Where To Find Free Pallets

Projects made with pallets are so popular and there so many creative things you can do with them. But, everyone wants to know where to find free pallets! I have some great places for you to try out today thanks to the crafters over on the Craftaholics Anonymous Facebook page crafting community! Karen asks:

“Where does everyone get their pallets to use for all the awesome pallet projects I see? I would love to try some of the projects but have no idea where to get pallets. Thanks!”

Suggestions and ideas for this post were taken from this thread on the Craftaholics Anonymous Facebook page. Join us over there for lots of crafting tips and tricks!

Where to Find Free Pallets

Where to find free pallets


  • “Don’t ever PAY for your pallets. You just have to ask businesses that you see them sitting out at. MOST businesses actually pay someone to come and haul them off; letting them go for free is much cheaper for them. My husband works next to an ABC Seamless Siding company and they told him to take all the pallets he wants, when he wants! We just finished our headboard out of one of them. Good luck!! And Happy Pallet Crafting!!” – Tammy H.
  • “Try your local feed store or farm and ranch store like Atwoods or Tractor Supply.” – Jessica S
  • “I belong to a local buy sell trade site and people and businesses post them on there. Also if you call local places the will tell you of they give them away.” – Melanie S.
  • “We live near a flooring warehouse so we get them from there, but we originally found out about the place in the free section of Craigslist.” – Emily S.
  • “Never ever pay. Craigslist has an abundance of them. Ex: last week a store advertised that they had over 200 sitting next to it outside. ‘Come and get ’em!'” – Danielle C.
  • “Construction sites, habitat for humanity stores, craigslist, pallet co sell them for about $3-5 or free.” – Linda H.
  • “Look around where new houses are being built. There are usually several laying around” – Sammie H.
  • “Try your local Ranch/Feed store.” – Christie H.
  • “My husband does construction so he just saves his empty ones.” – Pam B.
  • “Most factories or manufacturers or any business that has a warehouse or gets a lot of deliveries on pallets will have them periodically. We have a glass installation business and an auto parts store that put them by their dumpsters regularly.” – Lisa M.
  • “I went to a recycling center and mine were all free!!!” – Ellen S.

Where is your favorite place to get free pallets? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Linda
Hi! I'm Linda, the craft addict behind Craftaholics Anonymous®, a craft blog. Crafting is cheaper than therapy, right? When I'm not DIYing something, I can be found taxiing around our 4 crazy kids or working out. Or shoe shopping... because you can never have too many shoes! Happy crafting! ♥
Linda
Linda

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Comments

  1. 1

    Wow, this is awesome – I’ve been wondering where people get their pallets to make all sorts of fun stuff – just did a quick search on craigslist and found tons! Now to figure out how to pick them up. LOL

  2. 2

    Thanks for the tips.

    Be sure to ask, before taking. Some companies pile their used ones, waiting for their suppliers to return to haul them. If you take those, the company may get charged for failure to return the used pallet.

    1. 2.1
      Jen Jensen

      I was just about to mention this- you lose your $25 deposit at Home Depot if you don’t return your pallet

      1. Lori R

        25 dollar deposit? You must live in a different town than me!

        1. Ruth

          It depends on where you get them from. Pallets are recyclable so a lot of times companies will give you some of your money back if you return them because it’s cheaper for them to do that than to buy new ones.

    2. 2.2

      While that’s true Michelle, some retailers receive so many pallets that they really don’t mind if you help yourself. I’ll give you an example, and why its always nice to make friends with your local home improvement center. I have a Lowes just two miles from my home, and being self-employed, I go there all the time. In fact, my shih-tzu Charlie knows most of the employees and they know his name, and dolt over him. There’s also one other thing I do: I always call the Lowe’s employees by their first name. I also do this at Kroger, and other places, and the employees respect and like, because I treat them as being important. They Love it!

      So, after getting to know the Lowes manager, and the outdoor manager, I asked if I could have some of their pallets. They graciously gave their approval, as long as I left the painted ones alone. So, every time I see some I like, including long ones, I help myself and now have a stack of nice ones on my back basement deck under the regular decking.

      To show my appreciation, I always clean up my mess when I sometimes take my Pallet Paw over there and break down the long pallets. I also bought those two managers a bottle of Kahlua for Christmas, just to show my appreciation. The folks over at my Lowes store really do like me, because I treat them like royalty. And so does my Charlie. ;)

      1. I love this! Thank you for sharing, John!

    3. 2.3

      grand theft pallet. not something you want to spend a weekend in jail for. so yes, ask first.

  3. 3
    Lori

    My husband makes pallets for a living so I get all the free pallets I want.

    1. 3.1
      Michele

      Share the love honey hahaha!! I don’t know where your from but I’m from SE Michigan and there was a place called D.R.Y.E. And I wish I knew about pallet art/crafts/projects etc etc back then! But theyve been closed for years now :(

  4. 4
    Kat

    Retail stores one or more levels above the mall’s loading dock will most likely have to have products loaded in pallets to be brought up an elevator. Check with your multi-level malls, but get permission before grabbing. Also, once you get permission, level your number if you’d like more. Yes, these stores would rather give than pay to haul, but they want some consistency.

  5. 5
    Lori R

    Been doing a lot of remodeling. Any large orders from Home Depot or Lowes comes on a pallet.

  6. 6
    Britney

    please please please send me any ideas about where to find pallets the only place that I can find for free pallets is a local air conditioner place that we have here and now that it’s fall they don’t have that many I really really need tips I would greatly appreciate it thank you, Brittany

  7. 7
    JAMIE

    Never take them without asking. All of the Tractor Supplies around where I live sells them. Kmart & Walmart sells them to a regular buyer. If you take them you’re stealing. Our local Tractor Supply had to start putting them inside the fence because people thought they were up for grabs. Kmart also started putting them inside the fence.

  8. 8
    Jason

    Craigslist is definitely a big one. I keep seeing them on there. But these suggestions above are perfect. If you see a company with pallets out, give them a call or walk up and ask if you can have them. The worst thing that happens is that they say no. Happy crafting!

  9. 9
    Barbara Bouvette

    Regarding free pallets…..the Big Box Home Supply store- that like orange…will gladly give them to you if u ask, but not the blue ones because they get money back for those

    1. 9.1

      Thanks for the tip, Barbara!

    2. 9.2
      Heather

      Unless it varies from store to store, Home Depot doesn’t give them away. They return them to their supplier.

  10. 10
    Bill

    I LIVE IN THE RANCHO CUCAMONGA CA AREA AND HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOME FREE PALLETS TO BUILD SOME CHAIRS I SAW ON PINTREST. ANY SUGGESTIONS WHERE I CAN GO? I HAVE BEEN TO SOME LOCAL RETAILERS BUT THEY ARE NOT VERY HELPFUL. LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS

    1. 10.1

      Have you tried Home Depot? They’ll usually give them away free, but Lowe’s won’t.

  11. 11
    Kathy Moody

    love the idea if using pallets to redo our old newly purchased camper,may be sofa bed benches and of course a wood shed for firewood.

  12. 12
    Stosh

    Great post, but be sure to check on what kind of pallets you’re getting. You want ones stamped “HT” for Heat Treated. You do NOT ones stamped MB for Methyl Bromide… those are chemically treated pallets which you don’t want to mess with. I used this short page to learn how to check them out before I take them: http://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/

  13. 13
    Katherine

    My local high school has an entire shed full of them from the carpentry and masonry classes. They’ll gladly load up your truck with them for free.

  14. 14
    Holleigh

    Here in the Kansas City Metro area, we’ve found many pallets for free at wholesale tile warehouses and roofing supply distribution companies. It seems like these types of businesses accumulate pallets faster than they can dispose of them.

  15. 15
    austin b

    new businesses moving into old stores

  16. 16
    bette price

    I’m just getting started, this is great information! Thanks

  17. 17
    Carol Jefferson

    love to see different projects

  18. 18
    Lara Bryant

    FREE PALLETS:
    I get my FREE pallets from local golf courses!
    They always have a stock pile in the early spring when they lay new grass.The pallets from grass farms have NO harmful chemicals on them!

    1. 18.1

      Thanks for the great tip!!

  19. 19
    Tricia

    My husband works in heating and air conditioning. I get all their pallets for free. Every unit comes on one and they get 3-10 a week.

  20. 20
    Katie Thomas

    Our local Lowes has a bunch behind the store that anyone can come and get for free.

  21. 21
    Slvia

    How do you know that they are not sprayed with chemicals?

  22. 22
    Dianne Deberry Bonty

    Looking for free pellets for backyard projects. Birmingham Alabama

  23. 23
    Amber

    Metal fabrication companies usually have a ton!!

    1. 23.1

      Thanks for the tip!

  24. 24
    Grace

    You gave me a place to go when I did’nt have a clue thanks for the clue.

  25. 25
    Leah

    I work for an HVAC company, and our units are sent to us on pallets — most of which go out to a free wood bin near the front of our parking lot for whomever wants them.