SELL / SURPLUS
Sell used pallets: what's worth selling and what isn't
Sorted 48 x 40 pallets in sound condition are worth selling; mixed piles, odd sizes and broken boards usually only need clearing; pooled pallets are not the shipper's to sell. Send a photo and a rough count and the request will say which of the three you have.
- Worth selling
- Sorted 48 x 40
- Usually clear-out
- Mixed, broken
- Not yours
- Pooled pallets
01 A quick way to sort your stack
| What is in the stack | Usually | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Matching 48 x 40, boards whole, no brand marks | Worth selling | Send size, grade and count |
| Mixed sizes, some repairs, some cracks | Core material: value depends on the mix | Send a photo; see pallet cores |
| Odd sizes with a clear use, such as 48 x 48 | Worth asking about | State the size; special sizes can be harder to place |
| Broken boards, loose stringers | Clear-out | See broken pallets |
| Painted or branded rental pallets | Not yours | Read pooled pallets |
02 Why 48 x 40 carries the value
The 48 x 40 is the most common wood pallet size in North America, and the GMA pallet accounts for 30% of all new wood pallets produced in the United States. A large installed base means a large pool of buyers who can use one without redesigning a line. A pile that is mostly 48 x 40 and mostly sound has value because a buyer can slot it in at once. A pile that is half 42 x 42 and half stringers with broken boards asks the buyer to sort first, and the price reflects the sorting.
03 What to photograph
- The whole stack from the end, so sizes show.
- A close view of a deck board and a stringer end, where repairs and cracks are easy to read.
- Any marks or paint on the stringers, which show whether pallets are owned or rented.
- The place the stack sits, so a buyer can see how to reach it.
04 What to say
- Rough count, even if it is a range.
- Sizes and whether a majority is 48 x 40.
- How often the stack builds back up: once, or every week.
- Your ZIP. Pallet movement around Pittsburgh depends on where the stack sits relative to the highways.
05 Honest about value
Not every stack is worth money. A clear-out belongs on the clearing page; a stack with value is judged on its size, grade and count. Price depends on those, so see what makes a used pallet worth something.
06 What nobody can tell from a photo
- Moisture inside the stringers.
- Hidden cracks on the underside of the stack.
- Whether the dock can load a large truck.
- Whether the stack will still be there next week.
07 What makes a used pallet worth something
A used pallet is worth something when a buyer can use it as it is: the right size, sound boards and stringers, no foreign marks and a count worth the trip. Size and grade set the value more than anything else.
What drives value
| Factor | Raises value | Lowers value |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 48 x 40 or another size with steady demand | A rare size with few buyers |
| Grade | A or sound B | C, or broken boards |
| Count | A full trailer or a regular supply | A handful |
| Mix | One size, one grade | Everything together |
| Marks | Unmarked | Pooled or branded |
| Moisture | Dry, clean | Damp or mouldy |
Why there is no price column
Prices move with lumber and with local supply, and a figure in a column here would be out of date by the time it was read. Marketplaces and recycler blogs quote national averages, which say little about a stack on a Pittsburgh dock. The factors above are what matter for a given stack.
A worked example without prices
Suppose a dock has two piles. One is eighty 48 x 40 pallets, mostly grade B, kept dry. The other is a hundred pallets in four sizes with broken boards and a few rental pallets mixed in. The first pile can be loaded and used. The second has to be sorted into sizes, the rental pallets set aside, and the broken ones torn down. Close to the same count, very different job, and the buyer prices the job.
How to improve what you get
- Sort by size before listing.
- Stack neatly and keep dry.
- Remove pooled or branded pallets.
- Offer the whole lot at once.
Why a premium wood pallet is priced differently
Pallet production consumes 43% of US hardwood and 15% of softwood, which ties pallet prices to lumber markets. Millwood's top band, Premium A1, adds measured criteria: no stringer repairs, deckboard spacing of 3.5 inches or less and at least 60% bright wood.
Q Questions
Will you buy every pallet I send a photo of?
Not automatically. The request is how the answer is worked out.
Do I need to sort the pile first?
No. A photo and a rough count are enough to start.
Is there a minimum number of pallets?
State the count you have. The reply says whether it suits a one-off sale or a recurring arrangement.
How much are used pallets worth?
It depends on size, grade, count and mix. Send those four and the reply will say.
Are heat-treated pallets worth more?
Marked HT pallets that are otherwise sound can be useful to export shippers, so say so on the request.
Src Sources
Req Sell or ask about a stack
Say what you have and where it sits. A photo and a rough count are enough to start.