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USP Pallet Price Index (PPI)
Current USP PPI (week ending 2026-07-25)
| Pallet Category | National Avg | 7-day change | 30-day change | YoY change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New 48x40 GMA | $28.00 | +0.5% | +2.1% | -3.8% |
| Recycled Grade A GMA | $16.50 | +0.0% | +1.8% | -5.2% |
| Recycled Grade B GMA | $10.50 | -0.3% | +3.2% | -2.1% |
| GMA Whites | $8.50 | +0.0% | +0.8% | -1.5% |
| Custom size (simple) | $47.00 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +4.1% |
| Custom engineered heavy-duty | $73.00 | +1.8% | +3.5% | +6.2% |
| ISPM-15 heat-treated | $34.00 | +0.3% | +1.9% | -2.7% |
| Block pallet (4-way) | $43.00 | +0.5% | +2.4% | +0.9% |
| Plastic pallets (avg) | $120.00 | +0.0% | +0.3% | +2.1% |
| Presswood | $20.00 | +0.0% | +1.2% | -1.8% |
Regional pricing splits - New 48x40 GMA (this week)
| Region | Price range | Midpoint | 7-day change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast (FL, GA, AL, SC, NC, VA, TN) | $24-32 | $28.00 | +0.3% |
| Mid-Atlantic (WV, MD, DE, DC) | $24-32 | $28.00 | +0.5% |
| Texas / Gulf (TX, LA, MS, OK) | $24-32 | $28.00 | +0.8% |
| Midwest (IL, IN, OH, MI, WI, MN) | $22-30 | $26.00 | +0.4% |
| Northeast (NY, NJ, PA, MA, CT, RI) | $24-32 | $28.00 | +0.2% |
| West Coast (CA, WA, OR, NV, AZ) | $26-34 | $30.00 | +1.1% |
| Mountain (CO, UT, ID, MT, WY, NM) | $26-34 | $30.00 | +0.5% |
What drives USP PPI movement
The USP PPI tracks six primary market drivers:
- Softwood lumber futures (CME LBR contract) - 60-70 percent of new-pallet cost is wood. LBR moves lead PPI by 4-6 weeks.
- Kiln capacity for ISPM-15 - Regional constraint (Northeast, Midwest tighter). Affects heat-treated premium.
- Driver availability + fuel - Freight cost swings 8-15% during tight-driver periods, flowing to delivered pallet prices.
- Retailer compliance changes - When Costco/Walmart/Amazon tighten spec, near-term supply of compliant Grade A tightens.
- Export volume to ISPM-15 destinations - Higher export to China/EU/Mexico pressures kiln capacity, pushes heat-treated pricing.
- Regional supply-demand imbalances - Midwest recycled is structurally tight; Southeast is loose; West Coast has port-congestion freight premium.
How USP PPI is calculated
USP PPI is calculated from actual USP transaction pricing data plus a national vendor pool sample covering 200+ pallet supply operators across the US. Weekly weighted average of USP's own quoted-and-transacted pricing plus vendor pool spot-market pricing. Regional splits reflect the volume-weighted average within each USP-defined regional bucket.
Data collection windows: Monday through Sunday transactions closing that week. Publishing schedule: Tuesday morning US Eastern time. Historical index goes back to Q1 2026 launch.
How to use USP PPI
- Contract index-clause reference - Enterprise contracts can index base pricing to USP PPI with quarterly or monthly adjustments
- Procurement benchmarking - Compare your current supplier's quote against USP PPI to identify above-market pricing
- Budget forecasting - Historical USP PPI trends inform annual budget assumptions for pallet spend
- Vendor evaluation - Suppliers whose spot pricing consistently exceeds USP PPI without justification signal above-market pricing
USP PPI license and citation
USP PPI is free to reproduce with citation. Please use: "Source: USP Pallet Price Index, United States Pallets, week ending [date]". Direct link to https://unitedstatespallets.com/pallet-price-index/ preferred. USP publishes weekly with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
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