Guide / Value
What a load of pallets is worth
What a load of used pallets is worth depends on size, grade, count, condition and how easy the stack is to reach. The guide below shows what moves a load up or down.
Five things that set value
| Factor | Raises value | Lowers value |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 48 x 40, one footprint | Many odd sizes mixed together |
| Grade | More Grade A and sound Grade B | Mostly Grade C and cores |
| Count | A trailer or more, steady | A handful, once |
| Condition | Dry, off the ground, intact stringers | Wet, grey, soft or mouldy |
| Access | Dock height, forklift on site, open lane | Locked gate, soft ground, tall leaning stacks |
What a recycler adds and subtracts
A recycler turns cores into graded stock through repair, dismantling and grinding, and pays or charges according to what is left after that. A pile of sound 48x40s is worth less to sort than a pile of broken ones; a pile that needs only inspection is worth more than one that needs rebuilding. Wet wood adds cost, because moisture content above 20% supports mould.
That is why a clear description beats a big claim. 'About 200 sound Grade B 48x40s, 60 cores, stored under a roof' reads better than 'lots of good pallets'.
Worth versus price
Prices move with the market and with the day, and no number printed here would stay true. Treat any quoted figure as a point in time and ask what date it applies to. A load can also have no price at all: a pile worth hauling away may simply be cleared. If you are unsure whether you have a sale or a clear-out, the Dock Sorter reads your pile as worth selling, worth sorting or just clearing.
Improving how a load reads
- Pull the sound 48x40s to one stack.
- Put cores in another and odd sizes in a third.
- Move stacks off bare ground and under a roof.
- Photograph all of it with something for scale.
Then sell the sorted stock and offer the rest as a mixed load.
No figure is given here because no figure is honest without a look at the pile.
Photographs, a count, a size and a note on condition give a person enough to assess a pile.
How a buyer looks at a load
A buyer prices a load by working backward from what it can be sold or used for. A sorted stack of sound 48x40s goes straight to use. A mixed stack must be sorted first, which costs labour and yields only some usable pallets. A stack of cores is raw material for rebuilding or grinding.
Each step down adds handling cost and uncertainty, which is why a clear description raises the answer. Volume matters, but only when the stock is uniform: a thousand mixed pallets can be worth less per pallet than a hundred sorted ones, because the buyer must handle every one.
Location counts as well. A pile beside an interstate in the middle of the metro is cheaper to collect than one down a county road. Access, loading equipment and timing all affect the cost of collection and therefore what a buyer can afford to offer.
Questions, answered
How much are used pallets worth?
Value depends on size, grade, count, condition and access.
Who buys used pallets in Oklahoma City?
Recyclers and graded-stock buyers; see selling pallets.