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Service area · Des Moines, IA

Pallets deliveredin Des Moines, IA.

Des Moines sits where I-35 and I-80 cross in the middle of Iowa farm country. Insurance pays the bills downtown, but suburban docks handle farm machinery, perishable groceries, seed and e-commerce parcels moving out along both interstates.

Book my test load Price my load (470) 206-3352

Dock date

In writing, on every quote.

Standard 48x40s often land in 0–2 business days.

Delivered, per pallet

$4.75–$10.50

Recycled 48x40s per 53' truck

616

How we supply it

An Atlanta broker, a yard near your dock.

Chesapeake Pallets is a pallet broker based in Atlanta. We don't run a yard in Des Moines. For each load we buy from an independent yard close to your dock that has your grade in stock, and the delivered price includes the freight. One account manager handles the quote, the paperwork and the invoice.

Where we deliver

Around Des Moines.

Industrial docks are concentrated in Ankeny and Altoona along I-35 and I-80 northeast of the city, in Grimes, Johnston and Urbandale on the northwest side, in West Des Moines and Waukee, and south toward the airport and Norwalk.

  • Ankeny
  • Altoona
  • Grimes
  • Johnston
  • Urbandale
  • West Des Moines
  • Waukee
  • Clive
  • Pleasant Hill
  • Norwalk
  • Polk County
  • Dallas County

Served from our Atlanta office through vetted yards near Des Moines.

Des Moines at a glance

What Des Moines makes and moves.

Greater Des Moines is known for insurance, with more than 80 insurers headquartered in the region, but its freight comes from agriculture and distribution. The Greater Des Moines Partnership pitches the metro as America's Cultivation Corridor for its agriculture and biotech firms. In Ankeny, a farm-equipment works has built machinery on a former World War II ordnance plant site since 1947, and a grocery chain's perishables distributor ranks among the city's largest employers. An e-commerce company and a parcel carrier also made Des Moines' 2021 list of top-ten private employers.

Pallet needs vary accordingly. The equipment works and its suppliers ship heavy, irregular parts that call for block or custom pallets. Grocery and convenience-store warehouses move mixed cases through coolers and dry rooms and want flat, consistent 48x40s. Seed and crop-input warehouses handle heavy bagged product. E-commerce and parcel buildings cycle recycled stringers fast and care most that every pallet matches the next.

Who buys pallets here

The docks that run on pallets in Des Moines.

Warehousing and storage · NAICS 493
70establishments
Food manufacturing · NAICS 311
106establishments
Grocery wholesalers · NAICS 4244
144establishments
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA MSA. Source: BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages (private sector).

How freight moves

Ports, rail and interstates.

I-35 and I-80 share a bypass around the north and west sides of the metro. They meet I-235 at the West Mixmaster in West Des Moines and again near Ankeny, where the two interstates split toward Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha and Chicago. I-235 runs through the middle of the city, just north of downtown, as a wide urban freeway. A rail transload in the region serves three Class I railroads and one regional line. Des Moines International, five miles southwest of downtown, handled about 32 million pounds of cargo in 2025.

  • I-35
  • I-80
  • I-235
  • West Mixmaster
  • Des Moines International (DSM)
  • Regional rail transload

Which pallet to order

The right grade for Des Moines.

E-commerce and parcel buildings run best on recycled GMA-style 48x40s: Grade A when pallets leave with freight, Grade B for storage and internal moves. Grocery and perishables warehouses should order AAA or new pallets with tight decks that hold up in coolers. The farm-equipment works and its suppliers shipping heavy, odd-shaped parts should ask about block pallets or custom sizes. Seed, ingredient and ag-input exporters need HT pallets stamped under ISPM 15 for overseas loads, and your account manager confirms the spec in writing.

Delivered prices

Price a load to 50313.

Full-truckload ranges with freight in. Your ZIP and count set the firm number on the call.

B / #2

Grade B

$4.75–$6.75

per pallet, delivered

Repaired, sound, ready to load.

A / #1

Grade A

$6.75–$8.75

per pallet, delivered

Three solid stringers. No plugs, no companions.

AAA

AAA

$8.50–$10.50

per pallet, delivered

Clean, uniform, no repairs.

Block

Block

$6.25–$8.50

per pallet, delivered

Full 4-way entry on every side.

New

New

Quoted

to your spec

Fresh lumber, built to your spec.

Freight included — never a separate line.Heat-treated: +$1.00–$1.50/pallet.Full-truckload ranges as of Thursday, October 15.

1 · Grade
2 · Quantity616 = one full 53' truck

Delivering to Iowa. Your account manager narrows this to one number for 50313, same business day.

Delivered, freight included

$6.75–$8.75/pallet

Load total
$4,158–$5,390
Trucks
1 × 53'
On your dock
Exact date on your quote — often 0–2 business days after your PO

Full truck — best per-pallet price.

Order this loadHave an account manager call me

Your first load runs as a no-contract test load.

Typical delivered ranges as of Thursday, October 15. Your account manager confirms a firm price on the call — same business day.

Straight answers

Buying pallets in Des Moines.

Can you deliver to distribution centers in Ankeny and Altoona?+
Yes. We deliver full truckloads to docks along I-35 in Ankeny and along I-80 in Altoona, plus the rest of Polk County. Share receiving hours and appointment rules when you order, and your account manager confirms grade, count and delivery details before booking.
What pallet do farm-equipment suppliers around Ankeny need?+
Large castings, frames and weldments are heavy and irregular, so standard stringers often fall short. Block pallets take forks from all four sides and carry more weight, and new pallets can be built to a drawing. Send the part footprint and weight, and your account manager spells out the build on the quote.
Do grocery and perishables warehouses need a better grade?+
Usually. Cooler moisture and heavy mixed loads wear out tired recycled pallets fast, so AAA or new 48x40s with tight decks are the safer pick. Grades aren't standardized across the industry, so your account manager spells out what your grade includes before the order ships.
Can you deliver in Grimes, Urbandale and the west suburbs?+
Yes. Delivery covers the northwest and west suburbs, including Grimes, Johnston, Urbandale, Clive, West Des Moines and Waukee in Dallas County. Give your account manager the exact dock address and any trailer limits, since access for a full-length trailer varies from one industrial street to the next.
Do seed and ag exports from central Iowa need heat-treated pallets?+
If the shipment leaves the U.S. on wood, most destination countries require ISPM 15 treatment. Order HT pallets carrying the ISPM 15 stamp from ALSC-accredited facilities and keep the mark visible on each pallet. Loads staying inside the country can ride on untreated new or recycled pallets.
What do pallets cost delivered to Des Moines, IA?+
Today's full-truckload ranges run from $4.75 a pallet for Grade B to $10.50 for AAA, freight included. Heat-treated adds $1.00–$1.50. Your ZIP, grade and count set the firm price on the call.
When will a load reach Des Moines, IA?+
Your dock date in writing on every quote. Standard 48x40s often land in 0–2 business days. New and custom builds take longer. Your account manager puts the exact date on the quote, before you send a PO. Loads ship as full trucks: a 53' trailer holds 616 recycled 48x40s.

Your first Des Moines load, priced today.

One full truck, billed at the quoted price. Net 30, no contract. Your dock date in writing on every quote.

Book my test load Price my load (470) 206-3352