This article is part of our Pallets Hub and Suppliers Hub.
Wood pallets are by far the most widely used pallet type, but finding the right supplier is often more complicated than it looks.
Unlike plastic, metal or presswood pallets, the wood pallet industry is highly regional. Thousands of companies manufacture, repair, recycle, recover and broker pallets, often serving customers within a practical trucking radius rather than across an entire country.
That makes a conventional national supplier list difficult to keep current and, in many cases, less useful than the searchable directories already maintained by pallet industry associations. Rather than try to recreate those resources, RPN has taken a different approach with this guide: point readers toward several of the strongest directories and add some context around what to look for when choosing a supplier.
Start with the Application
The first question is not simply where to buy a wood pallet. It is what the pallet needs to do.
A company shipping relatively light cartons on a standard 48 x 40-inch pallet may have very different requirements from a manufacturer moving dense metal components, drums, food ingredients or machinery. Some applications can be served economically with a commonly available recycled pallet, while others call for a new pallet designed around a specific product, unit load, rack configuration or automated handling system.
Before contacting suppliers, it helps to establish the basic operating requirements: pallet footprint, load weight, load distribution, forklift or pallet jack handling, racking, export use, expected number of trips and whether the pallet will remain in a controlled loop or disappear into general distribution. That information usually matters more than whether the first quotation is a few dollars lower.
New, Recycled or Custom Wood Pallets?
Wood pallet suppliers often work across more than one part of the market.
New pallets are manufactured from new lumber and can be built to standard or custom specifications. They are often selected where dimensional consistency, appearance, strength or specific component requirements matter.
Recycled pallets have been recovered, inspected and, where necessary, repaired for reuse. Common sizes such as the 48 x 40-inch grocery pallet are widely traded in recycled markets and can offer a practical, lower-cost option where appearance and exact component dimensions are less critical.
Custom pallets and skids are built around a particular product or handling requirement. That may involve unusual footprints, heavier deck boards, different stringer or block configurations, specialized fasteners or other design changes. A capable supplier should be able to help determine which approach fits the application rather than simply quoting whatever pallet happens to be available.
Manufacturer, Recycler, Broker or Pallet Management Company?
The wood pallet supply chain includes several different types of businesses, and those distinctions can matter when service requirements become more complex.
Manufacturers primarily build new pallets, although many also repair and recycle used pallets. Recyclers recover used pallets, sort them, repair usable units and process damaged material. Some companies operate both businesses at substantial scale.
Brokers and distributors can source pallets from multiple manufacturers or recyclers, which can be useful for companies with facilities in several regions. Larger pallet management companies may go further, providing retrieval, sorting, repair, inventory management and reporting across multiple sites.
The right model depends partly on geography. A strong regional manufacturer may be the best answer for a single plant, while a multi-site operation may need a supplier capable of coordinating service across several markets.
Wood Pallet Supplier Directories: United States and International
Woodpack Global
United States, International | Manufacturers, recyclers, brokers and distributors
Woodpack Global’s member directory is one of the best starting points for locating wood pallet companies in the United States and internationally. Woodpack Global, formerly the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association, provides searchable directories covering pallet manufacturers, recyclers, brokers and distributors.
The directory can be narrowed by product type and other criteria, including block pallets, stringer pallets, Euro pallets and ISPM 15-related services. Separate searches are also available for recyclers, equipment suppliers, service providers and licensed users of the Pallet Design System.
Search the Woodpack Global directory
Western Pallet Association
United States, Western Canada | Manufacturers, recyclers and pallet suppliers
The Western Pallet Association directory is particularly useful in the western United States and western Canada. Its listings include pallet manufacturers, recyclers, pallet sales companies, brokers, lumber suppliers and related industry businesses.
Because the directory can be filtered by categories such as manufacturer, recycler and pallet sales, it can be a practical way to identify regional suppliers without working through a long general business directory.
Search the Western Pallet Association directory
Wood Pallet Suppliers: Canada
Canadian Wood Pallet & Container Association
Canada | Manufacturers and pallet industry suppliers
The Canadian Wood Pallet & Container Association maintains a national member list covering pallet manufacturers and related businesses across Canada.
Its membership includes companies in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and other regions, making it a logical starting point for Canadian companies looking for new pallets, recycled pallets, crates or related wood packaging services. Associate members also include suppliers of lumber, machinery, fasteners, inspection services and other industry products.
Wood Pallet Suppliers: United Kingdom and Ireland
The UK market has two particularly useful directories. There is some overlap, but TIMCON and NAPD approach the market from different directions and are both worth checking.
TIMCON
United Kingdom, Ireland | Pallet and timber packaging manufacturers
TIMCON, the Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation, represents the UK and Irish timber pallet and packaging industry and operates a detailed Find a Supplier service.
The pallet search covers new wooden pallets, reclaimed-material pallets, reconditioned pallets, repairs, recovery and recycling, rental pallets, Euro pallets and other categories. TIMCON also provides supplier searches for cases and crates, raw materials, machinery and industry services.
For international shipping, TIMCON separately identifies members approved to supply ISPM 15 products, which can be useful when phytosanitary compliance is part of the purchasing requirement.
Search the TIMCON supplier directory
National Association of Pallet Distributors
United Kingdom, Ireland | Pallet distributors and suppliers
The National Association of Pallet Distributors provides a location-based tool for finding nearby NAPD members. Users can enter a location and select a search radius to identify pallet businesses serving their area.
NAPD is particularly useful where the need involves pallet distribution, recycled pallets, recovery or local supply. It complements TIMCON’s broader coverage of pallet manufacturing and timber packaging.
What About FEFPEB?
FEFPEB plays an important role in representing the European wooden pallet and packaging sector, but it is structured largely as a federation of national industry associations rather than as a direct supplier-finding service.
That makes it more useful as a route into national industry organizations than as a first stop for locating an individual pallet company. It can still be valuable when a buyer needs to identify the relevant association in a European country not covered by the directories above.
ISPM 15 and Export Pallets
Solid wood pallets used in international trade may fall under ISPM 15, the international phytosanitary standard intended to reduce the movement of plant pests through wood packaging material.
Where ISPM 15 applies, the pallet must be produced or treated within an authorized system and carry the required IPPC mark. Simply describing a pallet as “heat treated” is not enough if the applicable program requirements have not been met.
Companies buying pallets for export should tell the supplier where the shipment is going and confirm that the appropriate treatment and marking can be provided. Processed wood products such as plywood are treated differently under the standard because the manufacturing process has already addressed the pest risk.
Ask About Pallet Design
Price and availability matter, but the cheapest pallet can become an expensive choice if it breaks, damages product or performs poorly in the handling system.
A custom pallet should be designed around the actual unit load. Product weight, footprint, load distribution, stacking pattern, forklift entry, pallet jack use, racking and transportation conditions can all influence the specification.
Woodpack Global’s directory includes a search for licensed users of the Pallet Design System, which can be useful where an engineered pallet design is required.
Even with a familiar pallet size, it is worth confirming what is actually being supplied. Two 48 x 40-inch wood pallets can differ considerably in lumber species, component dimensions, fasteners, repair history and load-carrying performance.
Supply Radius Still Matters
Wood pallets are bulky relative to their value, so freight can account for a meaningful portion of delivered cost. That is one reason the industry remains so regional.
A supplier close to the shipping plant may be more competitive and more responsive than a larger company several hundred miles away. Regional relationships can also make pallet retrieval and recycling easier, particularly where significant volumes of used pallets accumulate.
It is worth asking whether a prospective supplier provides pickup, buy-back, exchange, repair or recycling services. Multi-site companies may need a different arrangement, especially where pallet specifications, service levels and reporting need to remain consistent across several facilities.
Questions Worth Asking
A useful supplier conversation should cover more than unit price. The intended load and handling environment should come first, followed by whether the pallets will be new or recycled, dimensional tolerances, moisture expectations and any requirements around lumber species or components.
Where relevant, also confirm racking performance, heat treatment and ISPM 15 marking, production capacity, emergency supply, repair and retrieval services and the supplier’s ability to support multiple locations.
For larger or more demanding programs, a trial can be worthwhile. Running actual loads through forklifts, pallet jacks, conveyors, racks and transportation may expose issues that are difficult to spot from a drawing or quotation.
Leading Wood Pallet Directories
United States and broader international search:
Woodpack Global Member Directory
Western United States and Western Canada:
Western Pallet Association Directory
Canada:
Canadian Wood Pallet & Container Association Members
United Kingdom and Ireland, manufacturing and timber packaging:
TIMCON Find a Supplier
United Kingdom and Ireland, pallet distributors:
NAPD Find a Member
Supplier Due Diligence
Reusable Packaging News provides these links as sourcing resources. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement of an association or its member companies. Directory information, membership, products, certifications and geographic service areas can change. Buyers should verify current capabilities, specifications, compliance documentation, references and commercial terms directly with prospective suppliers.
Know of another national or regional wood pallet directory that should be considered for this guide? Please contact RPN.
Last reviewed: September 2026.
Related RPN Resources
- Pallets Hub
- Suppliers & Buyers Guides
- Plastic Pallet Buyers Guide
- Metal Pallet Buyers Guide
- Paper & Corrugated Pallet Buyers Guide
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.