Never ever ever
... try to break up a wooden pallet with your bare hands.
Those planks are springy. And if you hold one in both hands, then stamp down on it, it may not break and instead, it may rebound back at you.

Taking your thumb with it.

18 months and four operations, hours of teeth-gritting physio, and now a thumb shorter than normal that doesn't bend anymore. And aches in cold weather.
(North Utsira South Utsira, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 18:14, 4 replies)

I'm sorry you're a moron.
These wooden things tend to be springy, you know?
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 19:07, closed)

I'm sorry you're not nicer
To people you don't know.
(North Utsira South Utsira, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 21:33, closed)

Most people use a crowbar and/or claw hammer.

( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 19:19, closed)

or a sledgehammer
though many distributors will pay some money if you return their pallets to them in one usable piece, so it's not a common practise here
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 28 Nov 2013, 22:05, closed)