Service area · Iowa
Pallets deliveredin Iowa.
Iowa ships farm output after turning it into food and fuel: boxed pork from Sioux City to Ottumwa, sweeteners and oats out of Cedar Rapids, shell eggs, ethanol. I-80 and I-35 cross at Des Moines, and barges work the Mississippi.
Dock date
In writing, on every quote.
Standard 48x40s often land in 0–2 business days.
Delivered, per pallet
$4.75–$10.50Recycled 48x40s per 53' truck
616How we supply it
An Atlanta broker, a yard near your plant.
Chesapeake Pallets is a pallet broker based in Atlanta. We don't run a yard in Iowa. 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
Across Iowa.
Most plants and warehouses sit around Des Moines and Ankeny, the Iowa City–Cedar Rapids corridor, Waterloo, the Quad Cities and Dubuque on the Mississippi, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, and packing towns like Columbus Junction and Ottumwa.
- Des Moines
- Ankeny
- West Des Moines
- Cedar Rapids
- Coralville
- Waterloo
- Davenport
- Bettendorf
- Dubuque
- Sioux City
- Council Bluffs
- Columbus Junction
- Ottumwa
- Storm Lake
Served from our Atlanta office through vetted yards across Iowa.
Iowa at a glance
What Iowa makes and moves.
Iowa leads the nation in hogs, corn, eggs and ethanol, and much of that output is processed before it crosses a state line. Pork plants in Sioux City, Waterloo, Columbus Junction and Ottumwa ship boxed and case-ready meat. Cedar Rapids runs corn processing plants and a downtown oat mill. Layer barns ship shell eggs, and ethanol plants dot the countryside. Equipment plants build tractors in Waterloo, construction machines in Davenport and Dubuque, hay tools in Ottumwa and sprayers in Ankeny.
That makes Iowa pallet demand heavy, cold and seasonal all at once. Packers and egg plants ship every day into cooler and freezer chains and need decks that hold up wet. Grain processors stack heavy bags. Equipment plants need odd footprints. In September and October, harvest pulls trucks and drivers toward grain, which can squeeze pallet freight across the state, so buyers outside Des Moines tend to book ahead.
Who buys pallets here
The docks that run on pallets in Iowa.
- 01
Sioux City to Ottumwa pork
Pork plants in Sioux City, Waterloo, Columbus Junction and Ottumwa run large daily kills and ship boxed and case-ready cuts to grocers and export buyers. Product goes straight into coolers and freezers, so these docks favor tight 48x40s with thick boards, and overseas cartons need the ISPM 15 heat-treatment mark.
Food & beverage → - 02
Cedar Rapids corn and oats
Corn processing plants and the oat mill in Cedar Rapids turn grain into sweeteners, starch, cereal and oat ingredients. Bagged and boxed products head to food plants and grocery DCs, so these shippers lean on Grade A or new pallets that keep bags flat in tall warehouse stacks.
Consumer goods → - 03
Waterloo and Quad Cities equipment
Tractor lines in Waterloo, construction and forestry machine plants in Davenport and Dubuque, and hay-tool and sprayer plants in Ottumwa and Ankeny ship heavy components to assembly lines and dealers. Those loads call for block pallets, new custom footprints or runner skids rated for the weight.
Manufacturing → - 04
Ankeny grocery distribution
Ankeny, on the north edge of Des Moines, houses a grocery chain's perishables distribution arm and a convenience-store chain's headquarters, alongside other warehouses across the metro. These floors cycle standard recycled 48x40s and expect each truckload to match the grade they ordered, so racking and wrapping stay predictable.
3PL & warehousing →
- Warehousing and storage · NAICS 493
- 332establishments18,930 jobs0.99× the US share of jobs
- Food manufacturing · NAICS 311
- 638establishments60,832 jobs3.42× the US share of jobs
- Grocery wholesalers · NAICS 4244
- 434establishments6,498 jobs0.78× the US share of jobs
How freight moves
Ports, rail and interstates.
I-80 crosses Iowa from Council Bluffs to Davenport, and I-35 meets it at Des Moines on the way between Minneapolis and Kansas City. I-29 follows the Missouri River through Sioux City and Council Bluffs, where four railroads converge across from Omaha. I-380 runs from the Iowa City area through Cedar Rapids to Waterloo, and US-20 crosses the north. On the east edge, Mississippi River barge terminals load grain for the trip downriver. Export cargo heads for seaports by rail, barge or truck, and pallets leaving the country need the ISPM 15 stamp.
- I-80
- I-35
- I-29
- I-380
- US-20
- Council Bluffs rail
- Mississippi River barges
Which pallet to order
The right grade for Iowa.
Pork and egg plants usually order AAA or new 48x40s built to survive cold rooms and wash-down areas, and boxed meat bound overseas needs HT pallets stamped under ISPM 15. Cedar Rapids grain processors pick Grade A or new under heavy bags. Des Moines warehouses mostly run Grade B recycled. Equipment plants in Waterloo, Davenport and Dubuque need block pallets or custom sizes. Book ahead of harvest, when trucks and yard crews run short. The agreed grade goes into writing before loading.
Metros in Iowa
City pages.
Delivered prices
Price a load to 50309.
Full-truckload ranges with freight in. Your ZIP and count set the firm number on the call.
Grade B
$4.75–$6.75
per pallet, delivered
Repaired, sound, ready to load.
Grade A
$6.75–$8.75
per pallet, delivered
Three solid stringers. No plugs, no companions.
AAA
$8.50–$10.50
per pallet, delivered
Clean, uniform, no repairs.
Block
$6.25–$8.50
per pallet, delivered
Full 4-way entry on every side.
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.
Delivering to Iowa. Your account manager narrows this to one number for 50309, 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.
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 Iowa.
What pallets do Iowa pork plants use?+
Can you deliver to warehouses in Ankeny and the rest of the Des Moines metro?+
Does harvest season affect pallet orders in Iowa?+
What pallets do equipment plants in Waterloo and Dubuque need?+
What do pallets cost delivered to Iowa?+
When will a load reach Iowa?+
Your first Iowa load, priced today.
One full truck, billed at the quoted price. Net 30, no contract. Your dock date in writing on every quote.