If you are pricing freight for park benches, the short answer is that shipping one bench is almost always more expensive per bench than shipping a pallet of 20. A single fully assembled 6-foot metal or wood park bench typically costs $150 to $400 to ship within the lower 48 states, depending on distance, carrier, residential delivery, and liftgate needs. A pallet of 20 bench units, assuming they are knocked down or stackable enough to fit on one standard 48x40 pallet, usually runs about $600 to $1,600 as LTL freight. That puts the per-bench freight cost at roughly $30 to $80 instead of $150 to $400.
Why the single-bench cost is high: one bench often falls into LTL minimum charge territory or large-package parcel rates. A packaged bench may weigh 90 to 140 pounds and measure close to six feet long, which triggers oversize or freight pricing. Carriers charge a minimum floor for LTL, so you might pay $200 to $350 even if the actual weight-based rate would be less. Residential delivery, liftgate service, and limited access locations such as schools, parks, churches, or camps can add $50 to $150 per shipment.
A pallet of 20 changes the math. Freight carriers price by weight, freight class, distance, and pallet space. A 48x40 pallet of twenty flat-packed or partially assembled benches might weigh 1,200 to 2,400 pounds. Depending on lane and freight class, the pallet usually costs $600 to $1,600 for standard LTL. That often includes a liftgate or residential charge if quoted correctly, but those fees may still be added separately. The key is density: if the pallet is stackable and reasonably dense, carriers give a better class and rate. If the benches are fully assembled and the pallet is tall, wide, or fragile, the cubic volume can push the quote higher.
A realistic cost example: shipping one 120-pound bench from Dallas to Atlanta might cost $210 through an LTL carrier with residential delivery. Shipping a pallet of 20 flat-packed benches from the same origin to the same destination might cost $850 total, or about $42.50 per bench. The pallet shipment saves around $160 per bench on freight.
The best way to get accurate numbers is to quote both scenarios with the exact packaged dimensions, weight, freight class, pickup address, and delivery address. If you are buying benches, ask the supplier if they offer flat-packed packaging, bundled pallet pricing, or freight discounts through their carrier account. If you are shipping a single bench, compare UPS or FedEx large-package rates with LTL brokers and freight marketplaces, because the price difference can be large.
In short: budget $150 to $400 for one park bench, and $600 to $1,600 for a pallet of 20, which is $30 to $80 per bench. The pallet is far better value if you actually need 20 benches.