Guide · Pricing
What pallets cost, and what moves the number
Published pallet prices are always slightly wrong, because the market moves weekly. Published pricing logic stays right — so here is the logic, with honest ranges attached.
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A recycled Grade A 48" x 40" GMA pallet typically costs $8.50–$13.50 in the Denver metro; Grade B $5.50–$9.00; a new equivalent $17–$26. Freight, quantity, grade, footprint and lead time are the five variables that move those numbers.
Prices move with lumber markets, regional intake volume and season. Any supplier publishing a fixed price list for recycled pallets is either out of date or quoting a number they will revise when you order.
Current working ranges
| Product | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48x40 GMA, Grade A | $8.50 | $10.75 | $13.50 |
| 48x40 GMA, Grade B | $5.50 | $7.25 | $9.00 |
| 48x40 GMA, core | $2.75 | $3.80 | $5.00 |
| 48x40 GMA, new | $17.00 | $21.00 | $26.00 |
| Euro pallet (EPAL), used | $16.00 | $20.00 | $26.00 |
| 48x48 drum square, Grade A | $11.00 | $13.50 | $17.00 |
| 36x36 keg square, Grade A | $9.00 | $11.00 | $14.00 |
| Half pallet 48x20, new from reclaimed | $12.50 | $15.00 | $18.00 |
| Plastic, reconditioned | $18.00 | $32.00 | $55.00 |
| Custom build, per unit at 100 units | $24.00 | $36.00 | $70.00 |
The five variables
1. Quantity
The largest single lever, and the one customers most often leave on the table. The step changes sit at roughly 250, 500 and full-truckload volumes. Ordering 480 units instead of 520 to "stay under budget" frequently costs more in total.
2. Grade
A $3 to $4.50 gap per unit between Grade A and Grade B. Worth paying where racking, automation or appearance demand it, and pure waste where they do not. More than half the over-spend we see is Grade A bought for floor stacking.
3. Freight
Often 15 to 30% of the delivered price. Pallets are light and bulky, so you are paying for volume rather than weight. Paired runs — a delivery that also collects cores — cut this significantly, and most customers never think to ask.
4. Lead time
Same-day pulls carry a premium because they disrupt the yard's picking schedule. A week of notice is usually worth 5 to 8%. A standing forecast is worth more than that.
5. The lumber market
New-pallet pricing tracks lumber futures closely; recycled pricing tracks them loosely and with a lag. When lumber spikes, the recycled market tightens as buyers switch, and cores become more valuable. In 2021 recycled 48x40 prices roughly doubled within four months.
How to compare quotes honestly
Two quotes on the same footprint can differ by 40% and both be fair, because they are not quoting the same thing. Normalise before you compare.
- Delivered or ex-yard? The single most common apples-to-oranges comparison.
- What grade definition is behind the letter? Ask for the written standard.
- Is banding included? It is $0.30 – $0.60 per unit and often quietly excluded.
- What is the remedy if the load misses spec? Swap, credit or an argument?
- Is there a fuel surcharge? Built in, or added at invoice?
- What is the minimum, and what happens if you order under it?
The cost stack inside a pallet price
It is worth knowing what you are paying for, if only so you can tell which lever actually moves.
| Component | Amount | Share | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core purchase | $5.10 | 47% | Local core supply and competition |
| Collection freight, allocated | $1.05 | 10% | Distance and pairing |
| Grading labour | $0.42 | 4% | Sort accuracy, not speed |
| Repair labour and lumber | $1.30 | 12% | Incoming core condition |
| Yard overhead | $1.18 | 11% | Fixed; spread across volume |
| Loading and banding | $0.36 | 3% | Lot size |
| Admin and reporting | $0.24 | 2% | Fixed; spread across volume |
| Margin | $1.10 | 10% | Competition |
Two things stand out. Core purchase is nearly half the price, which is why recycled pricing tracks local core supply rather than lumber futures. And margin is a tenth, which is why nobody in this industry gets rich and why a supplier quoting 30% below the market is usually about to disappoint you.
Total cost of ownership, properly
Unit price is the wrong number for anything that comes back to you, and it is the only number most procurement processes capture.
| Strategy | Units needed | Purchase | Repairs | Disposal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buy Grade B, no repair | 6,000 | $43,500 | $0 | −$7,500 | $36,000 |
| Buy Grade A, repair once | 2,400 | $25,800 | $7,200 | −$4,800 | $28,200 |
| Buy new, repair twice | 1,400 | $29,400 | $8,400 | −$3,500 | $34,300 |
| Buy Grade A, managed programme | 2,400 | $23,040 | $6,000 | −$5,760 | $23,280 |
| Plastic, closed loop, 3% attrition | 360 | $18,720 | $0 | −$1,100 | $17,620 |
For an open loop where pallets leave and do not return, ignore this whole table. Buy the cheapest pallet that does the job safely, which is almost always Grade B.
Negotiating without wasting anyone's time
There is about 10% of margin in a recycled pallet price. Understanding where the other 90% goes tells you which conversations are worth having.
| Lever | Typical effect | Worth asking? |
|---|---|---|
| Move to the next volume step | −6% to −12% | Always |
| Right-size the grade | −28% where it applies | Always |
| Pair with a core collection | −30% of the freight line | Always |
| Give a week of lead time | −5% to −8% | Usually |
| Commit to a forecast | −8% to −14% | If volumes are predictable |
| Collect from the yard | −10% to −30% | If you have a truck |
| Accept mixed species | −2% to −4% | If appearance does not matter |
| Drop banding | −$0.30 to −$0.60 | If receiving can handle it |
| Ask for a discount | 0% to −2% | Rarely the best use of a call |
The bottom row is deliberate. A straight discount request moves the smallest number on the list, and every one of the levers above it is worth more. Suppliers respond better to “what would make this cheaper” than to “can you do better”, and the answer is usually specific and actionable.
Questions people actually ask
How much does a pallet cost in 2026?
Why won't you publish a fixed price list?
Are used pallets always cheaper than new?
Do prices drop if I collect myself?
What is the cheapest way to buy pallets?
Why do prices differ so much between suppliers?
Should I lock in a price?
Is buying direct from a yard cheaper than a broker?
How far ahead should I order?
Do prices drop in a recession?
Let's keep your pallets in the loop
Whether you have 40 broken cores behind the dock or need 4,000 Grade A pallets a month, the conversation starts the same way.