Pallet Cost Calculator

Build a pallet from its parts to get the board feet, then add lumber price, nails, labor and extras to find the cost and selling price per pallet.

Start From a Common Pallet
Starting recipes only. Edit the parts to match your cut list.
Parts
All sizes in inches, at the actual cut size. Fractions work: 5/8, 3 1/2.
Lumber
$
Pallet lumber is usually bought per MBF, where M is the Roman numeral for 1,000.
%
Nails & Labor
$
$
Use a loaded labor rate that includes payroll taxes and benefits.
Extras per Pallet
$
$
$
Pricing
%
Margin is profit as a share of the selling price. Markup is profit as a share of cost.
12.54
Board Feet per Pallet
Pieces per pallet
15
Pallets per MBF
79.7
Lumber
Add a lumber price
Nails
–
Labor
–
Extras
–
Cost per pallet
–
All-in cost per BF
–
Price per Pallet
Add costs to estimate

Quote List

Pallets you add are saved in this browser.

PalletQtyBF EachCost EachPrice EachTotal CostTotal PriceRemove
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How to Figure Pallet Cost

Pallet shops price a pallet by building it up from its parts. First find the board feet in every piece, then turn that into a lumber cost using the price per thousand board feet (MBF). Add nails, labor and any extras like heat treatment to get the cost to build one pallet.

Board feet per piece = thickness (in) × width (in) × length (in) ÷ 144
Pallet cost = board feet × $/MBF ÷ 1,000 × (1 + waste) + nails + labor + extras

Pallet parts are cut stock, so figure board feet on the actual size of each piece, not a nominal size. A ⅝″ × 3½″ deck board is counted as ⅝″ × 3½″.

Worked Example

A 48×40 stringer pallet has three 1½″ × 3½″ × 48″ stringers, seven top deck boards and five bottom deck boards, all ⅝″ × 3½″ × 40″.

StepMathResult

Margin vs. Markup

Margin and markup describe the same profit two different ways. Margin divides profit by the selling price; markup divides it by cost. If a pallet costs $10.00 and sells for $12.50, the $2.50 profit is a 20% margin but a 25% markup.

Price with margin = cost ÷ (1 − margin)
Price with markup = cost × (1 + markup)
MarginSame as Markup

Board Feet in Common Pallet Parts

Board feet per piece at actual size, and how many pieces make up one MBF.

Part (T × W × L)BF EachPieces per MBF

Tips for Pricing Pallets

Set the waste allowance to match what you actually lose to trim, splits and rejected pieces. Cutting from cants or random-length lumber usually wastes more than buying precut stock. Count nails from a real pallet rather than guessing: a typical stringer pallet takes two or three nails at every place a deck board crosses a stringer.

Heat treatment for export under ISPM-15 is usually priced per pallet or per load, and the pallet must carry the IPPC stamp. Put that cost in Heat Treat, and use Overhead for your share of rent, equipment, fuel and trucking. Watching the all-in cost per board foot is a quick way to compare pallets of different sizes.