Pallet work is quoted, never listed, and no company in this record publishes a pallet rate at all. What can be set out precisely is the structure a quote will follow, because pallet networks price on a small number of variables and knowing them is what lets you compare two numbers meaningfully. Footprint first, then height, then weight, then the destination postcode area, and finally the service window, which is where the overnight question lives.
How a pallet quote is actually built
Pallet networks sell space by footprint: a quarter, a half or a full pallet, each with a maximum height and a maximum weight. Exceeding any one of them moves the consignment up a size, so a quarter pallet loaded too tall is charged as a half. Weight limits are generous compared with parcel services but they are real, and overloaded pallets are refused rather than surcharged. On top of that sits the postcode area, with Scottish Highlands, offshore and some rural areas carrying longer transit and higher rates than the mainland network standard.
What overnight means on a pallet network
It usually means next working day to a mainland UK postcode, collected before a cut off that is earlier than most senders expect, frequently mid afternoon. It rarely means next day everywhere: Highlands, islands and Northern Ireland are normally excluded or quoted at a longer transit. Timed variants, before noon or before ten, cost materially more and their compensation terms differ. Read what the network excludes rather than what it promises, since a guarantee that does not cover your destination postcode is not a guarantee at all.
Oversize, and the point at which pallets stop working
Oversize covers consignments that exceed the standard footprints, either because the goods overhang the pallet or because they are too tall for the network's height limit. Overhang is the more serious problem: pallets are moved by forklift and handled in tight racking, so anything projecting beyond the base is a damage and refusal risk, and networks charge for it or decline it. For genuinely large items a dedicated vehicle or a two person delivery service is normally the correct product rather than a network pallet, and it should be priced as such.
Preparing a pallet so it arrives intact
Load heaviest at the bottom, keep the load within the base on all four sides, and wrap thoroughly enough that the load and the pallet behave as one object. Corner boards protect edges and stop strapping cutting into cartons. Label the pallet on at least two sides, because the side facing the operator varies. Photograph the finished pallet before collection: on a network that handles a consignment many times, photographic evidence of how it left you is the difference between a successful damage claim and a rejected one.
Questions people ask about overnight pallet delivery
How much does pallet delivery cost?
No company in this record publishes a pallet rate. Pallets are quoted per consignment on footprint, height, weight and destination postcode area, so a direct quote is required.
Does overnight pallet delivery reach everywhere next day?
Normally only mainland UK postcodes, and only if collected before a cut off that is often mid afternoon. Highlands, islands and Northern Ireland are usually excluded or quoted at a longer transit.
What counts as an oversize pallet?
A consignment exceeding the network's standard footprint or height, or one where the goods overhang the base. Overhang is a handling and damage risk and is charged for or refused.
What happens if my pallet is loaded too tall?
It is charged as the next size up. Footprint, height and weight limits each define the band, and exceeding any one of them moves the consignment into a larger one.