Most 3PL quotes list storage as one line, but that line hides three decisions: which unit is billed (pallet, bin or cubic foot), how that unit is measured, and when it is counted. This guide shows how to convert your own inventory into billable units so two quotes can be compared on the same footing. For the full invoice, see how much a 3PL costs; this page goes deep on storage only.
3PLs bill storage per pallet, per bin or per cubic foot per month. The Fulfillment Advisor's August 2026 survey averaged $19.37 per pallet (down from $20.17 in 2025), $3.03 per bin and $0.45 per cubic foot. A full pallet is cheaper above roughly 43 cubic feet of product; cubic-foot billing suits partial pallets and slow SKUs. How the 3PL measures and counts often matters more than the rate.
What are the three ways a 3PL bills storage?
Pallet, bin and cubic foot are the three common models, and many 3PLs offer more than one. In the 2026 Fulfillment Advisor survey, 94% of providers offered pallet-based pricing, 40% offered bin-based and 21% offered cubic-foot pricing; 31% offered square-foot pricing, which is mostly used for dedicated floor space (Warehouse Republic summary).
- Pallet: you pay for each pallet position your goods occupy, whether the pallet is full or half empty.
- Bin: you pay for each shelf bin or tote location in use. Bin size is not standardized, so the same $3 can buy very different volume.
- Cubic foot: you pay for the volume your goods actually fill, usually measured from carton dimensions.
What do pallet, bin and cubic foot storage cost in 2026?
Averages sit near $19 to $20 per pallet, $2.50 to $3 per bin and $0.45 to $0.55 per cubic foot per month. Region matters: the same survey puts pallet storage at about $16.00 in Texas and $30.50 in New Jersey.
| Model | 2026 survey average (Fulfillment Advisor) | Range from managed RFP bids (3PL Hub) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet | $19.37 per pallet per month | $16.50 to $25, median $20 | Full pallets of fast sellers |
| Bin | $3.03 per bin per month | $1.60 to $3.65, median $2.52 | Many small SKUs picked from shelves |
| Cubic foot | $0.45 per cubic foot per month | $0.38 to $0.72, median $0.55 | Partial pallets and uneven stock levels |
| Square foot | $1.26 per square foot per month | Not reported | Dedicated floor space |
Sources: Warehouse Republic, average 3PL costs, 2026 (citing The Fulfillment Advisor survey, August 17, 2026) and 3PL Hub, 3PL pricing and rates (bids from 17 managed RFPs). These are market figures, not any one provider's rate card.
When is a pallet cheaper than cubic feet?
A pallet wins when it is filled with more than the break-even volume, which you get by dividing the pallet rate by the cubic-foot rate. At the survey averages that is $19.37 divided by $0.45, or about 43 cubic feet of product per pallet position.
A standard 48 by 40 inch pallet stacked 48 inches high holds about 53 cubic feet, so a well-built pallet beats cubic billing. A pallet holding one slow SKU at 40% full holds about 21 cubic feet and costs more than twice what it would at a cubic-foot rate. Use the warehouse space guide to turn units into cubic feet and pallet positions.
What does a mixed catalog cost to store? A worked example
Take an illustrative brand shipping 10,000 orders a month with three kinds of inventory. The rates below are the 2026 survey averages, used as examples; they are not Orderfy's rates or any specific provider's.
| Inventory group | What it is | Pallet billing | Cubic-foot billing | Bin billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core cartons | 900 cartons at 1.75 cubic feet = 1,575 cubic feet, 30 full pallets | 30 x $19.37 = $581.10 | 1,575 x $0.45 = $708.75 | Not practical |
| Slow SKUs | 12 partial pallets, about 21 cubic feet each = 252 cubic feet | 12 x $19.37 = $232.44 | 252 x $0.45 = $113.40 | Not practical |
| Small items | 150 shelf bins of accessories | Not practical | Rarely quoted for loose small items | 150 x $3.03 = $454.50 |
Pallets for everything pallet-shaped plus bins for the small items comes to $1,268.04 a month. Cubic feet for the core and slow groups plus bins is $1,276.65. Choosing the best model per group (pallets for the core cartons, cubic feet for the slow SKUs, bins for the small items) comes to $1,149.00. That is about $0.11 of storage per order at 10,000 orders.
Takeaway: the model choice moved the bill by roughly 10%, a modest gain. Storage is usually a small share of the total. The bigger swings come from how the 3PL counts, covered next.
How does the counting method change the bill?
Ask whether storage is billed on a daily average, a peak day or a single month-end snapshot. 3PL Hub lists this as one of the three questions to ask, along with when the billing month starts and the long-term storage multiplier (3PL Hub).
Example: you hold 50 pallets for 10 days after a big inbound, then 30 pallets for the other 20 days. At $19.37 a pallet, a daily average (about 36.7 pallets) costs about $710. Peak-day billing (50 pallets) costs $968.50, a difference of roughly $258 for the same inventory. A month-end snapshot can swing either way depending on when your inbounds land.
What other storage charges show up on an invoice?
- Long-term storage fees: 41% of providers in the 2026 survey charge them, usually after inventory sits past a set number of days. 3PL Hub notes thresholds such as 180 or 365 days. Ask for the threshold and the multiplier in writing.
- Minimum monthly charges: a floor that applies even if your storage is lower. Check whether it is additive to other minimums, as covered in what a 3PL quote looks like.
- Receiving and putaway: billed per pallet, per carton or per hour. This is separate from storage, but it is where inbound pallets get built or broken down.
- Special handling: oversize items, climate control or lot tracking often have their own storage rate.
How do you keep storage costs down?
- Clear dead stock. If a SKU has not sold in 90 to 180 days, it is paying rent. See what is dead stock.
- Ship inbound in full pallets with one SKU per pallet where you can; mixed partial pallets waste paid positions.
- Send fewer, larger inbounds so you do not pay for peak-day storage on short-lived surges.
- Pick the model that fits each SKU class, and ask whether the 3PL will quote a hybrid.
- Review the storage line monthly against sales by SKU, not just against total orders.
What should you ask a 3PL about storage?
- Which unit do you bill, and can we mix units by product group?
- How is a bin or pallet position defined, including size and height limits?
- Do you bill on daily average, peak day or month-end?
- When does the billing month start, and are there free storage days on new inbound?
- What are the long-term storage threshold and multiplier?
- Is there a monthly minimum, and does it include storage?
For a full side-by-side, drop your numbers into the 3PL cost calculator.
Where Orderfy fits
Orderfy is a tech-enabled, modern 3PL for high-volume Shopify and Amazon brands. Our warehouse management system is built in-house and included for clients, so you can see your inventory and products in real time and keep your own count honest against what you are billed for. Photo records of shipments and direct communication channels give you 24/7 access to the warehouse team when a count looks off. Our order accuracy rate is 99.9%, as tracked in our WMS.
We quote storage on request rather than publishing a rate, so send your SKU count and inbound pattern and we will show the model that fits. Orderfy is not the right fit for brands under a few thousand orders a month who want a pay-as-you-go shared shelf with no commitment.
Frequently asked questions
In 2026 surveys, about $19 to $20 per pallet, $2.50 to $3 per bin and $0.45 to $0.55 per cubic foot. Texas pallet storage averaged about $16.00 in one survey.
Full pallets are cheaper on a pallet rate; partial pallets and slow SKUs are cheaper on a cubic-foot rate. At the survey averages, the break-even is roughly 43 cubic feet of product per pallet.
A bin is a shelf location or tote for small items. There is no industry-wide bin size, so ask the 3PL for its dimensions before comparing bin rates.
Extra charges when inventory sits beyond a set number of days, often 180 or 365. In the 2026 survey, 41% of providers charge them.
Rates are quoted per month, but many providers count daily and bill an average or a peak. Ask which method applies, since it can change the bill by hundreds of dollars on the same inventory.
Clear slow stock, send full single-SKU pallets, consolidate inbounds and match the billing unit to each product group.
Sources
- Warehouse Republic: Average 3PL costs, 2026 fee benchmarks (summarizing The Fulfillment Advisor survey, August 17, 2026)
- 3PL Hub: 3PL pricing and rates 2026 (updated September 2026)
Get a quote
Tell us your SKU count, pallets on hand and monthly orders, and we will build a quote with the storage model laid out line by line: Get a quote.