Built to order
New wood pallets are built from freshly milled lumber to a defined specification — species, board thickness, fastener pattern and deck layout are all yours to set. They cost roughly two to three times a recycled equivalent and earn that premium in dimensional consistency, appearance and predictable service life.
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Send the quantity and we'll quote your actual lane — not a national average.
We are a recovery-first company, so this page carries a bias we should state plainly: we would rather sell you a recycled pallet. That said, there are four situations where new wood is the correct engineering answer, and pretending otherwise would cost you money downstream.
| Species | Weight (48x40) | Strength | Best for | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Yellow Pine | 33–38 lb | High for its weight | General freight, export, heat treatment | Baseline |
| Mixed hardwood (oak, gum, maple) | 42–52 lb | Highest | Heavy machinery, drums, castings | +8–15% |
| Spruce / Fir / Pine (SPF) | 30–35 lb | Moderate | Light goods, air freight sensitivity | −5% |
| Poplar | 35–40 lb | Moderate | Clean appearance, low resin | +5% |
| Kiln-dried SYP | 30–34 lb | High | Pharma, electronics, mould-sensitive loads | +18–25% |
A build quote needs eight decisions. If you do not know some of them, say so — our design desk will propose a spec based on your load and we will send a drawing before anything is cut.
| Decision | Options | Default if unspecified |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | Any, to 96 in | 48 x 40 in |
| Entry | 2-way, partial 4-way notched, full 4-way block | Partial 4-way notched |
| Top deck | Flush, single wing, double wing | Flush |
| Deck coverage | 5, 6, 7 boards or solid | 7 board |
| Board thickness | 0.5 in to 1.0 in | 0.625 in |
| Stringer | 1.5 x 3.5 in, 1.5 x 5.5 in | 1.5 x 3.5 in |
| Fastener | Helical, screw-shank, staple | Helical drive screw |
| Treatment | None, HT / ISPM-15, kiln-dried | None |
Fastener choice is the one people skip and regret. Helical drive screws hold roughly three times the withdrawal load of a plain smooth-shank nail, which is what determines whether the pallet survives a fifth trip or splits on the second. We build with helical as standard and charge for the downgrade, not the upgrade.
“We spent two years buying new pallets because our automation vendor said we had to. Turns out we only needed new for the 14% of volume that went through the shuttle. The rest went recycled and the line never noticed.”
By the numbers
Rules of thumb
Before you order
Anything up to 96 in. Default is 48 x 40 with the stringer dimension first — say which axis the stringers run if it is not standard.
Two-way, partial four-way notched, or full four-way block. If pallet jacks come at it from all sides you need block construction, not notches.
Five, six or seven boards, or solid. Small or unstable cases want more coverage; heavy point loads want thicker boards.
0.5 in to 1.0 in. Going from 0.5 to 0.75 raises bending capacity more than changing species does.
Three is standard. A fourth reduces unsupported span and can add 30–40% to racked capacity.
Helical drive screw as standard. We charge for the downgrade to smooth shank, not for the upgrade.
Ambient by default. Kiln-dried to ≤19% with a certificate where pharma, electronics or a customer spec requires it.
ISPM-15 heat treatment adds one day and $1.10–$1.90 per pallet.
What goes wrong
Automation, retail display and documented moisture are real reasons for new. They rarely apply to more than a fraction of volume.
FixSplit the fleet. Buy new for the automated or customer-facing portion and recycled for everything else.
An A-clean recycled sort screens stain, mould shadow, paint and splinters for about $1.40 a pallet, against a $13–$18 premium for new.
FixTry the appearance sort first. It solves most retail rejection at a tenth of the cost.
Deck separation, not board breakage, is a common failure mode. Smooth-shank nails hold about a third of what helical screws do.
FixWrite the fastener into the spec. It is the difference between a fifth trip and a split on the second.
Swapping mixed hardwood for SYP saves roughly 12 lb per pallet — 312 lb on a 26-pallet trailer.
FixIf you weigh out rather than cube out, specify SYP and check the load rating still covers you.
Side by side
| Species | Weight (48x40) | Strength | Best for | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Yellow Pine | 33–38 lb | High for its weight | General freight, export, heat treatment | Baseline |
| Mixed hardwood | 42–52 lb | Highest | Heavy machinery, drums, castings | +8–15% |
| Spruce / Fir / Pine | 30–35 lb | Moderate | Light goods, air freight | −5% |
| Poplar | 35–40 lb | Moderate | Clean appearance, low resin | +5% |
| Kiln-dried SYP | 30–34 lb | High | Pharma, electronics, mould-sensitive | +18–25% |
Against our interest
You are paying two to three times the price for durability that your customer consumes and then discards. Recycled at the lowest adequate grade is the correct answer here.
An A-clean recycled sort screens stain, mould shadow, paint and splinters for about $1.40. Buying new to fix cosmetics costs ten times that.
We deliberately hold little new inventory — milled lumber ties up capital that does more good funding recovery routes. If you need stock tomorrow, recycled is what exists.
What moves the price
| Driver | What it is | Rough effect |
|---|---|---|
| Lumber futures | New pallet prices track the underlying commodity almost directly, on a short lag. | The dominant input |
| Species | Mixed hardwood over Southern Yellow Pine, or kiln-dried over ambient. | −5% to +25% |
| Board thickness and stringer count | Going from 0.5 in to 0.75 in decking, or adding a fourth stringer, raises material cost and capacity together. | +8–20% |
| Run size | Setup, jig change and lumber ordering amortise across the run. A 250-unit order carries far more of it than a 2,500-unit one. | +10–30% at minimum quantity |
Due diligence
“What fastener will you build with, and what is the withdrawal strength?”
“What dimensional tolerance do you hold, and how is it checked?”
“Will I see a dimensioned drawing before anything is cut?”
“Can you supply a kiln-dry certificate, and at what moisture content?”
“What is the lumber grade, and is it band-sawn or circular-sawn?”
“If lumber moves during the term, what is the adjustment mechanism?”
The rulebook
Dimensions, terminology and component definitions for pallets and unit-load bases.
Principal dimensions and tolerances for flat pallets in intercontinental handling.
Relevant if the pallet will be used internationally.
The industry's engineering analysis tool for wood pallet design — used to predict deflection and capacity for a given build.
Required if the pallet leaves the country. Adds heat treatment and an IPPC mark to the build.
Vocabulary
From the journal
The species of a recycled pallet is decided by whatever sawmill was nearest when it was built, sometimes a decade ago and four hundred miles away.
None of these are exotic. All five turn up in ordinary purchase orders every week, and each one costs multiples of whatever the pallet saved.
There is no such thing as an FDA-certified pallet. What exists is your documented control, and an auditor is testing whether you have one.
Reference
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard build | 48x40 GMA, 7-board top, 3-board bottom, partial 4-way |
| Lumber grade | #2 and better, band-sawn or circular-sawn |
| Moisture content | Ambient standard; ≤19% kiln-dried on request |
| Fasteners | Helical drive screw shank, 2.25 in standard |
| Dimensional tolerance | ±0.25 in on all axes |
| Static / dynamic load | 6,000–7,500 lb / 2,800–3,000 lb |
| Certification | ISPM-15 HT stamp available; kiln-dry certificate on request |
| Minimum order | 250 units standard, 500 units custom |
| Lead time | 5–12 working days |
Questions
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