Supply for distributors and resellers
Wholesale Wood Pellets
Volume supply of wood pellets for distributors, stockists and resellers: how the order is placed, how it travels, and how to plan stock ahead of the heating season.
Buying wood pellets wholesale is a different process from buying a few bags for the house. A distributor or reseller isn't thinking about how many bags will get one household through winter — they're thinking about how many tonnes they can move, store and place before the heating season starts, and which load format fits their own warehouse and downstream customers best. That's what this page covers: the wholesale delivery formats, how full-truckload ordering works, and how a buyer who resells — rather than consumes — typically plans an ordering schedule.
If you're looking for the technical side of the product itself — diameter, moisture content, calorific value, alignment with the ENplus A1 specification — that's not repeated here. We cover it in detail on our dedicated ENplus A1 pellet quality page, built for buyers who need the technical data sheet. This page is about volume and buying logistics.
At a glance
| Wholesale supply formats | Bulk (tanker / walking-floor trailer), bulk bag for forklift handling, palletised 15kg bags |
|---|---|
| Typical full truckload | Roughly 24-26 tonnes, or up to about 33 EPAL pallet positions, depending on load format |
| Incoterms available | EXW, FOB or delivered, agreed with the buyer |
| VAT on intra-EU B2B purchases | Exempt at origin under the reverse-charge mechanism, with a valid VIES-verified EU VAT number |
| International transport document | CMR consignment note |
| ISPM 15 requirement | Does not apply to bulk pellets or bagged pellets; may apply to solid wood pallets on non-EU shipments |
Load formats: bulk, bagged pallets or bulk bags
Wholesale pellets don't travel just one way, and the right format depends on how the buyer plans to move and store them. Bulk delivery — by tanker or walking-floor trailer — is discharged straight into a silo or hopper without handling any bags or pallets, and it's the usual choice for distributors who go on to supply bulk pellets to customers with a domestic or industrial silo of their own. The bulk bag — a large sack handled by forklift or gantry — sits in between: it's unloaded mechanically, stacked for storage, and lets a buyer break volume into manageable units without needing a silo on site. Palletised 15kg bags, meanwhile, are built for buyers reselling in small units to the end consumer — shops, hardware stores, retail points of sale — who need stock that's already packaged and ready to move with a pallet truck. It's common for one distributor to combine all three formats across different orders depending on who they're supplying downstream: bulk for silo customers, bulk bags for semi-industrial resale, and bagged pallets for retail. The full range of packaging formats — including 15kg bags and bulk bags — is listed on our wood pellet product page.
Full-truckload economics
Wholesale buying is almost always organised around the full truckload. A standard European road trailer carries roughly 24 to 26 tonnes, or up to about 33 EPAL pallet positions, depending on whether the pellets travel bulk or palletised. Filling the truck — rather than splitting an order into partial loads — is what makes transport efficient for a buyer who resells: the freight cost is spread over more tonnes, and the supplier can plan production and loading with more room to work with. That doesn't mean there's a single fixed rate or minimum that applies to every order — each full truckload is quoted on origin, destination and load format, so the right move is to get in touch with your actual volume and destination and we'll tell you what's workable for your order.
Ordering cadence: buying ahead of the heating season
A distributor or reseller doesn't usually buy pellets once the cold weather has already arrived — they buy in the weeks and months beforehand, while there's still room to receive, unload and store volume before end-customer demand spikes. Ordering early makes it possible to spread full-truckload deliveries across several weeks instead of squeezing all the warehouse logistics into peak season, when unloading and storage capacity is under the most pressure. It also leaves room to plan how much of the order should arrive in bulk, in bulk bags or on bagged pallets, depending on how that stock will move on to the distributor's own customers afterwards. We work with both one-off seasonal orders and buyers who prefer to spread their annual volume across several scheduled deliveries through the year; either way, the earlier expected volume is discussed, the easier it is to fit into production and transport planning.
Wholesale buying vs a homeowner buying a few bags
The difference from a homeowner buying a few 15kg bags isn't just quantity — it's the whole way the purchase works. A homeowner picks a fixed format, pays on the spot, and collects or receives a one-off delivery with no planning beyond their own household consumption. A wholesale buyer, by contrast, negotiates load format, coordinates a collection or delivery date around their own unloading capacity, and often fits the order into a restocking schedule that repeats season after season. The paperwork changes too: a buyer with a VIES-verified intra-EU VAT number can benefit from VAT exemption at origin under the reverse-charge mechanism on purchases within the EU, which doesn't apply to a retail purchase. If the destination is outside the EU, that's worth raising from the first conversation, since it can affect the packaging format chosen and the transport documentation required.
International buyers: incoterms and documentation
We work to the incoterms commonly used in the sector — EXW, FOB or delivered — and agree with each buyer which one fits their own transport arrangements. For buyers within the EU, pellets move without customs duties or border checks, with the CMR consignment note as the standard transport document. An EU-based buyer who provides a valid, VIES-verified VAT number can benefit from the reverse-charge mechanism, with the delivery exempt from VAT at origin. One detail that's easy to miss: ISPM 15 marking doesn't apply to the pellets themselves or to the bags that hold them, but if an order is transported or delivered on solid wood pallets heading outside the EU, those pallets may need ISPM 15 heat treatment and marking to clear that border. It's worth settling before the order is confirmed, not once the goods have arrived.
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum order for buying wood pellets wholesale?
Wholesale supply is normally organised by the full truckload, either bulk or palletised. We're not setting a fixed minimum-order figure here because it depends on load format and destination — get in touch with the volume you're working with and we'll tell you what's workable for your order.
How quickly can a wholesale order be delivered?
Timing depends on the volume ordered, the load format and the season. We won't quote a generic number of days here since it varies by order — contact us and we'll confirm a lead time specific to your case.
What documentation do I need as an international buyer?
For purchases within the EU, transport is accompanied by the standard CMR consignment note, and a valid VIES-verified EU VAT number lets you benefit from VAT exemption at origin under the reverse-charge mechanism. If the destination is outside the EU, it's worth checking in advance whether the pallet format chosen requires ISPM 15 marking.
Can I mix load formats in the same order, for example bulk and bulk bags?
Yes, this is common among distributors supplying different types of customer downstream — a mix of bulk, bulk bags and palletised 15kg bags can be agreed within a single order or delivery schedule.
