Buying Bulk Wood Pellets: Volumes, Loading, Lead Times
How bulk wood pellet purchasing actually works: minimum volumes, truck and vessel loading, silo intake, lead times, and what to check before discharge.
Bulk is the cheapest way to buy pellets per delivered kWh — no bags, no pallets, no manual handling. It also demands infrastructure and planning that bagged buyers never think about.
Typical volumes
- Walking-floor truck: 24–28 t, the smallest practical bulk unit
- Rail wagon: 60–70 t, block trains from 1,200 t
- Coaster vessel: 1,500–5,000 t for short-sea European trade
- Handysize: 20,000–35,000 t for intercontinental cargoes
Intake requirements
You need a receiving silo or a covered flat store, plus either pneumatic blowing (short distances, generates fines) or mechanical conveying. Moisture protection is non-negotiable — wet pellets disintegrate to sawdust within hours.
Lead times
Truck deliveries within a region: 3–7 days. Container or coaster shipments: 3–5 weeks from contract to discharge, depending on booking and port congestion. Peak heating season adds two weeks and 10–15 % on price.
Quality control at discharge
Sample per EN ISO 18135, test moisture and fines immediately, and record silo temperature. Off-gassing (CO) in sealed bulk storage is a genuine safety hazard — ventilate before entry, always.
Contracting tip
Agree the quality determination point in writing: at load port, at discharge, or both. That single clause decides who pays when fines exceed 3 %.
Pellet Industries ships ENplus A1 and industrial biomass pellets worldwide in 15 kg bags, big-bags, and bulk vessel loads.
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