Pallets

Growth in US pallet demand will be supported by gains in domestic manufacturing and warehousing activity, and by the replacement of worn pallets with newer units.

US demand to rise 1.7% annually through 2019

The total number of pallets in use in the US is forecast to increase 1.9 percent annually through 2019 to 2.6 billion units, supported by gains in US manufacturing and warehousing activity. This will lead to an increase in pallet demand of 1.7 percent per year to 1.4 billion units. When manufacturing activity fell during the 2007-2009 economic recession, a significant number of pallets sat idle. Pallet users satisfied product handling requirements with existing stock and purchased new pallets only when absolutely necessary. This lowered the overall condition of the pallet stock, as pallets were not repaired or replaced at normal intervals. When the economy recovered, users began to replace these older pallets with new units, resulting in pallet demand gains of nearly nine percent per year between 2009 and 2014. In addition, the replacement of poor quality pallets with newer units resulted in a marginal increase in aggregate stock levels during this time.

Plastic, metal pallets to outpace wood types

Wood is by far the most widely used material, with wood pallets comprising 84 percent of the total stock in 2019 and 93 percent of sales in unit terms. Wood strikes a balance between low cost and high durability and is suitable for use in most applications. However, because wood already accounts for such a large share of the total pallet market, opportunities for additional growth will be limited and wood pallet demand will be outpaced by that of plastic and metal. Plastic is becoming particularly important in the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries because of its resistance to insects, fungi, and other types of biological infestation. In addition, plastic has a significantly longer lifespan than wood and can be completely recycled. Metal pallets, which make up the smallest share of pallet unit sales, will continue to be used in settings where there is a need to carry extremely heavy items or to transport products such as chemicals, which can damage other pallet materials. Demand for new and refurbished pallets will grow at similar rates through 2019. Further growth in the the wood pallet stock will provide more sales opportunities for refurbished pallets.

Warehousing, construction markets to grow fastest

Manufacturing will remain the largest market for pallets in 2019. However, the warehousing and construction markets will post faster growth. The warehousing market will register the largest gains in unit terms because of both higher industrial activity and increased use of pallet management service firms. Sales advances in the construction market will be supported by a rebound from a decade-long drop in construction spending in real terms.

Study coverage

This study analyzes the 1.3 billion unit US pallet industry. It presents historical demand data (2004, 2009 and 2014) and forecasts (2019 and 2024) by material (wood, plastics, corrugated paper, and metal), market (e.g., manufacturing, warehousing, construction) and US region. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 43 industry competitors, including PalletOne, Universal Forest Products, and Sonoco.

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  1. Pallets

    $5,300.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $149.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $139.00

      1. Table | PALLET DEMAND

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $2,754.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 Macroeconomic Environment

        $227.00

        1. Table | MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

      3. 3.3 Demographic Trends

        $213.00

        1. Table | POPULATION & HOUSEHOLDS

      4. 3.4 Manufacturing Outlook

        $320.00

        1. Table | MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS

        2. 3.4.1 Durable Goods

          $82.00

          1. Table | DURABLE GOODS SHIPMENTS

        3. 3.4.2 Nondurable Goods

          $82.00

          1. Table | NONDURABLE GOODS SHIPMENTS

      5. 3.5 Warehousing Expenditures

        $143.00

        1. Table | WAREHOUSE & STORAGE EXPENDITURES

      6. 3.6 Construction Expenditures

        $138.00

        1. Table | CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES

      7. 3.7 Historical Overview

        $82.00

        1. Table | PALLET DEMAND, 2004-2014

      8. 3.8 Safety Issues

        $94.00

      9. 3.9 Environmental Issues

        $82.00

      10. 3.10 Cross-Contamination Issues

        $301.00

        1. 3.10.1 Bacterial Contamination

          $91.00

        2. 3.10.2 Phytosanitary Treatment

          $82.00

        3. 3.10.3 Fungal Contamination

          $82.00

        4. 3.10.4 Other Sources of Contamination

          $82.00

      11. 3.11 Competitive Products

        $138.00

      12. 3.12 Pricing Trends

        $254.00

        1. Table | PALLET PRICING

        2. CHART II-1 PALLET PRICING, 2004-2024

        3. 3.12.1 Lumber

          $82.00

        4. 3.12.2 Other

          $82.00

      13. 3.13 Foreign Trade

        $180.00

        1. Table | FOREIGN TRADE IN PALLETS

      14. 3.14 World Market

        $248.00

        1. CHART II-2 WORLD MARKET FOR PALLETS, 2014

        2. 3.14.1 Western Europe

          $82.00

        3. 3.14.2 Asia/Pacific

          $82.00

        4. 3.14.3 Other Regions

          $93.00

      15. 3.15 Pallet Management Services

        $82.00

        1. Table | PALLET MANAGEMENT SERVICE REVENUES & PALLET STOCK

      16. 3.16 Relationship Between Stock & Demand

        $82.00

      17. 3.17 Pallet Lifespans

        $126.00

        1. CHART II-3 PALLET LIFESPANS

    4. 4 MATERIALS

      $1,325.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $82.00

        1. Table | RAW MATERIALS DEMAND IN PALLETS

      2. 4.2 Wood

        $573.00

        1. Table | WOOD DEMAND IN PALLETS

        2. 4.2.1 Lumber

          $317.00

        3. 4.2.2 Engineered Wood

          $185.00

      3. 4.3 Plastics

        $299.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC RESIN DEMAND IN PALLETS

        2. 4.3.1 Demand by Resin

          $132.00

        3. 4.3.2 Demand by Source

          $83.00

      4. 4.4 Corrugated Paper

        $82.00

        1. Table | CORRUGATED PAPER DEMAND IN PALLETS

      5. 4.5 Metal

        $162.00

        1. Table | METAL DEMAND IN PALLETS

        2. 4.5.1 Steel

          $82.00

        3. 4.5.2 Aluminum

          $82.00

      6. 4.6 Fasteners

        $142.00

        1. Table | FASTENER DEMAND IN PALLETS

    5. 5 PRODUCTS

      $2,917.00

      1. 5.1 General

        $83.00

      2. 5.2 Pallet Supply & Demand

        $82.00

        1. Table | PALLET SUPPLY & DEMAND

      3. 5.3 Pallet Demand in Unit & Value Terms

        $102.00

        1. Table | PALLET DEMAND IN UNIT & VALUE TERMS

        2. CHART IV-1 PALLET DEMAND BY PRODUCT, 2014: VOLUME & VALUE

      4. 5.4 Pallet Stock

        $139.00

        1. Table | PALLET STOCK

        2. CHART IV-2 PALLET STOCK BY PRODUCT, 2014

      5. 5.5 Wood Pallets

        $1,240.00

        1. Table | WOOD PALLET STOCK, SUPPLY, &DEMAND

        2. 5.5.1 Supply & Demand in Unit Terms

          $82.00

        3. 5.5.2 Demand in Value Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | WOOD PALLET VALUE DEMAND

        4. 5.5.3 Lumber Pallets

          $655.00

          1. Table | LUMBER PALLET STOCK & DEMAND

        5. 5.5.4 Engineered Wood Pallets

          $408.00

          1. Table | ENGINEERED WOOD PALLET STOCK & DEMAND

      6. 5.6 Plastic Pallets

        $556.00

        1. 5.6.1 Supply & Demand in Unit Terms

          $86.00

          1. Table | PLASTIC PALLET STOCK, SUPPLY, &DEMAND

        2. 5.6.2 Demand in Value Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | PLASTIC PALLET VALUE DEMAND

        3. 5.6.3 Characteristics

          $118.00

        4. 5.6.4 Manufacturing

          $85.00

        5. 5.6.5 Types

          $166.00

          1. Table | HDPE PLASTIC PALLET DEMAND

          2. Table | OTHER PLASTIC PALLET DEMAND

      7. 5.7 Metal Pallets

        $434.00

        1. 5.7.1 Supply & Demand in Unit Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | METAL PALLET STOCK, SUPPLY, &DEMAND

        2. 5.7.2 Demand in Value Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | METAL PALLET VALUE DEMAND

        3. 5.7.3 Characteristics

          $102.00

        4. 5.7.4 Manufacturing

          $82.00

        5. 5.7.5 Types

          $129.00

          1. Table | STEEL PALLET DEMAND

          2. Table | ALUMINUM PALLET DEMAND

      8. 5.8 Corrugated Paper Pallets

        $283.00

        1. 5.8.1 Supply & Demand in Unit Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | CORRUGATED PAPER PALLET STOCK, SUPPLY, &DEMAND

        2. 5.8.2 Demand in Value Terms

          $82.00

          1. Table | CORRUGATED PAPER PALLET VALUE DEMAND

        3. 5.8.3 Characteristics

          $114.00

    6. 6 MARKETS

      $2,056.00

      1. 6.1 General

        $82.00

        1. Table | PALLET STOCK & DEMAND BY MARKET

        2. CHART V-1 PALLET DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

      2. 6.2 Manufacturing

        $1,620.00

        1. Table | MANUFACTURING MARKET FOR PALLETS

        2. CHART V-2 MANUFACTURING PALLET DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

        3. 6.2.1 Food & Beverages

          $343.00

          1. Table | FOOD & BEVERAGE SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | FOOD & BEVERAGE MARKET FOR PALLETS

        4. 6.2.2 Transportation Equipment

          $228.00

          1. Table | TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT MARKET FOR PALLETS

        5. 6.2.3 Chemicals

          $212.00

          1. Table | CHEMICAL SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | CHEMICAL MARKET FOR PALLETS

        6. 6.2.4 Electronic Products

          $297.00

          1. Table | ELECTRONIC PRODUCT SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | ELECTRONIC PRODUCT MARKET FOR PALLETS

        7. 6.2.5 Metal Products

          $155.00

          1. Table | METAL PRODUCTS SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | METAL PRODUCTS MARKET FOR PALLETS

        8. 6.2.6 Machinery

          $212.00

          1. Table | MACHINERY SHIPMENTS

          2. Table | MACHINERY MARKET FOR PALLETS

        9. 6.2.7 Other Manufacturing

          $88.00

          1. Table | PALLET DEMAND IN OTHER MANUFACTURING MARKETS

      3. 6.3 Warehousing

        $151.00

        1. Table | WAREHOUSING MARKET FOR PALLETS

      4. 6.4 Construction

        $122.00

        1. Table | CONSTRUCTION MARKET FOR PALLETS

      5. 6.5 Other

        $101.00

        1. Table | PALLET DEMAND IN OTHER MARKETS

    7. 7 REGIONS

      $1,738.00

      1. 7.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 7.2 Regional Demographic & Economic Trends

        $462.00

        1. 7.2.1 Population Patterns

          $144.00

          1. Table | US POPULATION BY REGION

        2. 7.2.2 Economic Outlook

          $122.00

          1. Table | GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT BY REGION

        3. 7.2.3 Manufacturing & Warehousing Value Added

          $165.00

          1. Table | MANUFACTURING VALUE ADDED BY REGION

          2. Table | WAREHOUSING VALUE ADDED BY REGION

      3. 7.3 Regional Demand for Pallets

        $1,222.00

        1. Table | PALLET DEMAND BY REGION

        2. CHART VI-1 PALLET DEMAND BY REGION, 2014

        3. 7.3.1 Northeast

          $192.00

          1. Table | NORTHEAST PALLET DEMAND

        4. 7.3.2 Midwest

          $252.00

          1. Table | MIDWEST PALLET DEMAND

        5. 7.3.3 South

          $397.00

          1. Table | SOUTH PALLET DEMAND

        6. 7.3.4 West

          $283.00

          1. Table | WEST PALLET DEMAND

    8. 8 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $3,779.00

      1. 8.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 8.2 Industry Composition

        $289.00

        1. 8.2.1 Manufacturers & Refurbishers

          $162.00

          1. Table | US PALLET SALES BY COMPANY, 2014

        2. 8.2.2 Pallet Management Specialists

          $117.00

      3. 8.3 Market Share

        $162.00

        1. 8.3.1 Wood Pallets

          $82.00

        2. 8.3.2 Other Pallets

          $82.00

        3. 8.3.3 Pallet Management Specialists

          $82.00

      4. 8.4 Competitive Strategies

        $141.00

      5. 8.5 Research & Development

        $124.00

      6. 8.6 Marketing

        $97.00

      7. 8.7 Distribution

        $95.00

      8. 8.8 Mergers & Acquisitions

        $82.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      9. 8.9 Cooperative Agreements

        $82.00

        1. Table | SELECTED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

      10. 8.10 Company Profiles

        $2,596.00

        1. 8.10.1 AAR Corporation

          $117.00

        2. 8.10.2 Airdex International Incorporated

          $82.00

        3. 8.10.3 Arrington Lumber and Pallet Company

          $82.00

        4. 8.10.4 Associated Pallet Incorporated

          $82.00

        5. 8.10.5 Battle Lumber Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        6. 8.10.6 Botkin Lumber Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        7. 8.10.7 Brambles Limited

          $82.00

        8. 8.10.8 CABKA Group GmbH

          $82.00

        9. 8.10.9 Commercial Lumber and Pallet Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        10. 8.10.10 Corrugated Pallets Company

          $82.00

        11. 8.10.11 Decade Products LLC

          $89.00

        12. 8.10.12 Edwards Wood Products Incorporated

          $82.00

        13. 8.10.13 Great Northern Corporation

          $82.00

        14. 8.10.14 Greystone Logistics Incorporated

          $82.00

        15. 8.10.15 iGPS Company LLC

          $82.00

        16. 8.10.16 Industrial Pallet Corporation

          $82.00

        17. 8.10.17 Kamps Incorporated

          $82.00

        18. 8.10.18 LEFCO Worthington LLC

          $82.00

        19. 8.10.19 Litco International Incorporated

          $82.00

        20. 8.10.20 MAUSER AG

          $82.00

        21. 8.10.21 M-D Building Products Incorporated

          $82.00

        22. 8.10.22 Menasha Corporation

          $110.00

        23. 8.10.23 Millwood Incorporated

          $92.00

        24. 8.10.24 Myers Industries Incorporated

          $91.00

        25. 8.10.25 Northwest Pallet Supply

          $82.00

        26. 8.10.26 Oakland Pallet Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        27. 8.10.27 Pallet Factory Incorporated

          $82.00

        28. 8.10.28 PalletOne Incorporated

          $82.00

        29. 8.10.29 PECO Pallet Incorporated

          $82.00

        30. 8.10.30 PendaForm Corporation

          $82.00

        31. 8.10.31 Potomac Supply LLC

          $82.00

        32. 8.10.32 Rehrig Pacific Company

          $96.00

        33. 8.10.33 Schäfer (Fritz) GmbH

          $82.00

        34. 8.10.34 Schoeller Allibert BV

          $84.00

        35. 8.10.35 Snyder Industries Incorporated

          $82.00

        36. 8.10.36 Sonoco Products Company

          $82.00

        37. 8.10.37 Southwest Forest Products Incorporated

          $82.00

        38. 8.10.38 Tasler Incorporated

          $82.00

        39. 8.10.39 TriEnda Holdings LLC

          $90.00

        40. 8.10.40 Universal Forest Products Incorporated

          $84.00

        41. 8.10.41 WNC Pallet & Forest Products Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        42. 8.10.42 Wooden Pallets Limited

          $82.00

        43. 8.10.43 Worthington Industries Incorporated

          $82.00

      11. 8.11 Other Companies Mentioned in Study

        $88.00

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