TL;DR
Check the stamp first, then return pallets to a recycler or the supplier who delivered them, reuse them, or have them hauled and chipped. Never burn a pallet with a chemical treatment stamp, and never assume a pallet is free wood.
Pallets pile up fast behind any business that takes deliveries, and they are one of the few junk items with a healthy secondary market. Getting them out for free is often possible if you have enough of them.
Read the Stamp Before Anything Else
Pallets that have crossed a border carry a stamp from the International Plant Protection Convention. It is a small oval with a wheat symbol, a country code, a facility number, and a treatment code. The treatment code is the part that matters.
HT means heat treated. The wood was baked to kill pests, and nothing chemical was added. Heat treated pallets are safe for reuse, safe for furniture projects, and safe to burn in an appropriate fire.
MB means methyl bromide fumigation. That is a pesticide treatment, and MB pallets should never be used indoors, never be cut into furniture, and never be burned. Methyl bromide has been phased out for this purpose in many places, so newer pallets are usually HT, but old MB stock still circulates.
An unstamped pallet was likely made and used domestically, which means it was never treated. That is generally fine, though it tells you nothing about what was spilled on it.
Return Programs and Pallet Recyclers
The pallet industry is built on recovery. Standard 48 by 40 inch four-way pallets, the ones you see under most freight, have a real resale value in good condition, and regional pallet recyclers buy, repair, and resell them.
If you have a steady supply, call a pallet recycler in your area. Many will pick up for free at a volume threshold, and some pay a small amount per pallet for sound stock. The threshold is usually measured in dozens, not a handful.
Some pooled pallet systems own their pallets outright and want them back. Those are usually colored, most commonly blue or red, and they are not yours to give away, cut up, or throw out. Call the number printed on the block and arrange a return.
Your own suppliers are the easiest option of all. Many delivery drivers will take empties back on the same truck if you ask, and it costs everybody nothing.
Reuse Before Recycling
A sound pallet is a stack of kiln-dried hardwood or softwood boards with the fasteners already in it. That has value to a lot of people.
Local farms and stables use them for feed storage and fencing. Landscapers use them under material piles. Woodworkers break them down for reclaimed stock. Anyone building a shed wants a few to keep things off wet ground.
Posting a stack as free for pickup usually clears it in a day. The one thing to be honest about in the listing is the stamp code, since anyone building indoor furniture needs to know.
Do not reuse a pallet that carried chemicals or shows mold and rot. Weathered pallets that sat outdoors through a wet winter are structurally weak and not worth anyone's time.
Chipping and the Recycling Path
Pallets that are too broken to repair go to a grinder. The output is wood chip, and the end markets are boiler fuel at industrial sites, animal bedding, landscape mulch, and feedstock for particleboard.
The fasteners come out with magnets downstream of the grinder. That is why a facility will take nailed pallets when they will not take other nailed lumber from a homeowner.
This is also why pallets get separated from mixed construction debris on a sort line. Clean wood is a marketable fraction and mixed debris is not, which is part of the sorting logic in what counts as construction debris.
What It Costs to Haul a Pallet Pile
Industry Baseline Range
| What is being priced | Published national range |
|---|---|
| Junk removal, what most homeowners spend per load | $150 to $350 |
| Junk removal, full national range | $70 to $570 |
Source: HomeGuide, "Junk Removal Prices" national cost guide.
These are industry baseline ranges for planning only and may not reflect Otesse's price. Otesse pricing is calculated for your specific home and ZIP code, so enter your ZIP in the price box on this page for your instant price.
Current Market Reality
Real quotes run higher when pallets are scattered rather than stacked, when they are soaked through and heavy, or when a crate has to be dismantled before it fits on a truck. Wood is priced by volume and pallets are mostly air, so a stack that looks small on a dock fills a truck fast. Recurring commercial pickups usually price better per unit than one-off calls, which is covered in commercial junk removal.
| Pushes the price up | Pulls it down |
|---|---|
| Pallets scattered around a yard or dock | Pallets stacked and accessible |
| Soaked, heavy wood | Dry pallets |
| Crates that need breakdown on site | Standard pallets that load as they are |
| A one-off call | A recurring commercial pickup |
Every load is different, so the real number depends on volume, weight, access, and what is in the pile. Enter your ZIP in the price box on this page for your instant price.
Machine Crates Are a Different Animal
Shipping crates for equipment are heavier duty than pallets and often too large to move intact. They are built from plywood sheet, dimensional framing, and lag bolts, and a single crate can weigh several hundred pounds.
Breaking one down on site with a reciprocating saw and a pry bar is straightforward but slow, and the plywood sheeting is worth keeping if you have any use for it. Budget real time for it or price the pickup with breakdown included.
Crates with foam inserts, desiccant packs, or vapor barrier liner need those pulled out first, since the foam is a separate stream and does not belong in a clean wood load.
FAQ
Can I burn pallets in a backyard fire pit?
Only heat treated or unstamped domestic pallets, and only if local air rules allow open burning at all. Never burn an MB stamped pallet, never burn painted or stained wood, and never burn a pallet that carried an unknown liquid. Pallet nails also survive the fire and end up in the ash.
Are pallets really free for the taking behind a store?
Not automatically. Many pallets are owned by pooled systems or are being returned for credit, and taking them is theft even though they look abandoned. Ask a manager. Most will say yes to loose broken ones and no to the pooled colored ones.
Can pallets go in a yard debris cart?
No. Yard debris programs take plant material only, and nailed lumber jams grinders set up for green waste. Pallets go to a wood recycler, a transfer station, or a hauler, alongside other scrap wood disposal options.
How many pallets fit on a junk removal truck?
It depends on the truck and whether the pallets are stacked flat, but a typical full-size junk truck holds somewhere between thirty and sixty standard pallets when they are stacked neatly. Loose or broken pallets take up far more room, which is why crews ask about condition when they estimate volume.
Is pallet wood safe for garden beds?
Heat treated pallet wood is fine structurally, though it is usually softwood and will not last many seasons in contact with wet soil. Avoid MB stamped pallets entirely, and avoid any pallet that carried chemicals. If you cannot read the stamp, use it somewhere other than a food garden.
Clearing a Loading Dock or Yard
Pallet piles behind a business tend to grow until somebody makes a decision, and by then it is a half-day job. We can do a one-time clear or set up a recurring pickup so it never gets to that point. Stack them flat if you can, keep them under cover so they stay light, then book junk removal or get a quote with a pallet count.
