Pallet Weight Calculator
Estimate how much a wood pallet weighs from its parts, the wood species and its moisture content, then add the product to get the loaded weight.
- Board feet
- Moisture content
- Wood density
- Weight per board foot
- Wood
- In kilograms
- At other moisture
- Loaded Weight
- Add a product weight
Pallet List
Pallets you add are saved in this browser.
| Pallet | Species | Moisture | Qty | Each | Total Empty | Total Loaded | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No pallets yet. Build one above and choose Add to list. | |||||||
How to Estimate Pallet Weight
A wood pallet's weight is its board feet times the weight of one board foot of that wood. How much a board foot weighs depends on the species and, just as much, on how wet the wood is. Green pallet lumber often weighs 40% or more above the same wood dried to 12%, and some species nearly twice as much.
Wood density comes from the species' specific gravity and the moisture content (M), using the method from the USDA Forest Products Laboratory's Wood Handbook. Below the fiber saturation point of about 30%, wood shrinks as it dries, so its specific gravity goes up:
Density = 62.4 × specific gravity at M × (1 + M ÷ 100)
G is the green specific gravity from the Wood Handbook. At 30% moisture and above, the specific gravity stays at G.
Worked Examples
Weight per Board Foot by Species
Pounds per board foot, calculated from Wood Handbook specific gravity. Green uses the average green moisture of heartwood and sapwood.
| Species | Specific Gravity | Green MC | Green | 19% | 12% |
|---|
Tips for Accurate Weights
Wood of the same species can be 10% heavier or lighter than average, and green moisture varies even more, so weigh a few finished pallets to check the estimate. Sapwood usually holds more water than heartwood, so pallets cut from small logs or cants run heavier. Remember that pallet lumber keeps drying in the yard: a green pallet can lose a good share of its weight over a few weeks of warm, dry weather.