Colors make our life bright and beautiful. But they also carry meaning and effects to them. For example, yellow and orange make you feel warm, whereas blues and greens give a cooling effect.

But what do colors on pallets mean? Are they just natural occurrence stuff or do they carry some useful meaning behind them? Let’s learn all about these wooden pallets and the color they carry.

Decoding the Pallet Colors

Before we jump into the main juicy part of the article that you all are waiting for, let’s understand why are the colors important.

The colors of wooden pallets change over time that brings doubt to one’s mind thinking that the pallet life is over. However, this is far from true. The color change may or may not be a result of biological effects that hold in the long run. That’s exactly what we are going to discuss further in this blog. So, let’s dive in.

• Green/Purple

When you come across lines or streaks of green/purple color, it is due to a natural process. If the wood generally comes in contact with minerals, there’s a chance of discolorations giving it an appearance of green/purple streaks.

This condition is very common in pallets whose woods are sourced from areas that are rich in minerals. Purple color is majorly seen in yellow poplar wood and green in sugar maple wood species.

• Blue

This isn’t a molded color but could be a result of another type of fungi called blue-stain. These types of fungi are very commonly seen in wooden products and it doesn’t cause the decaying of the wood.

Another thing for not worrying about this fungus is that it isn’t airborne or eats up the cell wall of the pallets. This means you do not have to worry about any health issues or any structural integrity problems too in the future. You can simply turn a blind eye towards it.

• Black

When any iron product rubs with wet wood, there’s a chance that it will result in dark stains. This ultimately can look like a layer of the black color of the wooden pallets. So, if you deal with any iron materials like staples, nails, wires, saw blades, then you are most likely to encounter iron stains and discoloration of the pallets. It isn’t pleasant to the eyes, but there’s no harm to health with such pallets around.

• Gray

Some of the hardwood species like maple, beech, or oak are vulnerable to enzymatic discoloration, which means losing color naturally due to living cells in the wood. This results in a grayish tone of wood on the layer of the surface.

Now you are aware of these wood colors and what they mean, next time don’t be alarmed when you come across one discolored wooden pallet. But that doesn’t mean you won’t check them altogether. Always be on the lookout for the growth of mold in your pallets and other such chemical reactions.

Still in doubt? Give us a call and talk to the experts. And if needed, you can place your next wooden pallets assignment on the call as well.