What United States Pallets Pays for Used Pallets
Pallet Lumber & Sawmill Operations
Stamped kiln-dried pallet lumber, bulk warehouse stock, dimensional yard inventory, raw softwood logs, and sawmill operations - the supply chain behind every custom and standard pallet we ship.
Short answer: United States Pallets pays $6.00 to $9.00 per Grade A 48x40 GMA pallet, $3.00 to $6.00 for Grade B and $1.00 to $3.00 for Grade C cores, as of August 2026. The minimum pickup is 250 pallets of a single size, payment is same-day or net-7 ACH, and we collect in all 50 states. A sorted 250-pallet Grade A load is worth roughly $1,500 to $2,250.
2026 Pallet Buyback Rates by Grade
| Grade | Condition | USP pays (per pallet) | National avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A (#1) | Sound, reusable, clean, no major repair | $6.00 to $9.00 | ~$7.00 |
| Grade B (#2) | Repaired / companion stringer, usable wear | $3.00 to $6.00 | ~$4.75 |
| Grade C / Core | Damaged; for repair or dismantle | $1.00 to $3.00 | ~$2.00 |
| ISPM-15 heat-treated, reusable | Stamped, export-grade, sound | Top of the Grade A band, quoted per lot | Not separately published |
Rates as of August 2026 and consistent with the bands published on our buy-back rates page and competitor payout comparison. Bands are what we pay on a sorted single-size load collected on a normal route; a firm number comes with the quote, because grade mix, pickup lane and volume all move it.
What a Load Is Actually Worth
Per-pallet numbers are hard to act on when you are deciding whether a pickup is worth scheduling, so this is the same published bands multiplied out by load size. These are arithmetic on the table above, not separate quotes.
| Load size (single size, sorted) | Grade A | Grade B | Grade C / core |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 pallets (program minimum) | $1,500 to $2,250 | $750 to $1,500 | $250 to $750 |
| 500 pallets | $3,000 to $4,500 | $1,500 to $3,000 | $500 to $1,500 |
| 1,000 pallets | $6,000 to $9,000 | $3,000 to $6,000 | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| 2,500 pallets | $15,000 to $22,500 | $7,500 to $15,000 | $2,500 to $7,500 |
| 5,000 pallets / month recurring | $30,000 to $45,000 | $15,000 to $30,000 | $5,000 to $15,000 |
Mixed-grade loads land between these columns. A load that has not been sorted is priced at the lowest grade present, which is the single largest avoidable loss on a pickup.
Payout by Pallet Size
| Pallet type | Footprint | USP pays (Grade A) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMA 48x40 | 48 in x 40 in | $6.00 to $9.00 | Most in demand; sets the market |
| 48x48 | 48 in x 48 in | $5.00 to $8.00 | Drum / chemical handling |
| 42x42 | 42 in x 42 in | $4.00 to $7.00 | Telecom, paint, beverage |
| Block pallet (4-way) | varies | $5.00 to $9.00 | Premium for true 4-way entry |
| Odd / custom size | non-standard | $1.00 to $4.00 | Quoted by spec; harder to resell |
Where You Are Changes What You Get
| Region | vs national avg | Typical Grade A range |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast (NY, NJ, Boston) | +20% to +25% | $8.00 to $10.00 |
| Coastal California | +20% to +25% | $8.00 to $10.00 |
| Southeast | at or slightly above avg | $6.50 to $9.00 |
| Texas / Gulf | near avg | $6.00 to $8.50 |
| Rural Midwest / South (AR, MS) | below avg | $4.50 to $7.00 |
What We Accept, and What Gets Downgraded
Most disputes on a pickup come from grading, not price. This is the standard our sorters apply when a load is received.
| Check | Grade A | Grade B | Rejected or priced as core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size consistency | One size across the load | One size across the load | Mixed sizes in the same load |
| Stringers | No cracks or splits | Companion stringer or one repaired stringer | Two or more broken stringers |
| Deck boards | All present and sound | Up to two replaced boards | Missing lead boards, widespread splitting |
| Fasteners | Flush, nothing protruding | Flush, nothing protruding | Protruding nails or exposed shank |
| Moisture and mold | Dry, no staining | Light surface staining | Visible mold, saturation, rot |
| Contamination | None | None | Chemical spill, food residue, pest evidence, paint |
| Quantity | 250 or more | 250 or more | Under 250 (below program minimum) |
Who Sells to Us
If you're a pallet collector, recycler, warehouse turning over inventory, or 3PL with pallets on hand, United States Pallets buys back used pallets nationally with fast ACH payment.
Program Requirements
- Minimum: 250 pallets per load (single-size only - no mixed-size loads)
- Sizes accepted: 48x40 GMA, 48x42, 48x48, 36x36, 40x40, 42x42, 60x40
- Condition: Grade A (top condition), Grade B (functional with documented wear), Grade C (rebuild candidates)
- Payment: Same-day ACH or net-7 ACH depending on volume
- Pickup: Coordinated on standard outbound delivery routes for backhaul efficiency
What To Do When Your Pile Is Mixed
Short answer: stop treating the pile as one load and find the largest single-size group inside it. The 250-pallet single-size minimum above is the rule most sellers get stuck on, because real warehouses do not generate pallets in tidy single-size batches. They generate a pile. The job is not to sell the pile, it is to find the qualifying load already sitting inside it and ship that one first.
| What you have | The move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| More than 250 of one accepted size, plus a mixed remainder | The single-size group ships now as its own load. The remainder stays on the floor. | Splitting is almost always worth it. A qualifying load priced on its own grade beats a larger load priced at the lowest grade in it. |
| 400 or 500 pallets total, but no single size reaches 250 | Nothing qualifies yet. Pick the size you generate fastest and accumulate that one to 250 before calling. | Accumulating one size is a scheduling decision, not a sorting cost. Chasing every size at once is what keeps a pile permanently below the minimum. |
| The dominant size is 48x40 GMA | Build that sub-load first. Check your stock against the 48x40 GMA specification so you know which of them will actually grade A. | 48x40 GMA is the most common footprint in North American distribution, so it is normally the size that reaches 250 first and the one with the deepest resale demand. |
| One size, but grades are mixed together | Segregate A, B and C into separate stacks before the truck is scheduled. | An unsorted load is priced at the lowest grade present, which is the single largest avoidable loss on a pickup. |
| Sizes outside the accepted list | Keep them physically out of the qualifying stack. | An odd size buried in an otherwise clean load slows grading and pulls the whole load off its rate. Set it aside rather than hoping it passes. |
| Broken and rebuild candidates | Ship them as their own core load rather than hiding them in a Grade A stack. | Core priced as core is money. Core discovered inside a Grade A load re-grades the load. |
Sortation guidance as of August 2026. Payouts for any qualifying load follow the published grade bands and load sizes in the tables above; this section changes which load you ship, not what it pays.
Hold or Sell Now
Once a qualifying load exists, the remaining question is whether to ship it or keep accumulating. Three things decide it, and only one of them is the rate.
Floor space is the real cost. Stacked pallets occupy dock and yard space that has an alternative use every week they sit there. An operator who holds a qualifying load for six weeks to reach a bigger one has usually spent more in staging than the larger load recovers.
Grade decays while you wait. Pallets stored outdoors take on moisture and staining, and a Grade A pallet that sits through a wet month is not a Grade A pallet any more. Holding is not neutral. It moves stock down the grade table on its own.
If you also buy pallets, compute the net position, not the payout. What you receive on a buy-back only matters against what replacement stock costs you, so check current pallet pricing before deciding to hold. An operation that sells surplus and buys replacements in the same month should be reading both numbers together, and the Pallet Price Index is where to watch the direction between pickups.
Sell Pallets: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you pay for used pallets?
As of August 2026 we pay $6.00 to $9.00 per Grade A 48x40 GMA pallet, $3.00 to $6.00 for Grade B and $1.00 to $3.00 for Grade C cores, on a sorted single-size load. Where you are matters: the Northeast and coastal California run 20 to 25 percent above the national average, while rural Midwest and South pickups run below it. Odd sizes pay less than 48x40 because they are harder to resell.
What is the minimum load you will pick up?
250 pallets, and they all have to be the same size. Below 250 the freight cost per pallet is higher than the pallet is worth, so we cannot make an offer that is worth your time. If you are under the minimum but generate volume every month, tell us the monthly figure on the form and we can set you up on a recurring route instead of a one-off pickup.
Why will you not take mixed-size loads?
Mixed sizes have to be broken down and re-sorted before anything can be graded, which adds labour to every pallet in the load and lowers the reuse rate. We pay better per-pallet rates on single-size loads because the economics genuinely are better, not as a penalty. The same applies to grade: a sorted load prices at its true mix, while an unsorted load prices at the lowest grade present.
How fast do I get paid?
Same-day ACH or net-7 ACH, depending on volume and whether this is a first pickup or an established recurring program. Payment is issued after the load is received and graded, not at the time of collection, because the final count and grade mix are confirmed on arrival. You get the grading breakdown with the payment.
Do heat-treated ISPM-15 pallets pay more?
Yes, if they are stamped, sound and genuinely reusable. Export-grade heat-treated stock is quoted at the top of the Grade A band per lot rather than at a separate published rate, because the premium depends on how much of the load is actually export-ready. A faded or illegible stamp does not qualify, since the pallet cannot be re-exported on it.
How do I know what grade my pallets are?
Use the acceptance table above: Grade A is sound with no repairs, Grade B tolerates a companion stringer or up to two replaced deck boards, and anything with multiple broken stringers, missing lead boards, mold or contamination prices as core. If you are not sure, select 'need help grading' on the form and send photos; we would rather grade from photos up front than surprise you on arrival.
Related
Sell Your Pallets - Get a Buyback Offer
Single-size loads only. 250-pallet minimum. Same-day or net-7 ACH payment.