Custom pallets: design yours free, get a quote in 2 business days

A custom pallet is any pallet built to your specification instead of picked from stock: a size that fits your product, a deck that suits your load, a build that works with your racking and handling equipment. Custom does not have to mean expensive. Many custom pallets use the same lumber and nails as a standard 48 × 40 GMA pallet, just cut and assembled to different numbers.

pallet.design lets you design the pallet yourself, free, in the browser, then quotes it for you. You get an engineering drawing you own and a price within 2 business days.

Open the 48 × 40 GMA template to start, or read on for what you can change and how ordering works.

#What can be customized?

Almost everything. The designer models every setting below, and anything it doesn't model can go in the notes or be described with the "Anything else" type.

#Wood pallets

#Other materials

Molded plastic and presswood are made in existing tools, so "custom" means picking the right catalog model, color, marking and options. You state your requirements and the supplier proposes a model that meets them.

#How ordering custom pallets works

#1. Design it

Start from one of 21 templates, then change what differs. Every edit updates a 3D model, a parts list with board feet, an estimated weight and a fastener count. Design checks flag problems such as boards that don't fit, notches that break the Uniform Standard's geometry rules, or nails too short for the deck. There's no account and no cost. See Getting started.

#2. Get the drawing

The Drawing tab produces an ANSI B engineering drawing with top, bottom, front and right views, a parts list and a title block. Print it, save it as a PDF, or share it with a link that carries the whole design. The drawing is yours to use with anyone. See The drawing sheet.

#3. Request a quote

Click Request quote, add your name, work email, quantity and delivery ZIP, and send. The request comes to pallet.design. We price your exact design with vetted partner shops and reply with a price within 2 business days. You deal only with us, and the shops never see your contact details. See Requesting a quote.

#What information does a custom pallet quote need?

The more of this you give, the tighter the price. The designer has a field for each.

The pallet RFQ checklist explains why each item changes the price, and How to spec a custom pallet walks through the decisions.

#How much do custom pallets cost?

Price depends mostly on the board feet of lumber, the lumber species and grade, quantity, and freight. As a 2026 US estimate that moves with lumber markets, a new standard 48 × 40 GMA pallet runs about $10 to $25, and heat treatment adds roughly $1 to $3 per pallet. Custom wood pallets cost more or less than that in proportion to their lumber content and complexity. Plastic catalog pallets typically run about $40 to $200, and fabricated metal pallets more. Large annual volumes price well below one-off orders. See Pallet cost and How to reduce pallet costs.

#Lead times and minimum orders

These are typical 2026 ranges, not commitments. Your quote states the lead time and minimum for your order.

Lumber availability, heat-treatment capacity and the season all move wood lead times.

#Load ratings and certification

The designer doesn't calculate load capacity, and we don't publish a single number for a design. Capacity depends on whether the pallet is racked, floor stacked or on forks, and on the lumber and the load. The rating comes from the manufacturer that builds the pallet. If you need a certified rating, for example a PDS report for Costco or a load test to ASTM D1185, select it under Compliance & marking and it is included in your quote. Pallet load capacity explains static, dynamic and racking ratings.

#Start with a template

Most custom pallets are a standard pallet with a few changes. Pick the nearest one: 48 × 40 GMA, 42 × 42, 48 × 48 drum, winged, 48 × 40 block, EUR / EPAL 1 or rackable plastic. For sizes, see US pallet sizes.