Bulletin 051 · guides

What scrap plastic pallets are worth, and what moves it

Last reviewed Nov 12, 20267 stages

The short answer

There is no easy number for what scrap plastic pallets are worth. Resin, colour, cleanliness, form, quantity, freight and the market that week all move it.

We give no price per pound because there is no current price we can stand behind.

Got a load like this?

Five questions and a photo. We say what we think happens next once the pallets have been seen.

Send a load Find your area

A pallet is shredded and ground to flake, sorted by resin and colour, and moulded into a pallet again.

What moves the value

Resin and its demand. Colour and mix. Contamination. Form: whole pallets, flake or baled. Distance to a buyer. The size of the load.

What history says

In April 2017, HDPE HMW regrind from drums and IBCs was 24 to 27 cents per pound picked up in the US South. That is a historical figure for a different stream and not a current price. It shows the order of magnitude and nothing more.

Why we do not quote

A number given before the pallets are seen is a guess. A guess that turns out too high costs you a trailer. A guess that is too low costs you the load.

What to do

Describe the load and ask. We say what we think happens next and whether the load has a value or a cost.

Why there is no list price

The value moves with resin, colour, condition, contamination, quantity, distance and the market for regrind at the time. A list price would be wrong most of the time.

Ways to raise the value

Keep the resins apart. Keep colours apart. Keep marked pallets apart. Strip metal and foam. Keep pallets dry and out of the dirt.

A load can cost money

If the pile is small, mixed or far away, the freight may exceed the value. We state nothing here about the sign of the number, because we have not seen the pile.

What moves scrap value

Factor	Up	Down
Resin	In demand	Hard to place
Colour	Single	Mixed
Cleanliness	Dry, clean	Oil or food
Form	Matches the line	Needs more work
Freight	Near a buyer	Far

What the sources say

phsinc.comPHS lists its EXP 100 nestable (48 x 40 x 5.2 in) at 78 pallets per stack and 2,340 per truckload, and its EXP 116 (48 x 40 x 5.75 in, 15,000 lb static) at 40 per stack and 1,260 per truckload: a higher static rating comes with fewer pallets per stack.
nelsoncompany.comThat Nelson model is under 5 in tall, which the page says suits air freight, and works with automation and most roller conveyors.
nelsoncompany.comThat Nelson model lists about 60 pallets per stack and 1,800 per truck.
en.wikipedia.orgHDPE has resin identification code 2, a density of 930 to 970 kg/m3, melts at 131.8 C and is hard to glue, so joints are usually welded.
iccsafe.orgAn ICC article says unlisted plastic pallets may require raising the commodity hazard class by two classes, and gives an example needing about 55 percent more sprinkler water.
nelsoncompany.comA used Nelson 48 x 40 x 6.3 in HDPE one-piece pallet weighs 49 lb with 30,000 lb static, 5,000 lb dynamic and 2,200 lb racking ratings.
nelsoncompany.comA 48 x 40 pallet fits 30 stacks in a turned pattern on a 53 ft dry van, per one supplier.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 rackable pallet is high-pressure injection molded co-polymer polypropylene, with 540 per 53 ft trailer.
en.wikipedia.orgResin identification codes do not indicate whether a product is recyclable; ASTM D7611 governs the coding.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific's 40 x 48 heavy-duty nestable pallet is 48.25 x 40.25 x 6.5 in, weighs 28.5 lb, is rated 10,000 lb static and 3,500 lb dynamic, has a 2.55 in nest increment and 1,200 units per 53 ft trailer; the page lists no racking rating.
phsinc.comPHS lists 48 x 40 stackable plastic pallets with dynamic ratings of 2,500 to 5,000 lb and static ratings of 3,000 to 30,000 lb.
rehrigpacific.comRehrig Pacific says its reusable products are designed to be recyclable at end of life and run a buyback program.
rehrigpacific.comThat nestable has a 2.50 in nest increment and 1,260 units per 53 ft trailer.
en.wikipedia.orgNFPA requires wood and plastic pallets to be stored outdoors or in a detached structure unless sprinklers protect them.

Terms on this page

Contamination: Anything in a load that is not the target resin: labels, metal, dirt, wood, food residue or another plastic.
Flake: The small, irregular pieces a granulator makes. Flake is regrind before it is sold or melted.
Bale: A compressed block of scrap, tied for shipping. Buyers grade bales by resin, colour and cleanliness.
HDPE: High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
Regrind: Plastic ground from used or scrap parts into flakes for moulding again.
Trailer fill: How much of a trailer a load takes: a quarter, half or full. It sizes the freight job.
Ownership check: Our first step with any pallet that carries a name, logo, tag or colour that suggests another owner.
Nestable: Empty pallets stack inside one another, cutting empty storage space by up to 75 percent.
PP: Polypropylene. More rigid than HDPE and better with heat and harsh chemicals; used where rack stiffness matters.

Questions people ask

What are scrap plastic pallets worth?

It depends. No number is honest without seeing the load.

Is it more per pound for HDPE or PP?

We do not quote.

Who pays for the freight?

It depends on the load.

Are pallets worth more to a pallet maker?

It depends on the maker and the grade. We state no price.

Should I wait for the price to rise?

We give no market advice. Pallets in the yard cost space.

Sources, reviewed Nov 12, 2026: Resource Recycling, HDPE regrind price (2017).