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The free pickup rule
The 60 pallet free pickup rule, explained with examples.
Sixty or more reusable pallets anywhere in Greater Sydney is a free pickup, because the pallets pay for the truck. Under that, the stack is quoted as a clearance before anything is booked. Here is how the line works on real stacks.
Or call Jayden on 0494 820 639, 7am to 5pm weekdays, or text a photo of the stack to the same number.
Quick answer
When is a pallet pickup free?
Sixty or more reusable pallets anywhere in Greater Sydney is a free pickup, and you are paid for the stock. Reusable means sound standard 1165 pallets graded A, B or C plus repairable cores; broken timber is a clearance line and Euro or odd sizes are counted in their own stack. Under sixty, the stack is quoted as a clearance before anything is booked, or it rides back on a delivery we are already making. Outside Greater Sydney the pickup is priced in the written offer.
The rule
What counts as a reusable pallet?
A pallet that can go straight back into service, or into service after a board is replaced: a sound Australian standard 1165 x 1165, hardwood or softwood, graded A, B or C, and a repairable core with broken boards on a sound frame. Those are counted. Euro 1200 x 800, export and odd sizes are reusable too, but they are counted in their own stack because they move slower and buyers want the 1165s.
Not counted: broken timber, pallets with a cracked or missing bearer, contaminated or chemically treated pallets, and pooled pallets (CHEP and Loscam), which belong to the pool and go back to it.
The reason for the line is simple. A truck and a driver cost the same whether they come back with ten pallets or a hundred. From about sixty reusable pallets the resale covers the run, so the pickup is free and you are paid for the stock. Under about 25 pallets a pickup costs more than the timber is worth, so it is quoted as a clearance, or the stack rides back on a delivery we are already making to your site.
Worked examples
How does the rule work on a real stack?
- 0180 clean standard 1165s, PrestonsOver the line. Free pickup, and you are paid per pallet on the grade band shown on the screen, confirmed in writing against your photos. A pickup window is booked around your gate hours.
- 0260 pallets, 45 sound and 15 broken, Wetherill ParkThe 45 reusable pallets are under the line, so the pickup is not automatically free. The written offer shows three lines: what the 45 earn, the clearance for the 15, and the pickup. Often it nets close to zero, and you know the figure before anyone drives out.
- 03120 mixed, Moorebank70 sound standard, 30 repairable cores, 20 broken. Over the line on the 70, so the pickup is free. You are paid on the 70, the 30 cores are credited, and the clearance on the 20 is netted against that. One written figure for the whole stack.
- 0430 pallets, Smeaton GrangeUnder the line. Three options, all in writing: hold them until the stack is worth sending, let them ride back on a delivery we are already making to you, or take the clearance quote now because the space is worth more to you than the timber.
- 0590 pallets, UnanderraOutside Greater Sydney the run is longer, so the pickup is priced in the written offer rather than assumed free, netted against what the pallets earn. Wollongong, Shellharbour and down to Nowra, the Central Coast and Newcastle all work this way.
| Stack | Reusable count | Where | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 clean standard 1165s | 80 | Prestons | Over the line. Free pickup, paid per pallet on the grade band, booked around gate hours |
| 60 pallets, 45 sound and 15 broken | 45 | Wetherill Park | Under the line. Written offer with three lines: the 45 earn, a clearance on the 15, the pickup. Often nets close to zero |
| 120 mixed: 70 sound, 30 cores, 20 broken | 70 plus 30 cores | Moorebank | Over the line on the 70. Free pickup, paid on the 70, cores credited, clearance on the 20 netted off |
| 30 pallets | 30 | Smeaton Grange | Under the line. Hold until 60, ride back on a delivery already coming past, or a priced clearance, all in writing |
| 60 sound pallets | 60 | Illawarra, Central Coast or Hunter | Pickup priced in the written offer against what the pallets earn; a sorted stack of sixty usually pays for its own collection |
Check your stack
Is my stack a free pickup?
Count the reusable pallets, pick where they are, and the rule answers. It is the same arithmetic the written offer uses; the offer adds the figure.
Getting the count right
How do I count a stack before I send it?
- Count by stack, not by guess: a standard stack is usually 15 to 20 pallets high, so count the stacks and multiply.
- Split sizes: 1165 standard in one stack, Euro and odd sizes in another. Mixed stacks are the usual reason a collection comes back short.
- Pull the obvious breaks: cracked bearers and missing boards go in a third stack so the count of reusable pallets is honest.
- Photograph the top, the bottom and one side of a typical pallet, plus the stacks from a distance. That turns the band on the screen into a firm written offer.
- Say whether there is a forklift and the hours the gate is open. A hand load changes the pickup, and it is priced up front, not on the invoice.
Then answer four questions on what are my pallets worth, the type, the condition, the count and the postcode, and the number is on the screen.
The written split
One enquiry, three lines: sale, free collection, clearance.
Send a photo and a count and you get the split in writing before anything is booked: what is a sale, what is a free collection and what is a clearance. Repairable pallets are credited as cores, and the pickup window is booked around your site.
Counting a stack before you send the photo
How do I count pallets without counting every pallet?
Count the stacks, not the pallets. A standard 1165 timber pallet is about 150 mm high, so a stack at waist height is six or seven, shoulder height is ten, and a stack you cannot see over is fifteen or more. Count one stack properly, then count the stacks and multiply. A photo of the stacks from a few metres back, with something for scale in the frame (a forklift, a door, a person), lets us check the count against the picture, and the grade is read from a second photo of one typical pallet: top, bottom and a side.
| Stack height | Standard timber pallets | Euro or half pallets | Plastic nestables |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waist height, about 1 m | 6 to 7 | 6 to 7 | 12 to 15 (they nest) |
| Shoulder height, about 1.5 m | 10 | 10 | 20 to 25 |
| Forklift mast height, about 2.2 m | 14 to 15 | 14 to 15 | 30 or more |
A count within ten percent is enough to price the lot and send the right vehicle; the exact count is taken on the day, against the photos, before anything leaves.
Questions about the free pickup rule
When is a pallet pickup free?
Sixty or more reusable pallets anywhere in Greater Sydney. Reusable means sound Australian standard pallets graded A, B or C and repairable cores, counted in the 1165 stack. Under sixty, the stack is quoted as a clearance before anything is booked.
Do broken pallets count towards the 60?
No. Broken timber, cracked bearers and contaminated pallets are counted separately as a clearance line, netted against what the reusable pallets earn. The written offer shows both.
Do Euro pallets count towards the 60?
They are reusable and they are bought, but they are counted in their own stack because they move slower than the standard 1165. A stack of sixty Euros is quoted on its own terms.
What if I have 40 pallets?
Under the line, so three options in writing: hold them until the stack reaches sixty, let them ride back on a delivery we are already making to your site, or take the clearance quote if the space matters more than the timber.
Is the pickup free in Wollongong or Newcastle?
Outside Greater Sydney the run is longer, so the pickup is priced in the written offer and netted against what the pallets earn. Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra, the Central Coast and Newcastle all work that way, and you see the figure before anyone drives out.
Do you collect CHEP or Loscam pallets?
No. Pooled pallets belong to the pool and go back to it. Tell the pool they are there and keep them out of the count.
Prefer to talk? Call Jayden on 0494 820 639. Everything else about collections is on the pallet collection page.
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Page updated 16 October 2026. Facts on this page are kept in step with the facts page; terms are explained in the glossary; the suburbs we stop at are on the areas page. Written by the team at 360 Operations Group, Prestons NSW; follow 360 on LinkedIn.