Pallets for sale, by size, grade and how often you need them
Buying pallets starts with three answers: the size, the grade or new, and how many you need how often. Everything else follows from those.
- Size
- 48x40 first; 48x45, 48x48, 42x42, 48x42, Euro
- Build
- Stringer or block
- Grade
- New, A, B, C, combo
- Trades
- Auto, food, furniture, export
- Towns
- Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon
Pick the route that matches your dock
A food warehouse in Wyoming wants clean, dry 48x40s every week. A furniture plant in Zeeland wants a skid built to a drawing. An exporter wants the ISPM 15 stamp on every board that leaves. Those are three different purchases, so the buy side is split into pages that each ask for what that purchase needs.
| Route | Choose it when | What to send |
|---|---|---|
| Used pallets | The stack can be Grade A, B or C and the price matters | Size, grade, count, how often |
| New pallets | Every load must ride on the same build | Size, deck boards, entry, count |
| Custom pallets | The load does not fit a standard size | A cutting list or drawing |
| Heat-treated pallets | The load crosses a border | Destination country, size, count |
| Food-dock pallets | The pallet touches cartons or bagged food | Moisture and cleanliness needs |
| Skids | The product is dense and small in footprint | Footprint, weight, entry |
| Truckloads | The same size is needed on a schedule | Size, grade, trailers per month |
What a buyer should say in a first message
Say the size first. If you do not know it, measure the deck: length is the way the stringers run, width the way the top boards run, and a 48x40 means 48 inches long by 40 wide. The 48x40 is the most common wood pallet size in North America, so it is the safe guess for a load with no instruction.
Then the grade. A Grade A pallet has had no repairs and needs none. A Grade B pallet has been repaired with replaced deck boards, plates or plugs. A Grade C pallet looks rough and may have several repairs. New means all-new lumber, usually built to a spec sheet. The grades page walks through each one by what you would see on the deck.
Last, the rhythm. Two hundred pallets once and two hundred a week are different jobs. Say whether the count is a one-time order, a standing weekly need, or a seasonal surge like a harvest.
What a price depends on
No price list is posted here, because a pallet price moves with the factors below. Each one is something you can state in a request.
- Size and build: a stock 48x40 stringer against a custom block pallet
- Grade: new, Grade A, Grade B, Grade C or combo
- Count and rhythm: one order, weekly or seasonal
- Treatment: whether the ISPM 15 heat-treatment mark is needed
- Distance: where the dock is, from Grand Rapids to the lakeshore
Looking for pooled rental pallets, liquidation lots or pallets for craft projects? They are not part of this work. Pooled pallets belong to the pooling company and are not the dock's to sell.
How a buying request moves through a dock
A purchasing manager usually has a price per pallet in mind long before the request goes out, because last month's invoice sits on the desk. That number is a poor guide. Price per pallet moves with grade, size, count, delivery distance and how clean the deck must be, and the same 48x40 can cost very different amounts depending on which of those the order asks for.
A better habit is to write the load down as a short spec. A spec names the size, the build, the grade, the weekly count, the destination and anything unusual, such as a heat-treatment mark or a food-contact rule. Once those six or seven items are on paper, any seller can answer yes, no or with a counter-offer.
Which pages to read first
- A food or grocery dock: clean-food pallets and the mould guide
- A plant that ships overseas: heat-treated pallets and the HT stamp guide
- A plant with an odd product: custom pallets and the cutting-list tool
- A dock that needs the same pallet every week: truckloads
- A buyer who is unsure of the words: sizes, types and grades
A plain rule on rented pallets
Pooled pallets belong to the pool that owns them and carry its colour. A buyer should not ask for them and a seller should not offer them. If a load arrives on pooled pallets, they go back to the pool.
A table of what to say first
| Line | Example |
|---|---|
| The pallet | 48x40, stringer, Grade B, dry |
| The rhythm | 300 a week, every week |
| The place | A dock in Kentwood, ZIP 49512 |
Before sending a purchase request
Gather four facts first: the size, the grade or condition, the number you need and the date. Add where the pallets must go and how they will be unloaded. With those, the request describes the order completely.
If you are not sure which size or type you need, describe the load instead: what it weighs, how it is packed and how it will be lifted. The size and type pages below explain the choices.
Buying pallets is usually a matter of repeating a good order. After a first delivery, note what worked, and send the same description next time. It makes later requests quicker for everyone.
Matching the page to the need
Used, custom, heat-treated, skid and new options follow. If your need is plain, start with used pallets. If your load is odd, start with custom. If your freight crosses a border, start with heat-treated.
Timing an order
Lumber prices and seasonal demand change what a pallet costs and how soon it is available. Put the date a load is needed in the first line of the request.