No single authoritative figure exists for the size of the global pallet market. Commercial research firms publish widely differing estimates of value, and official statistics rarely separate pallets from other wood packaging. The best-documented data come from regional industry surveys, above all the United States and Europe, and they show a mature, wood-dominated, highly fragmented industry that grows with freight volumes.
Why global numbers are unreliable
Pallets are low-value, locally produced goods built by many thousands of small and mid-sized companies, much of whose output is repaired, resold or consumed internally. Customs codes lump pallets together with other packaging, and a repaired pallet re-enters circulation without a statistical trace. Paid market reports from consultancies produce value estimates for the "global wood pallet market" that differ by large factors depending on scope and methodology; they should be treated as indicative at best and are not quoted here for that reason.
More reliable are surveys such as the periodic Virginia Tech and National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA) studies in the US, and statistics from the European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB).
Documented volumes by region
| Region | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | About 3.7 billion pallets in circulation | 2025 | Fastmarkets, based on Virginia Tech survey data |
| United States | Nearly 1 billion pallets produced (new plus recovered) | 2025 | Fastmarkets |
| United States | About 518 million new pallets (402 million stringer, 116 million block) | 2025 | Fastmarkets |
| United States | About 513 million new wood pallets and about 326 million recovered and resold | 2016 | Virginia Tech (Gerber et al.) |
| Europe | 339 million pallets produced | 2006 | FEFPEB |
| Europe | 371 million | 2010 | FEFPEB |
| Europe | 401 million | 2013 | FEFPEB |
The US figures show how large the repair-and-reuse segment is: in 2016 recovered pallets were a large share of the pallets entering circulation, a point developed in the used pallet trade. The US industry consumed around 9.9 billion board feet of lumber for pallets in 2025 according to Fastmarkets, of which roughly 82% was softwood and 18% hardwood. FEFPEB data on Europe are older and should be read as a trend, not a current count.
Materials: wood still dominates
Wood is by far the most common pallet material worldwide because of its low cost, repairability and recyclability, topics covered in wood vs plastic pallets. Plastic holds a fraction of the market and concentrates in closed-loop and hygiene-sensitive applications, as described in plastic pallets. A Virginia Tech survey of US plastic pallet makers found that high-density polyethylene made up about 68% of their 2018 production, which gives a sense of material choice within the plastic segment but not its overall share.
Other materials, such as presswood, paper and metal, serve niches: export one-way shipments, air freight or heavy industrial use. Reliable global shares for these segments are not published.
Regional demand patterns
Demand follows standards and trade routes:
- North America: the 48 × 40 in stringer pallet dominates, produced by large numbers of local plants plus recyclers; see the GMA pallet.
- Europe: the EPAL Euro pallet and the 1200 × 1000 mm industrial pallet dominate, with an established exchange system. EPAL counts more than 1,700 licensed producers and repairers in over 40 countries.
- Asia-Pacific: the 1100 × 1100 mm and 1200 × 1000 mm formats are widespread, with strong plastic use in Japan and Korea, covered under the Asian 1100 pallet.
- Australia: the 1165 × 1165 mm pallet is local to that market, with large pooled fleets.
For sizes by region, see pallet sizes by country.
Key players
The industry is split into three groups. First, thousands of independent manufacturers and recyclers, many family-owned, supplying one-way and exchange pallets. Second, a small number of large integrated producers with multi-site networks. Third, pooling operators such as CHEP and LPR that own and rent out fleets of standardized pallets. Associations such as EPAL, FEFPEB and NWPCA represent the first group; see pallet industry associations.
Trends and drivers
- E-commerce and distribution growth. Fastmarkets attributes the high US stock of pallets in 2025 partly to accelerated growth after the pandemic and e-commerce demand.
- Raw-material volatility. Lumber costs make up a large share of a pallet's price, and price spikes in 2021 and 2022 exposed the sector's reliance on timber supply; see pallet shortages.
- Automation. Robotic pallet production and automated warehouses require stricter dimensional tolerances, favoring higher-quality pallets.
- Sustainability regulation. Packaging rules, deforestation due-diligence regulation and corporate carbon targets favor documented, reusable and certified-wood pallets.
- Traceability. Digital marking and tracking of pallets are expanding in pooled systems.
Frequently asked questions
How many pallets are there in the world?
There is no reliable global count. The US alone had about 3.7 billion pallets in circulation in 2025 according to Fastmarkets, and Europe produced about 400 million in 2013 according to FEFPEB.
Which material has the largest market share?
Wood, by a wide margin, in every major region. Plastic, metal and fiber pallets hold smaller specialized segments.
Which region produces the most pallets?
The United States is the largest single national market by documented volume, but comparable statistics for China, India and other large economies are scarce.
Are market research reports on pallets reliable?
They vary widely in scope and method. Surveys by universities and industry associations with a stated year and sample are generally more dependable for planning.
Sources
- Annual pallet estimates viewpoint — Fastmarkets
- Investigation of new and recovered wood shipping platforms in the US (BioResources 15(2)) — BioResources / Virginia Tech
- An Investigation of the Plastic Pallet Industry in the United States in 2018 — Virginia Tech
- FEFPEB Congress: European wooden pallet manufacturing shows significant growth — FEFPEB via PoliticsHome
- About EPAL — European Pallet Association
- National Wooden Pallet and Container Association profile — SupplyChain247