CHEP pallets (blue pallets)
A CHEP pallet is a blue pool pallet that stays the property of CHEP, so it is returned to CHEP, never bought or sold. CHEP lists its UK wooden pallet at 1200 x 1000 mm and 28 kg and its Euro pallet at 1200 x 800 mm and 25 kg, and collects its blue pallets free of charge, according to CHEP.
What is a CHEP pallet?
A CHEP pallet is a pallet from CHEP's pool, which businesses rent, share and return instead of buying.
CHEP is part of Brambles, and its UK pages describe customers who "rent, share, and return items" through the pool. CHEP lists eight pallet models with sizes for the UK, made of wood, plastic and wood with metal.
How do you identify a CHEP pallet?
A CHEP pallet is identified by the blue paint, the words "Property of CHEP" or "Owned by CHEP", the CHEP logo, the words "Owned by CHEP UK Limited" on pallets that arrived from overseas, and the same marks on any plastic pallet.
- Check the colourCHEP paints its pallets blue.
- Look for the words"Property of CHEP" or "Owned by CHEP".
- Look for the logoThe CHEP corporate logo.
- Look for the overseas mark"Owned by CHEP UK Limited", a mark CHEP uses on pallets that arrived from overseas.
- Check plastic palletsAny plastic pallet for the same marks, as CHEP lists plastic pallets as well as wooden ones.
A blue pallet with none of these marks is not proven to be a CHEP pallet, so set it aside and ask CHEP before you move it. Blue paint alone is not a mark of ownership.
Who owns CHEP pallets?
CHEP owns every CHEP pallet. CHEP states that its pallets "always remain the property of CHEP".
- Who owns it
- CHEP
- Who holds it
- The business that rents or receives it
- What the holder does
- Returns it to CHEP
A pallet delivered to your site on a load is still CHEP's, whoever receives the goods. CHEP does not exchange blue pallets and collects only its own equipment. A pallet you buy from a supplier is your own property; a CHEP pallet never is.
Can you buy or sell CHEP pallets?
No. CHEP pallets cannot be bought or sold because CHEP owns them, and CHEP states that any sale, trade or secondary use is "strictly prohibited".
A blue CHEP pallet therefore has no sale value to the business holding it. CHEP does not sell its pallets; its UK pages describe renting, sharing and returning them. CHEP collects broken pallets, repairs them and puts them back in circulation, and it recycles the ones it cannot repair. CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets remain the property of the pool companies, so they go back to their owners.
What size is a CHEP pallet?
The standard CHEP pallet is 1200 x 1000 mm and 162 mm high, according to CHEP's datasheet; its Euro pallet is 1200 x 800 mm and 144 mm high.
CHEP gives no height or material for some of its eight UK models, and the table prints "not stated" for those.
| CHEP pallet (CHEP's name) | Size (mm) | Material | Height (mm) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK wooden pallet | 1200 x 1000 | Wood | 162 | CHEP datasheet |
| European wooden pallet | 1200 x 800 | Wood | 144 | CHEP datasheet |
| Wooden and metal pallet | 800 x 600 | Timber and metal | Not stated | CHEP products page |
| Plastic pallet | 1200 x 800 | Plastic | Not stated | CHEP products page |
| Plastic pallet with top-deck lips | 1200 x 800 | Plastic | Not stated | CHEP products page |
| Plastic pallet, non-perimetric, with top-deck lips | 1200 x 1000 | Plastic | Not stated | CHEP products page |
| Plastic quarter display pallet | 600 x 400 | Plastic | Not stated | CHEP products page |
| Quarter pallet, wheeled | 600 x 400 | Not stated | Not stated | CHEP products page |
The CHEP pallet dimensions in centimetres are 120 x 100 cm for the UK pallet. CHEP's Euro pallet has the same 1200 x 800 x 144 mm outline as an EPAL Euro pallet; for that size on its own see Euro pallet size.
CHEP's products page gives the UK pallet height as 150 mm; its datasheet gives 162 mm. This page uses the datasheet.
How much does a CHEP pallet weigh?
A CHEP UK pallet weighs 28 kg empty and a CHEP Euro pallet 25 kg, according to CHEP's datasheets.
- UK, 1200 x 1000 mm
- 28 kg (61.7 lb)
- Euro, 1200 x 800 mm
- 25 kg (55.1 lb)
Ten empty CHEP UK pallets weigh 280 kg, by arithmetic on the 28 kg figure. The CHEP pallet weight is the empty weight, the tare, so the blue pallet weight in the table is what the pallet weighs with no load. The weights of every other pallet are in how much a pallet weighs.
How much weight can a CHEP pallet hold?
A CHEP UK pallet carries up to 1,500 kg and a CHEP Euro pallet 1,000 kg UDL, as the maximum ratings CHEP recommends.
| Pallet | Recommended maximum rating | Stacking limit when loaded |
|---|---|---|
| UK, 1200 x 1000 mm | 1,500 kg safe working load | 6,000 kg on a solid surface |
| Euro, 1200 x 800 mm | 1,000 kg UDL | 4,000 kg on a flat solid surface |
UDL means uniformly distributed load, a load spread evenly across the deck. CHEP states that empty UK pallets can be stored 40 high. These are CHEP's recommendations for CHEP's own pallets, not a rating for any other pallet. For the full picture see pallet load capacity.
What are CHEP pallets made of?
CHEP pallets are made of wood, plastic or wood and metal, depending on the model, according to CHEP's product list.
- UK wooden
- "Quality timber from a controlled selection of different wood types"
- Euro wooden
- FSC or PEFC certified sustainable timber
- Plastic, and wood and metal
- Listed by CHEP, material only
CHEP describes both wooden pallets as four-way entry. CHEP's UK datasheets do not state whether the pallets are heat treated or ISPM 15 marked, nor whether they are block or stringer built. The rule behind that question is in ISPM 15 explained.
How do you return CHEP pallets?
Request a free collection from CHEP by sorting and stacking the blue pallets and submitting CHEP's collection form, and CHEP collects them, according to CHEP.
- Sortthe blue pallets from your own.
- Stackthem safely.
- Requesta collection from CHEP through its own form.
- Let CHEP collectonce you have given it access.
CHEP's collection form is on CHEP's own UK site, and blue pallet collection is booked there. CHEP collects broken pallets too, repairs them and returns them to circulation, and recycles those it cannot repair. CHEP does not exchange blue pallets and picks up only its own equipment. CHEP states that you must give it access to collect.
PalletsHub is not CHEP and does not collect or return CHEP pallets for you; CHEP collects its own. If your site also holds pallets that are not CHEP's, those are a separate question.
What can you do with pallets that are not CHEP pallets?
We collect and buy your own pallets. CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets remain the property of the pool companies, so we never buy, sell or recycle them; they go back to their owners.
We collect pallets you own, in any size or condition, reusable or broken, and the registered waste carrier collecting them issues a waste transfer note where the pallets are waste. We buy the reusable grades by size, grade and quantity. See pallet collection for what is collected and what is collected free, and sell pallets for what we buy.
- Your own pallets
- We collect or buy them
- CHEP pallets
- They go back to CHEP
How many CHEP pallets fit on a lorry or in a container?
CHEP's 1200 x 800 mm and 1200 x 1000 mm pallets fill a 13.6 m trailer at 33 or 26 in one layer, the sizes CHEP lists for its Euro and UK pallets.
The footprint decides the count, and these are the same footprints as the Euro and UK standard pallets. The figures are floor-space counts from TIMOCOM for a 13.6 m trailer, not a statement about how high loaded CHEP pallets stack. For a trailer or container of your own size, use how many pallets fit in a container or lorry.
How do CHEP, LPR and IPP pallets differ from pallets you own?
A pool pallet stays the pool company's property; a pallet you own is yours to reuse, sell or send for recycling. That is the difference that decides whether a pallet can be bought, sold or recycled.
| Pool pallet | Owner's mark or colour | Return route | Where it is explained |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEP | Painted blue; "Property of CHEP" or "Owned by CHEP" | CHEP collects, free | This page |
| LPR | Red, according to council guidance | LPR collects, according to council guidance | Not covered on this site |
| IPP | Brick brown, according to IPP; marked "Property of IPP", "Property of IPP Logipal" or "Property PP" | IPP organises the pickup, free for broken pallets, according to IPP | Not covered on this site |
| A pallet you own | None | You decide whether to reuse, sell, collect or recycle | pallet collection |
CHEP pallet FAQs
How much do CHEP pallets cost?
PalletsHub does not sell CHEP pallets and publishes no CHEP price. CHEP rents its pallets, according to its UK pages, and CHEP's UK pages state no rental rate. Pallets you own are a different matter, and we buy and collect them.
Are CHEP pallets heat treated?
CHEP's UK datasheets do not say; they state no ISPM 15 mark or heat treatment for the wooden pallets, so we do not call them treated. Our own heat treated stock is described on the heat treated pallets page.
Why are CHEP pallets blue?
CHEP paints its pallets blue, and the colour with the "Property of CHEP" mark identifies them as CHEP's. CHEP's Euro datasheet calls them identifiable by their "distinctive blue colour".
Get your own pallets collected or supplied
Tell us the pallets you own, the quantity and the postcode, and we reply with a collection, a buy-back offer or a quote for pallets supplied.
