Year-end pallet market survey report finds 2025 impacted by shifting tariff guidance, market uncertainty

PalletTrader, the U.S. supply chain industry’s first online digital marketplace and full-scale pallet management solution, announced today the release of its year-end 2025 Pallet Market Survey Report, a semi-annual poll of pallet market participants gauging their sentiment and forecasts on various market measures and conditions.

“Our fourth semi-annual survey found that tariff uncertainty throughout the year led to increased market volatility, driving fluctuating pricing and demand,” noted John Vaccaro, Pallet Trader’s chief executive officer. “We did see some stabilization at year-end as the sentiment around tariffs tempered and demand began to firm.”

Continued Vaccaro, “Looking ahead, we’re cautiously optimistic as the consensus of both buyers and sellers is an expectation of pricing to remain flat or trend slightly upward, signaling reduced volatility. We did also see some core tightening in certain regions but the national impact, if any, is yet to be determined.”

Supply conditions remained stable despite the broader market and economic uncertainty, the report found. Inventories continued to normalize and excess core supply was depleted. As well, lumber cost expectations moderated while concerns about tariff impacts were tempered, pointing to less input-cost volatility ahead.

“After a year of notable ups and downs, the market appears to be transitioning from volatility to stability,” Vaccaro noted. “We expect 2026 to reflect cautious optimism with suppliers anticipating modest growth and buying conditions normalizing. The overall sentiment suggests a more stable market with less downside risk, leveled-out supply and fewer sharp swings in demand,” Vaccaro concluded.

The survey interviewed hundreds of participants in North America over a three-week period concluding in November 2024. Respondents encompassed pallet suppliers, including manufacturers, resellers and brokers, and pallet buyers in manufacturing, freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution.

PalletTrader operates as an independent, neutral online platform leveraging a centralized network of vetted pallet suppliers to buy and sell pallets across multiple channels of service, including an e-commerce marketplace and a fully managed solution for enterprise level customers. PalletTrader was founded by the owner of Bettaway Supply Chain Services, a 40+ year old services company that focuses on pallet management, transportation, distribution and trucking.