Where to get free pallets, and which ones to leave alone
Free pallets usually come from small local businesses that receive freight and do not return pallets. Always ask first. Never take blue CHEP, red PECO or iGPS pallets, which are rented property. For projects, choose clean HT-stamped pallets and avoid MB-stamped or stained ones.
Plenty of businesses receive more pallets than they can use and pay to get rid of them. That is where free pallets come from. The catch is that many pallets you see stacked behind stores are not free at all: they are rented, they are being sold to a recycler, or they carry a treatment or history that makes them a poor choice for a project. Here is how to find the free ones and pick safe ones.
Where to get free pallets
The best sources are small businesses that receive freight on one-way pallets and do not have a pallet recycling contract.
| Source | Why they have pallets | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware and building supply stores | Lumber, bagged goods, pavers | Often mixed sizes; ask at the yard desk |
| Farm, feed and garden centers | Feed, soil, mulch and fertilizer on pallets | Spring is busiest; bagged goods pallets can be dirty |
| Tile, stone and flooring shops | Heavy loads on sturdy pallets | Pallets are often heavy-duty hardwood |
| Furniture, appliance and mattress stores | Large items shipped on pallets or skids | Odd sizes; good for projects |
| Motorcycle, equipment and machinery dealers | Crates and skids | Crate lumber is often good quality |
| Small manufacturers and print shops | Inbound raw materials | Ask for regular pickup |
| Pet and aquarium stores, liquor stores | Smaller freight deliveries | Small quantities |
| New construction sites | Material deliveries | Ask the site manager; never take from a site uninvited |
| Online free listings | Individuals and businesses clearing space | Ask for photos of the stamps |
| Pallet recyclers | Broken or odd pallets they cannot sell | Some give away or cheaply sell rejects |
Large chain stores and distribution centers usually have contracts with pallet recyclers or poolers, so their pallets are rarely free.
How to ask
- Go in person, ask for the manager or receiving staff, and ask whether they have pallets they want removed.
- Offer to take them regularly. A reliable pickup is worth more to them than one visit.
- Take all of them if you can, not only the best ones; businesses prefer someone who clears the pile.
- Bring a vehicle and help load. A 48 × 40 in wood pallet weighs about 30–70 lb (14–32 kg), and more if wet.
Never take pallets without permission, even if they look abandoned. Pallets behind a store are someone's property, and taking them is theft.
Pallets you must not take
| Pallet | How to recognize it | Why not |
|---|---|---|
| CHEP | Blue paint, "CHEP" stenciling | Owned by CHEP; never sold; unauthorized possession can bring civil or criminal liability |
| PECO | Red paint, "PECO" branding | Owned by PECO; PECO states selling, buying, exchanging or repurposing them is illegal |
| iGPS | Blue plastic pallet | Owned by iGPS; rented |
| "Property of" pallets | Stenciled or branded with an owner's name | Belongs to that company |
| Other painted pallets | Solid paint in other colors | Often private pools or company-owned |
If you run a business and pooled pallets end up with you, request a free collection from the pooler. See CHEP pallets and PECO pallets.
Which free pallets are safe for projects?
The stamp tells you how the pallet was treated for export; the pallet's condition tells you about its history. You need both.
Check the stamp
Look for the ISPM 15 mark on the side of a stringer or block: a wheat-ear symbol, a country code, a number and a treatment code.
| Stamp | Meaning | For DIY, furniture, gardens |
|---|---|---|
| HT | Heat-treated, no chemicals | Best choice |
| DH | Dielectric (microwave) heat-treated, no chemicals | Fine |
| KD | Kiln-dried lumber | No chemicals from drying; not an ISPM 15 mark |
| MB | Methyl bromide fumigated | Avoid |
| SF | Sulfuryl fluoride fumigated | Avoid |
| No stamp | Domestic pallet, unknown treatment and history | Use with caution; avoid for food, children's items, animals, indoor furniture and firewood |
Full details are in pallet stamps and markings and heat-treated pallets.
Check the condition
Reject a pallet if it has:
- Dark stains, oily patches or a chemical, fuel or solvent smell
- Mold, soft or rotten wood (see pallet mold)
- Paint (it may be a pooled pallet, or contain unknown coatings)
- Insect holes or sawdust trails
- Many cracked boards or protruding nails that make it unsafe to handle
Also think about what the pallet carried. A pallet from a feed store or a tile shop is a better bet than one from behind an auto parts or chemical supplier.
Food, animals and fire
- Raised garden beds for vegetables, chicken coops, animal bedding: use only HT-stamped, clean pallets, or new lumber.
- Firewood: burn only clean, unpainted HT pallet wood, where local rules allow. Never burn MB, painted or contaminated pallets.
- Indoor furniture and children's items: HT and clean, sanded, and sealed if you like; skip anything with unknown history.
Working with pallet wood safely
- Wear gloves and eye protection; pallets have nails, splinters and staples.
- Pry boards off with a pallet buster or cut them off at the stringer with a reciprocating saw; hardwood pallet boards split easily.
- Pull or cut all nails before sanding or cutting further.
- Wash and dry the wood before bringing it indoors.
How to tell pallet species and quality
For projects, the wood inside the pallet matters as much as the stamp.
| Clue | What it suggests |
|---|---|
| Heavy for its size, tight grain, reddish or tan color | Oak or other dense hardwood; strong, hard to pull apart, splits easily |
| Light, pale, with visible resin or pine smell | Southern yellow pine or SPF; easier to work, softer |
| Uniform boards with grade stamps (KD, species marks) | Built from dimension lumber; usually cleaner wood |
| Boards with bark on the edges | Low-grade lumber; bark should not be present on ISPM 15 pallets |
| Screw-shank (spiral) nails | Hard to pull; cut boards off at the stringer instead |
Block pallets (with blocks instead of long stringers) are often pooled pallets; check the paint and markings before taking them. See pallet wood species.
Loading and transporting pallets
- Measure your truck bed or trailer first; a 48 × 40 in pallet does not lie flat in every pickup bed. Strap pallets down, because stacks slide.
- Never carry pallets on a car roof.
- Stack pallets flat, not on edge, in storage; stacks on edge can fall.
- Store them off the ground and under cover if you are not using them right away, or they will rot and mold.
Free pallets for businesses
Businesses sometimes want free pallets for shipping. Recyclers occasionally give away odd sizes and rejects, and some manufacturers give away inbound pallets. But free pallets are ungraded, of unknown strength and often mixed sizes. Using them to ship to a retailer with pallet rules (Walmart, Costco, Amazon) invites refusals. For shipping, buy graded or new pallets. See Amazon pallet requirements and Walmart pallet requirements.
When free pallets are the wrong choice
Free pallets are fine for projects and occasional one-off moves. They are the wrong choice when you need consistent size and strength, retail compliance, food safety, export or racking. For shipping, buy graded or new pallets. See pallet grades and pallet cost.
If you want to build your own pallet from new lumber instead, how to build a pallet has the dimensions and cut list, and the designer can generate a parts list for any size, starting from the GMA 48 × 40 template.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get free pallets?
Ask small local businesses that receive palletized freight: hardware and building supply stores, farm and feed stores, garden centers, tile and flooring shops, furniture and appliance stores, motorcycle and equipment dealers, and small manufacturers. Online free listings are another source.
Is it legal to take pallets from behind a store?
Not without permission. Pallets behind a store belong to the store or to a pallet company, and many stores sell them to recyclers or return them. Ask the manager first.
Can I take blue or red pallets?
No. Blue CHEP, red PECO and blue plastic iGPS pallets belong to pooling companies, even when they look abandoned. Taking them can lead to civil or criminal liability.
Are free pallets safe for furniture or garden beds?
Choose pallets stamped HT (heat-treated), with no stains, odors, mold or paint. Avoid pallets stamped MB (methyl bromide), unmarked pallets of unknown history, and anything that carried chemicals.
Can I burn pallets in a fire pit or wood stove?
Only clean, unpainted, HT-stamped pallet wood, and only where local rules allow. Never burn MB-stamped, painted, stained or chemically contaminated pallets.
Sources and references
Related
- GuidesPallet stamps and markings: HT, MB, DB, KD and what they meanMost wood pallet stamps are the ISPM 15 mark: IPPC wheat symbol, country code, facility number and treatment code. HT means heat-treated, DH dielectric heating, MB methyl bromide, SF sulfuryl fluoride. DB (debarked) and KD (kiln-dried) are older or separate marks. For reuse, pick HT and avoid MB.
- GuidesCHEP pallets: what the blue pallets are, how rental works, and what to do if you have oneCHEP pallets are the blue pallets rented through CHEP's pool. In North America they are 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wood block pallets CHEP rates at 2,800 lb (1,270 kg). CHEP owns every one and never sells them: if you receive some, keep them apart and request a collection.
- GuidesPECO pallets: the red rental pallets, specs, and how to return themPECO pallets are the red pallets rented through PECO Pallet's pooling network in the US, Canada and Mexico. They are 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) wood block pallets that PECO rates at 2,800 lb (1,270 kg). PECO owns them and does not sell them: if you find red PECO pallets, report them to PECO for pickup.
- GuidesHeat-treated pallets (HT): what they are, when you need them, and costA heat-treated (HT) pallet's wood core was held at 56 °C (133 °F) for 30 minutes under ISPM 15, then stamped with the IPPC mark and HT. Most countries require it on wood pallets crossing their border. It adds roughly $1–3 per pallet (2026 US estimate) and kills pests; it does not dry the wood.
- GuidesPallet mold: causes, prevention and what to do with moldy palletsPallet mold grows when wood stays above about 20% moisture in warm, still air: green pallets in containers, wrapped loads or covered yards. The fix is dry wood: specify kiln-dried pallets (19% or less), store them dry and ventilated, and check moisture before loading. HT alone does not prevent mold.
- GuidesWho buys pallets? How to sell used pallets and what they are worthPallet recyclers are the main buyers of used pallets. In 2026 they typically pay about $4–8 for a Grade A 48 × 40 in pallet, $2–5 for Grade B and under $2 for damaged ones, usually by the trailer load. End users pay more. Never sell blue CHEP, red PECO or iGPS pallets: they are rented property.
- GuidesPallet recycling: how used pallets are repaired, rebuilt and groundUsed wood pallets are widely recycled in the US. Recyclers collect them, sort by size and grade, repair the good ones for resale, dismantle damaged ones for parts to build remanufactured pallets, and grind the rest into mulch, animal bedding or biomass fuel. Businesses usually get free pickup or payment for full loads.
- GuidesHow to build a pallet: 48 × 40 cut list, nailing pattern and assemblyA GMA-style 48 × 40 pallet uses 3 stringers of 1-3/8 × 3-1/2 × 48 in, 7 top and 5 bottom 5/8 in × 40 in deckboards (5-1/2 in leads, 3-1/2 in interiors) and 84 nails of 2-1/4 in: 3 per joint on lead boards, 2 elsewhere. In a jig, nail the top lead boards first, then the rest, flip, and do the bottom.
More in Buying and lifecycle
- GuidesHow much does a pallet cost? New, used, plastic and custom pricesIn the US in 2026, a new 48 × 40 in wood stringer pallet typically costs about $10–25, a used Grade A about $6–14 and a Grade B about $3–8. Heat treatment adds about $1–3. Plastic pallets run roughly $40–200 and metal $150–600 or more. These are estimates that move with lumber, resin and freight markets; get quotes.
- GuidesHow to reduce pallet costs without more damageThe biggest pallet savings come from buying the right pallet, not the cheapest: remove lumber the load does not need, match grade and treatment to the use, quote one spec with several local shops, and cut losses through recovery, repair or pooling. Check a cheaper pallet does not raise damage.
- GuidesPallet grades: Grade A, Grade B, remanufactured and combo palletsUsed pallets are sold by grade. Grade A (#1) pallets are clean and sound with few or no repairs; Grade B (#2) pallets are sound but repaired, often with companion stringers. Remanufactured and combo pallets are rebuilt from used and new parts. Definitions vary by vendor, so write yours down.
- GuidesPallet pooling: how CHEP, PECO and iGPS rental worksPallet pooling is renting pallets instead of buying them. A pooler such as CHEP (blue), PECO (red) or iGPS (plastic) owns standard 48 × 40 in pallets, issues them to shippers, collects them from receivers, then inspects, repairs and reissues them. You pay fees per use, not a purchase price.
- GuidesPallet repair: methods, standards and when a pallet is not worth fixingPallets are repaired by replacing broken deckboards, reinforcing cracked stringers with a companion stringer, plug or metal plate, and replacing damaged blocks, following ISO 18613 and the Uniform Standard. Repaired pallets are weaker than new, need re-treatment for export, and some retailers refuse them.
- GuidesPallet inspection: an incoming inspection checklist for new and used palletsInspect incoming pallets against a written spec. Check a sample from every delivery for size, board count and thickness, broken boards or stringers, protruding nails, moisture, mold, stains and the ISPM 15 stamp. Reject failures, record why, and share the results with the supplier.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 1,343 words.