# How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Pallet in 2026?

https://wcdwholesale.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-ship-a-pallet

Shipping one liquidation pallet costs $250-$900 in 2026. Real LTL and truckload rates, freight class, accessorial fees, and landed cost math.

Published: 2026-09-05
Updated: 2026-09-26

Shipping one pallet of liquidation apparel within the continental US costs roughly **$250 to $900** in 2026. A regional LTL move under 500 miles typically costs **$250 to $450**, and a coast-to-coast single pallet usually runs **$550 to $900** before accessorial fees. A full 53-foot truckload of 26 floor-loaded pallets typically costs **$2,500 to $7,500**, or about **$95 to $290 per pallet**, which is 60–80% cheaper per pallet than shipping the same goods one pallet at a time.

Two terms decide most of your bill. **LTL (less-than-truckload)** means your pallet shares a trailer with other shippers' freight and passes through several carrier terminals on the way. **FTL (full truckload)** means you rent the whole trailer and it drives straight from pickup to delivery. LTL is priced per shipment by weight, density, freight class and distance; FTL is priced per mile for the whole truck.

## How much does it cost to ship one pallet?

One standard 48x40 pallet of apparel weighing 500–800 lbs costs **$250–$450 regionally and $550–$900 coast to coast** via LTL in 2026, dock to dock. Footwear pallets are denser and usually price toward the low end of those ranges; bulky, low-density goods like outerwear price toward the high end because carriers charge for the space a pallet takes, not only its weight.

| Lane | Distance | Typical LTL cost, 1 pallet | Typical transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro / short haul | Under 150 mi | $175–$300 | 1–2 business days |
| Regional (same coast) | 150–500 mi | $250–$450 | 2–4 business days |
| Mid-haul | 500–1,500 mi | $400–$650 | 3–6 business days |
| Cross-country | 1,500–3,000 mi | $550–$900 | 5–8 business days |

These are typical example ranges for palletized apparel and footwear moving between two commercial addresses with loading docks. Residential or limited-access delivery adds to every row — see the accessorial table below. Transit times are estimates, not guarantees; LTL carriers quote business days and exclude pickup day.

## What freight class is clothing?

**Freight class** is a standardized 18-tier code, from class 50 to class 500, that LTL carriers use to price shipments by density, handling and liability. A lower class means denser freight and a cheaper rate. Apparel usually ships between **class 100 and class 175**, and footwear typically sits around **class 100**.

Density drives the class. To calculate it, multiply length x width x height in inches, divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet, then divide total weight by cubic feet. A 48x40x60 pallet occupies 66.7 cubic feet, so a 600 lb pallet has a density of about 9 lbs per cubic foot, which places it near class 100–125.

| Density (lbs/cu ft) | Approximate class | What it looks like on a pallet |
|---|---|---|
| 15+ | 70–85 | Tightly packed denim, boots |
| 10–15 | 92.5–100 | Mixed apparel, sneakers, accessories |
| 7–10 | 110–125 | Tops, dresses, lighter mixed lots |
| 4–7 | 150–175 | Outerwear, puffers, loose bagged goods |

Carriers increasingly re-weigh and re-measure freight at the terminal. If the declared class is wrong, expect a **reclass fee plus the rate difference**, commonly $50–$150 on a single pallet. Declare real dimensions and weight up front.

The practical point: **an under-built pallet costs you twice.** A half-stacked pallet ships at a worse class and still takes a full pallet position, so you pay near-full freight for partial goods. Tightly built pallets are the cheapest freight optimization available to a reseller.

## Why is a truckload cheaper per pallet than LTL?

A truckload is cheaper per pallet because it skips terminal handling and you buy linehaul miles instead of individual pallet positions. FTL dry-van rates in 2026 typically run **$2.50 to $4.00 per mile**, and a 53-foot trailer holds **26 pallets floor-loaded or up to 52 double-stacked**.

| Volume shipped together | Typical total freight | Effective cost per pallet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 pallet, LTL cross-country | $550–$900 | $550–$900 |
| 4 pallets, LTL cross-country | $1,400–$2,400 | $350–$600 |
| 10 pallets, partial truckload | $2,200–$3,800 | $220–$380 |
| 26 pallets, full 53' truckload | $2,500–$7,500 | $95–$290 |

That curve is why experienced buyers consolidate. Going from one test pallet to a partial truckload can cut per-pallet freight in half without changing the merchandise. High-volume buyers such as bin stores and [liquidation stores](/blog/what-is-a-liquidation-store) usually buy by the truckload for exactly this reason. To size a first load, see [how many pallets fit in a 53-foot trailer](/blog/how-many-pallets-fit-53-foot-trailer) and our guide to [truckload liquidation](/blog/truckload-liquidation).

## What hidden fees show up on a pallet freight invoice?

**Accessorial charges** are fees carriers add for anything beyond a standard dock-to-dock delivery, and they routinely add **$150 to $400** to a single-pallet LTL shipment. They are how a quoted $350 move becomes a $600 invoice.

| Accessorial | Typical 2026 charge | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Liftgate delivery | $75–$150 | No loading dock at your address |
| Residential delivery | $100–$200 | Home, apartment, or non-commercial zone |
| Limited access | $75–$150 | Storage units, schools, farms, some strip malls |
| Delivery appointment / call-ahead | $25–$60 | Carrier must schedule a window |
| Inside delivery | $75–$200 | Driver moves the pallet past the threshold |
| Reconsignment | $50–$150 | Address changed after pickup |
| Detention | $50–$100/hr | Unloading past the free window, usually 2 hours |
| Redelivery | $100–$200 | Nobody available on first attempt |

A **liftgate** is a hydraulic platform on the back of the truck that lowers freight to the ground. **If you have no dock, budget for a liftgate on every shipment** — a driver cannot move a 700 lb pallet off a trailer without one, and it is the charge first-time buyers forget most often. Pair it with a pallet jack on your end; most LTL drivers deliver to the tailgate, not inside.

## Should I book my own freight or use a broker?

Most small buyers get the best single-pallet rates through a **freight broker or online LTL marketplace**, because brokers resell capacity at contracted volume rates a one-off shipper cannot get directly. Booking directly with a carrier makes sense once you ship the same lane regularly. Whichever you use, get the quote in writing with every accessorial listed before the pallet is picked up.

| Approach | Rate you typically pay | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier direct (retail) | Highest | Occasional one-offs | Accessorials billed after delivery |
| Freight broker / LTL marketplace | 15–35% below retail | Most single-pallet buyers | Quote accuracy depends on your dimensions |
| Carrier account (contracted) | Lowest LTL | Repeat lanes, weekly volume | Minimum volume commitments |
| Full truckload via broker | Lowest per pallet | 10+ pallets per order | Need a dock and a crew to unload |

On WCD Wholesale, freight is **separate from the listed lot price**. Listings show a fixed price for the goods, and freight is arranged and paid on top of it, so the right move is to quote freight for your lane before you commit and add it to the lot price to get your real cost. The [pallet ROI calculator](/tools/pallet-roi-calculator) has a freight field for exactly this.

## How do I lower the cost of shipping liquidation pallets?

The five levers that move pallet freight cost are **volume, destination type, density, distance and timing**, roughly in that order of impact.

- **Consolidate orders.** Going from 1 pallet to 10 on one shipment typically cuts per-pallet freight 40–60%. Buying quarterly instead of monthly is often cheaper even after carrying the extra inventory.
- **Ship to a commercial address with a dock.** Eliminating liftgate and residential fees saves $175–$350 per shipment. A shared warehouse or a friendly commercial neighbor beats most negotiating.
- **Buy tightly built pallets.** Better density lowers freight class, which lowers the rate on every shipment on that lane.
- **Buy closer to home.** Regional freight costs roughly half of cross-country. Sourcing from the same coast is often worth a slightly higher lot price.
- **Avoid peak weeks.** Rates firm up ahead of Q4 retail season; September through November typically prices above February through April on most lanes.

## How much does freight add to landed cost per unit?

Freight typically represents **10% to 25% of the landed cost** of a liquidation apparel pallet. **Landed cost** is the total of the merchandise price plus freight and fees, divided by sellable units — and it is the only per-unit number that tells you whether a lot is profitable.

Here is the math on a representative example. A 320-unit apparel pallet costs $1,600 and ships cross-country as a single LTL pallet at $700, plus a $125 liftgate:

| Line | Single pallet | Four pallets, one shipment |
|---|---|---|
| Merchandise | $1,600 | $6,400 |
| Freight + accessorials | $825 | $2,125 |
| Landed cost | $2,425 | $8,525 |
| Units | 320 | 1,280 |
| **Landed cost per unit** | **$7.58** | **$6.66** |
| Return at $22 avg resale | 2.9x | 3.3x |

Freight alone moved per-unit cost by 12% with identical merchandise. Ship those four pallets regionally instead of cross-country and landed cost typically drops to roughly $5.60–$5.85 per unit.

A **manifest** — the line-item list of SKUs, sizes and quantities on a pallet — is what makes this math possible, because it gives you a real unit count before you buy. Many lots on WCD Wholesale are manifested; check each listing and ask for the manifest when one isn't posted. The [manifest decoder](/tools/manifest-decoder) helps turn one into a unit count and retail value. Unmanifested mystery pallets, like most low-priced Amazon return pallets, are harder to model; if you're comparing sources, see our guide on [where to buy Amazon return pallets](/blog/where-to-buy-amazon-return-pallets) for what a realistic freight-and-lot budget looks like there.

## Where can I buy apparel pallets without a freight surprise?

The way to avoid a freight surprise is to buy from a source with fixed listed prices and quote freight for your own lane before you commit, instead of bidding at auction and discovering shipping afterward. **WCD Wholesale, a B2B marketplace for apparel and footwear liquidation with verified buyers and sellers**, lists brand-name lots at fixed prices, from single pallets to full truckloads, which lets you build landed cost before purchase.

For the full framework on evaluating a lot — condition grades, manifests, sourcing and resale channels — start with the [liquidation pallets buyer's guide](/blog/liquidation-pallets-buyers-guide). West Coast buyers can also read our notes on [shipping liquidation pallets to California](/blog/shipping-liquidation-pallets-california). When you're ready, browse [current inventory](/inventory) and price freight against the lot before you buy.