How pallet pickup pricing works
The short version: count, condition, access, distance and debris. Good 48x40s in a decent pile are often free; small, broken or mixed piles cost money. Triage your pile to see which case it is.
Why there's no price list
A price list assumes every pile costs something to remove. Pallets don't work that way. Good, standard pallets are stock a recycler can sell, so a clean pile is often collected free, and a big one may be bought. Broken pallets, odd sizes and mixed loads cost the hauler time and disposal, so they're charged. The same address can be free one month and paid the next, depending on what's in the pile.
So Pallet Hauler triages first, then Repackify confirms the outcome and, for paid pickups, the price, after reviewing the request.
The five factors
1. Count
A truck trip has a fixed cost: fuel, a driver, a slot in the day. Larger piles spread that cost over more pallets, which is why small piles are usually charged and large piles of good stock are often free or paid for. If you don't know the count, the pile sizer estimates it.
2. Condition
Intact pallets go straight back into use. Pallets with a cracked deck board are cheap to repair. Pallets with broken stringers or blocks, rot or missing boards are dismantled for parts or ground, which costs money. Most piles are mixed; the share of good pallets decides it.
3. Access
A neat stack by a loading dock, with a forklift on site, loads in minutes. The same pallets upstairs, behind a locked gate or scattered across a yard can take an hour by hand. Tell us about your dock, forklift, gate and ground level when you book, and see the prep checklist.
4. Distance
How far the pile is from the nearest pickup partner's route or yard. A pile on the way is cheaper to collect than one at the end of a long drive.
5. Mixed debris
Shrink wrap, cardboard, strapping, drywall, metal or trash in the pile turn a pallet pickup into junk removal: the load has to be sorted or dumped, and it's priced that way. Pulling debris out is the single cheapest way to lower the cost.
Reading other companies' prices
National junk-removal companies advertise prices starting around $65 to $77 for a small load. Those are starting prices for a fraction of a truck, and the price rises with the space a load takes. Pallets are bulky, so they use space fast. They're a fair comparison for a small or broken pile, not for a clean pile of good 48x40s.
How to pay less
- Separate good pallets from broken ones, and both from debris.
- Set pooled pallets (blue CHEP, red PECO, marked pallets) aside for return.
- Stack by size, near where a truck can park.
- Batch small piles into a bigger load, or set up a recurring pickup.
- Have a forklift or pallet jack available for a large load.