3PL storage fees: how pallet and bin storage is billed
How 3PLs charge for storage by pallet, bin, shelf or cubic foot, published monthly rates, and how to check whether you were billed on the right count.
3PL storage fees are the recurring charges for the space your inventory takes up in the warehouse. They are billed per pallet, bin, shelf or cubic foot, usually by the month. What you pay depends as much on how the 3PL counts your space (the average, the peak, an end-of-month snapshot or daily counts) as on the rate printed on the rate card.
How 3PLs bill storage
Most contracts use one of these units, and many mix them: pallets for bulk stock, bins or shelves for slow or small SKUs.
| Unit | What it means | Suits | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet | One pallet position in racking or on the floor | Bulk, fast-moving stock | Partial pallets billed as full; oversize or tall pallets |
| Bin | A small container on a shelf, usually one SKU | Small, low-quantity SKUs | Empty bins still billed |
| Shelf | A shelf section | Mid-size SKUs | Shelf size against what you use |
| Cubic foot | The volume your units actually occupy | Many SKUs, mixed sizes | Product dimensions on file |
| Square foot | Floor area | Large or dedicated space | Area measured |
A standard US pallet footprint is 48 × 40 inches, but OLIMP notes that loaded height, weight, overhang and stacking limits also decide what counts as one billable position. A pallet loaded 60 inches high holds about 66.7 cubic feet (48 × 40 × 60 ÷ 1,728), which is how you can compare a pallet rate with a cubic foot rate.
The billing basis: average, peak, end of month or daily
This is the term to read most closely. OLIMP lists the common bases as average daily inventory, peak inventory, a monthly count or reserved capacity, and notes that proration only applies if the provider agrees to it. Some 3PLs bill on a schedule other than once a month: ShipBob, for example, says it bills storage on the 15th and the last day of each month, prorated by day, with each SKU in its own location.
The same inventory can produce very different bills under each basis. Our guide to average versus peak storage billing goes through the differences in detail.
Typical 3PL storage rates
Rates vary by region, volume, temperature and contract length, so use these as reference points only.
- Pallet: Fulfill.com gives a typical range of $15 to $40 per pallet per month, most between $18 and $25, and a survey average of $20.17 from The Fulfillment Advisor's 2025 survey of more than 600 warehouses. OLIMP reports an average of $19.37 per pallet position from the same publisher's 2026 survey of 500 providers, with regional averages of $16.00 in Texas, $19.29 in California and $30.50 in New Jersey.
- Bin: Fulfill.com reports $1 to $5 per bin per month (survey average $3.08).
- Cubic foot: Fulfill.com reports $0.45 to $0.55 per cubic foot per month (survey average $0.46).
- Published rate cards at the time of writing: Fulfillment Hub USA lists dry pallet storage at $34.50 per pallet per month as a default estimate, with surcharges on that rate for temperature-controlled space (for example +50% for 68°F storage). eFulfillment Service lists $0.45 per bin per week, including the first cubic foot, plus $0.25 per cubic foot per week for overflow.
How the amount is calculated
OLIMP puts the formula simply: storage charge = billable positions × rate per position × billable period. The billable positions are the part to verify.
Worked example (made up). Juniper & Pine, a made-up brand, stores stock at Ridgeline Fulfillment, a made-up warehouse. The signed rate card says pallet storage is $18.00 per pallet per month, billed on the monthly average. In November (30 days), the brand had 33 pallets from November 1 to 20, then holiday stock arrived and it had 60 pallets from November 21 to 30.
- Pallet-days: (20 × 33) + (10 × 60) = 660 + 600 = 1,260
- Monthly average: 1,260 ÷ 30 = 42 pallets
- Correct charge: 42 × $18.00 = $756.00
If the invoice bills the peak (or an end-of-month snapshot, which here is also the peak), it reads 60 × $18.00 = $1,080.00. That is $324.00 more than the contract allows for the same inventory. Daily proration gives the same answer as the average: 1,260 pallet-days × ($18.00 ÷ 30) = 1,260 × $0.60 = $756.00.
Run your own counts through the checker below.
Billing errors on the storage line
- Wrong billing basis. Peak or end-of-month counts billed when the contract says average or daily, as in the example above.
- Partial pallets billed as full. A pallet that is a quarter full may still be billed as one position. Whether that is allowed depends on the contract, but it is worth knowing how many of your pallets are partial.
- Empty locations billed. Bins or shelves that held a SKU you sold out of, or that were emptied by a transfer, still appear on the storage report.
- Inventory billed after it left. Stock removed, transferred to another warehouse or written off is still counted.
- Wrong rate or surcharge. A climate-controlled or oversize rate applied to standard stock, or an old rate used after a price change.
- Storage billed twice. The same space charged as standard storage and again under a long-term storage fee when the contract says the surcharge replaces the base rate.
How to check storage charges
Ask the 3PL for the storage report that backs the invoice line: the pallet, bin or cubic foot count by day (or by snapshot date), with location IDs and SKUs. Then:
- Confirm the billing basis and rate in the signed rate card.
- Rebuild the billable count from the report on that basis (average, peak, snapshot or daily).
- Multiply by the rate and compare with the invoice.
- Check big jumps in the count against your receiving records. A jump with no inbound shipment behind it needs explaining.
- Check falls against your sales. Your Shopify order export shows units sold in the period, and if units sold are high but the pallet count never drops, ask why.
- Look for locations with zero units that are still billed.
Our step-by-step guide to auditing a 3PL invoice covers how storage fits with the other lines.
Questions to settle in the contract
- Which unit applies to which stock: pallet, bin, shelf or cubic foot?
- Is the count the monthly average, the peak, a snapshot on a set date, or daily?
- Are partial months prorated, and by day or by week?
- How are partial, tall or oversize pallets billed?
- Who decides when stock moves between pallets, bins and shelves, and are you told when it does?
- When does a long-term storage surcharge start, and does it add to or replace the base rate?
- Is there a storage minimum, and does it replace or add to the calculated charge?
Have a lawyer review the agreement before you sign it.
Get your storage line checked
3PL Checker recalculates your storage charges from the warehouse's own storage report on the basis your contract states, and shows any difference with the dates and counts behind it. The first audit is free, and a person reviews every finding.
Questions
How much does pallet storage cost per month?
It varies by region, volume and storage type. Fulfill.com gives a typical range of
5 to $40 per pallet per month and a 2025 survey average of $20.17 from The Fulfillment Advisor's survey of more than 600 warehouses.
How do you calculate pallet storage cost?
Multiply the billable pallet count by the rate per pallet and the billable period. The billable count is where most of the difference lies, because a contract may use the monthly average, the peak, an end-of-month snapshot or daily pallet counts.
What are warehouse storage charges?
They are the recurring fees a 3PL charges for the space your inventory takes up, billed per pallet, bin, shelf, cubic foot or square foot. They are separate from receiving, pick and pack and shipping charges.
Is 3PL storage billed per day?
Some 3PLs prorate by the day, some bill weekly and many bill monthly. A monthly rate does not mean daily proration unless the contract says so.
Sources
- Fulfill.com: How much does a 3PL cost in 2026?
- Fulfill.com: 3PL billing: the ultimate guide to ecommerce fulfillment pricing
- OLIMP: Pallet storage cost per month in the USA: 2026 dry and cold rates
- ShipBob: How ShipBob optimizes storage costs for fast-moving inventory
- Fulfillment Hub USA: 3PL fulfillment and storage pricing
- eFulfillment Service: Fulfillment center rates
- Shopify Help Center: Exporting orders