulation. Beyond that, it must be repaired by an approved EPAL repairer (verifiable by a specific repair marking). No year = suspicious.
One of the blocks carries a control staple or marked nail attesting to the quality inspection carried out under EPAL supervision by an independent inspection body. The staple carries the control year and an internal code. A pallet without it = uninspected = non-compliant.
The EPAL pallet has strictly standardised dimensions: 800 mm wide × 1,200 mm long × 144 mm high. Tolerance ±3 mm. Any pallet that deviates from these dimensions (for instance 790×1190, or 800×1200×120) is not EPAL, even if it carries the other markings. Check with a tape measure in case of doubt.
Mandatory construction: 11 boards (5 top deck boards alternating wide and narrow, 3 bottom boards, 3 cross boards), 9 blocks arranged in 3 rows, and exactly 78 special nails of standardised length and diameter. A pallet with fewer deck boards or plain round nails is not EPAL-compliant, even with the logo.
🔍 DirectPAL tip: in practice, the absence of a single one of the 7 markings should trigger vigilance. Counterfeiters often reproduce 4 or 5 markings but skip the less visible ones (quality staple, millimetre-exact dimensions, nail count). Count the nails on a sample of your batch — it is quick and revealing.
Before signing a delivery note, run this checklist on 2–3 pallets picked at random from the batch:
If at least 2 criteria fail on your sample, refuse the delivery or demand a renegotiation at one-way pallet rates (roughly half the EPAL price). You save the shortfall and avoid accumulating stock that has no pool value.
Before buying: systematically ask the supplier for a manufacturer certificate with a currently valid EPAL licence number. A serious supplier will provide it without difficulty.
At receipt: on large batches (several hundred pallets), inspect 10 pallets at random using the checklist. Document with photos. If something is off, make written reservations to the carrier within the deadlines that apply to your shipment — at delivery for apparent defects and within 7 days for non-apparent ones under the CMR Convention for international road transport; national law applies to domestic legs.
In case of dispute: report the case to the EPAL National Committee in your country (the list is published on epal-pallets.org). A licensed manufacturer delivering counterfeits risks losing its licence and being sued for trademark counterfeiting.
At DirectPAL, we source exclusively from EPAL-licensed manufacturers and provide manufacturer certificates on request. Every batch is checked and sorted before it ships — that is the basis of B2B trust, whichever country you buy from.
An authentic EPAL pallet trades well above an unlicensed copy, because it gives access to the European exchange pool. Counterfeiters imitate the markings to sell at the EPAL price. The buyer's risk: rejection in the exchange circuit, loss of the exchange value (€5 to €15 per pallet), problems with carriers and demanding customers.
Check the consistency of the markings on all 4 corner blocks (identical licence numbers, same year). Consult the list of licensed producers on epal-pallets.org. When buying in bulk, ask for a manufacturer certificate. In case of dispute, report the case to the EPAL National Committee in your country.
Dynamic load (in motion): 1,500 kg. Static load (at rest): 4,000 kg. Racking load: 1,000 kg distributed. These ratings assume a pallet in good condition (grade A or B). A counterfeit can collapse well below these loads and engage your liability. Dynamic vs static load →
Yes — provided the repair was carried out by an approved EPAL repairer. The pallet then receives a specific repair marking. A « wild » repair by a non-approved workshop voids EPAL authenticity even if the original markings are preserved.
Yes — DirectPAL sources exclusively from EPAL-licensed manufacturers. We provide manufacturer certificates on request, and our catalogue offers EPAL grade 1 (new or A) and reconditioned grade 2 pallets, with complete markings, checked and sorted batch by batch.