What your space costs per stored pallet each month, built from rent, NNN, utilities, and occupancy, next to what a 3PL would charge for the same pallets. Every rate is editable and it runs in your browser.
$9,125 a month of space ($1.22/sq ft) spread over 425 stored pallets in 500 positions: $18.25 per position, $21.47 per pallet actually stored.
| Base rent | $5,938 |
| NNN & opex | $2,188 |
| Utilities & other | $1,000 |
| Your space, monthly | $9,125 |
| Storage, 425 pallets × $20.00 | $8,500 |
| Handling, 150 × $10.00 | $1,500 |
| 3PL, monthly ($23.53/pallet) | $10,000 |
Your space wins by $875 a month ($10,500 a year) at these rates.
The 3PL rate pays for its building and its people; your side counts labor and equipment only if you enter them. Empty positions still pay rent, which is why the per-stored-pallet figure moves with occupancy.
Occupancy moves this number more than rent does.
Slot occupancy, storage density, and inventory turns are operational levers, not lease terms, and they decide whether your space beats the 3PL quote. The operations technology assessment finds which lever is loose in your building.
Book an assessment callThe model starts with what the space costs in a month: base rent and NNN converted from annual per-square-foot rates, plus utilities and any labor or equipment you assign to storage. That total divides two ways. Per position spreads it across every pallet position the building holds. Per stored pallet spreads it across the positions actually full. The gap between the two is occupancy, and it is why half-empty warehouses lose own-versus-3PL comparisons that full ones win.
The 3PL side prices the same stored pallets at a quoted rate and adds handling at your monthly volume, because a 3PL bill has two meters: pallets sitting and pallets moving. High-turn inventory can double a 3PL bill without adding a single stored pallet, while in your own building the doors are already paid for.
Benchmarks for the quote side: US dry storage averaged $20.17 per pallet per month in a 2025 survey of more than 600 warehouses, with most quotes between $18 and $25 and handling at $4 to $8 per pallet each way. The square-feet-per-pallet input comes from the warehouse space calculator, which computes it for your racking and truck; the pallets per trailer calculator covers the freight end of the same math.
Monthly cost per stored pallet from the calculator's model: all-in occupancy dollars per square foot per year, times square feet per pallet, over twelve months at 85% occupancy. Densities are the warehouse space calculator's reference configurations.
| Configuration | $8 / sq ft / yr | $13 / sq ft / yr | $18 / sq ft / yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turret / VNA, 5 levels (10 sq ft per pallet) | $7.84 | $12.75 | $17.65 |
| Double-deep rack (11 sq ft per pallet) | $8.63 | $14.02 | $19.41 |
| Floor stack, 3 high (13 sq ft per pallet) | $10.20 | $16.57 | $22.94 |
| Selective rack, reach truck (15 sq ft per pallet) | $11.76 | $19.12 | $26.47 |
Occupancy cost only: no labor, no equipment. Against the $18 to $25 band most 3PLs quote, dense storage in cheap buildings wins comfortably and sparse storage in expensive ones doesn't.
Third-party dry storage in the US averaged $20.17 per standard pallet per month in a 2025 survey of more than 600 warehouses, with most quotes falling between $18 and $25. Handling is billed on top at $4 to $8 per pallet each way, longer commitments and 100-plus-pallet volumes price toward the bottom of the band, and temperature control prices above it. For your own building, the number is monthly occupancy cost divided by the pallets actually stored.
Add every dollar the space costs in a month (base rent, NNN charges, utilities, and any equipment or labor you assign to storage), then divide twice: by square footage for cost per square foot, and by stored pallets for cost per pallet. The pallet division needs two inputs: building square feet per pallet position (10 to 15 in typical selective racking once aisles and support space count) and slot occupancy, because empty positions still pay rent.
Triple net: the tenant pays property taxes, building insurance, and common-area maintenance on top of base rent. Industrial listings quote the base, and the NNN line adds meaningfully to it, so the calculator takes the two separately. Enter both straight off the lease or the listing and the math runs on the true all-in number.
The storage line covers the position: rack or floor space, the building, and its overhead. Touching pallets is billed separately as handling, charged per pallet in and per pallet out, and many bills add accessorials for receiving appointments, case picking, labeling, or returns. When comparing against your own space, add handling at your monthly volume before comparing totals.
When inventory swings seasonally, when you would lease more space than you fill, or when volumes don't justify a forklift, a dock crew, and warehouse software. Steady, full, high-turn operations usually beat 3PL pricing with their own space, because a 3PL prices in its margin and your peak. Run the comparison at your low and high inventory months, not the average.
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<p>Free <a href="https://azentri.com/tools/warehouse-storage-cost-calculator">warehouse storage cost calculator</a> by Azentri</p>The per-pallet rate is one input. Growth, inventory turns, and service promises decide the rest, and an assessment call weighs them against your numbers.