Where do you find free pallets?

I am constantly looking for free wood pallets on Craigslist but have not had much luck. Where do you get your pallets?

I am in Lancaster, PA-I get most of mine from neighbors and businesses. A lot of businesses have no where to go with them when they are unloaded. Keep your eyes open-salt, pavers, cement block etc all come on pallets.

My husband gets them from his work as they have to pay people to take them otherwise. Also, we have gotten them from local feed and hardware stores as big bags of animal food, pellets, ice melt, etc come on pallets and they welcome people to take them. Call around where you live, I'm sure someone will have stuff for you.

Any hardware store, HVAC installers, feed store, and really any small business that gets shipments. Not really hard to find if you aren't afraid to ask.

Trying to find decent shape similar sized pallets is a one reason I gave up and just built some racks. Also most pallets are too narrow to stack 3 rows wide with air space between the rows.

I get mine from a buddy who is in the lawn business, all the fertilizer comes on pallets.


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I just the came across the pallet find of a life time yesterday. I was going behind a local shopping center to look for small pallets(my Subaru limits the size of what I can haul). When I turned the corner and found what must 200 pallets stacked up. I grabbed 3 and went back today for 3 more as well as a some 1x6 pine from the other side of the rear of the building.

newspaper office is a good find. They receive all of their newsprint on pallets and it is typically an untapped source.

Lumber and feed stores.

Building supply, motorcycle shops, rebar suppliers have hardwood, construction sites, furniture stores. I collected pallets for a while to burn, seems free tree rounds come just as easily, so I go for the good wood now. There is a roofing supply company I tend to pass by frequently, and they always have more than I need.

There's a big "pallet recycling" place near me. Box trucks full of them. They repair and grade them and resell.

SO.. many are spoken for. I bought some from them.. and they were pricey and with their grading, I was getting ugly, weak pallets.

I found a mom and pop business that does the same thing, on a much smaller scale. I got them to deliver 30 in a pickup at a time to my house for about 2 bucks each. Not worth my gas to chase them.

I've got about 70 pallet "U" so what's that.. 210 pallets. That's a lot to scrounge. I might need 30 more.. but I've currently just be repairing and refilling them as I burn. Working pretty good. Think I'm at about 20 cord stored now. 5 of that nothing but red oak.

JP

Any place that gets in large parts . . . think 18-wheeler repair shops, tractor repair shops, etc.

Schools. typically just sitting around by the dumpster.

Have you tried posting a CL ad requesting them?

Yeah...put an ad in craigslist looking for them. They're everywhere and most places would love for you to just come get them. I've got a bunch of leftover lumber from a basement demo and a lot of steel posts left by the previous owner that I stack on, otherwise I'd go pick some up. Last CL ad I saw was something like 30+/week a local nursery was trying to get rid of.

Try lowe's if you have one around. I get all mine from there, they just don't let you take the sakrete ones (usually with some colored paint on them) because they get money back for turning them in.

Thats were I find mine. Happen to be a teacher, so every time the custodian unloads a pallet of copy paper if goes home with me. Teaching in a few building, I have been able to grab a lot over the last year.

Thanks a lot for all of the advice. I am sure I will get some at one of those locations in the very near future.

I get mine from a local nursery. All his bagged seed, mulch, dirt, etc. comes on them. He loads them on my flatbed with his forklift. I can never take enough of them for him.

With all the good info above, you may not need this but, If you have a military installation near you, usually they can't throw them away fast enough! Find a person in the military and go find the supply person in charge.
He or she will be happy to get rid of them.

"Standard" pallets are 40 x 48 but there are other sizes too depending on what you want... 42x42 is used for paint, 48x48 holds four 55 gallon drums, 40 x 40 milk crates and 36 x 36 beer and other case beverages. Anything put on pallets for the military has to be 35 x 45 to fit in doors and almost every from Asia would be on 43 x 43. Whtever you don't use to stack, just cut 'em up and burn

I also find pallets at our local pool company. In the spring they put a bunch of them out at the curb. Conveniently, it's right next to the dump so I swing by there on the way home. I also get them at our local farm supply stores.

I know somewhere just the other side of Pottstown from you that almost always has pallets left outside for taking. Just off Rt724 on old Schuylkill Rd. Google says its called Mac Kissic Inc.

TE

That is impressive information

I will check them out one of these weekends when I visit my parents. Thanks a lot.

Pallets Are Us, Pete's Pallet Emporium, and Palletmart.