All wooden pallets have blocks with a unique wood structure that serves as a fingerprint. A camera is used to record the pallet block, for example at truck gates or on appropriate conveyor technology. Artificial intelligence is then used to create a digital signature for each pallet block and store it in a special database. When the pallet is scanned again, the system compares the individual signature of the scanned pallet with the database and thus identifies the pallet solely on the basis of the surface structure of the pallet block. This can be done both locally and via a server across multiple locations.