The UK Wood Pallets & Packaging Market Report shows repair and reuse volumes continuing their long-term upward trend
UK wooden pallet repair volumes continued to rise in 2025 with an estimated 49mn pallets repaired for reuse during the year, according to the latest UK Wood Pallets & Packaging Market Report.
The annual report, commissioned by Timcon and Forest Research, shows an increase of approximately 4 per cent on the 47.1mn repaired in 2024, and a long-term trend of increasing repair and reuse of wooden pallets and packaging.
The interim results of the latest edition of report were presented by Guy Watt, managing director of Clegg Consulting, at Timcon’s AGM and industry meeting in Edinburgh during September.
The combined number of wooden pallets manufactured and repaired has grown significantly, according to the report. The latest figure is around 91mn pallets, compared with approximately 81mn when the survey began in 2015.
It also showed an increase in the proportion of UK-sourced timber used by the sector, accounting for approximately 76.4 per cent of timber used by the industry during 2025.
Respondents were also asked for their opinions about challenges in the market.
Finding and retaining good staff was the most frequently cited issue, followed by rising costs.
However, there were also some signs of optimism, with 70 per cent of companies expecting sales to increase during 2027, compared with only 10 per cent predicting a fall in sales.
“We are really pleased to see the positive trend towards repair and reuse continuing, as well as the overall growth in the wooden pallet and packaging market since we first began this survey,” noted Timcon president John Dye.
“Being able to quantify the size, activity and importance of the wooden pallet and packaging industry is extremely important to help us demonstrate the contribution our sector makes to UK supply chains and support our lobbying work.
“Collaboration is essential if we are going to do this properly, so we are pleased to have brought the NAPD on board this year,” he outlined.
”Their members’ involvement will help us improve the statistical input into this invaluable report for Timcon and the wider industry and become even more essential in our lobbying to the UK government, Defra and others.”
The market report was part of Timcon’s’s annual industry meeting and AGM, which took place at the Radisson Blu hotel in Edinburgh.
