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Where to Buy Traeger Pellets in Bulk?
Buying Traeger wood pellets in bulk is a great way to save money on the price per pound. Though where you buy them and whether it’s a good idea, will be based on just how much you intend to use your Traeger grill.
A lot of Traeger’s retailers and online vendors sell three and four packs of wood pellets, though the total price usually doesn’t translate into significant savings. You can also buy half pallets and full pallets of Traeger wood pellets through a wholesaler or a major retailer like Home Depot.
A half pallet of Traeger wood pellets is 500-bags that are priced at $18 per bag. The full pallet of Traeger pellets is 100-bags of 20-pound pellets at $16 per bag.
When you consider that even when properly stored a bag of Traeger wood pellets is only good for 6 to 12 months, it rarely makes sense for a small family to make such a large investment as even a half pallet. Though neighborhoods with multiple families with Traeger grills, and block party special events where multiple grills are smoking at the same time, make more sense to buy in bulk.
Can You Buy Traeger Pellets in Bulk?
There are different types of bulk packages or Traeger wood pellets to consider based on the amount you plan to use on your Traeger grill. This includes three packs, as well as half pallets and full pallets of wood pellets.
A lot of Traeger’s retailers and online vendors like Amazon sell three-packs of Traeger wood pellets at a price per pound that is only slightly lower than if you bought individual bags. Though sometimes these three packs have different types of accent woods to use with different types of meat.
It’s when you step up to the half pallet and full pallet of wood pellets that you really start to see more significant savings.
Where Can You Buy Traeger Wood Pellets In Bulk?
You can buy Traeger wood pellets in bulk from many of Traeger’s licensed retailers like Home Depot, or through online wholesale vendors like Barbecue Island Inc. https://www.bbqislandinc.com/bbq-island-wholesale-wood-pellets.html
Should You Buy Traeger Pellets in Bulk?
Buying a three-pack of wood pellets or the 33-pound bag of Gourmet wood pellets sold at Costco can help save you a little bit of money on the price per pound. Though the savings aren’t going to make or break your grilling budget.
When you step up to the half-pallet or full 1-ton pallet of Traeger wood pellets the savings start to increase. Though you have to factor in how much you’ll be using your Traeger grill for it to truly make sense.
For example, the average Traeger grill goes through around 1-pound of wood pellets per hour at a temperature between 225 to 275-degrees. If you buy a one-ton pallet of wood pellets in bulk, this would mean 2,000-hours of smoking fuel.
This is enough to make over 330 racks of ribs in a year or roughly 150 Boston butt pork shoulders. That is an awful lot of smoky barbecue to eat in a single year.
One other way that buying a half pallet or one-ton pallet of Traeger wood pellets makes sense is if you are sharing them. This might be a neighborhood pool of friends with Traeger grills, or perhaps your company is going to host a block party with multiple Traeger grills cooking all at once.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy Traeger Pellets in Bulk?
When you buy a three-pack of Traeger wood pellets the cost is usually in the $55 to $59 range, which isn’t a major saving on the price per pound for 60-pounds of pellets.
When you step up to the half pallet of Traeger wood pellets, they still come packed in 20-pound bags. This translates into 50 bags of wood pellets on a half pallet with an average cost of around $18 per bag.
The full pallet of Traeger wood pellets comes with 100, 20-pound bags, for $16 per bag. This is a significant saving when you consider that a typical 20-pound bag of Traeger’s Signature wood pellets usually retails for $19.99.
This means that a half pallet of Traeger wood pellets will cost around $900, for 1,000-pounds of pellets, or 90-cents per pound.
A full pallet of Traeger wood pellets will cost around $1,600 for 2,000 pounds of pellets, or 80-cents per pound.
How Long Are Traeger Wood Pellets Good For?
Traeger wood pellets have a shelf life of 6 months to a year. You can maximize their lifespan by keeping them in an airtight container to keep ambient humidity from breaking down the water-soluble lignin binder that holds the wood fibers together.
Why Would You Buy Traeger Pellets in Bulk?
Buying more than a three or four-pack of Traeger pellets really only makes sense if you are going to be able to use them in the 6-to-12-month lifespan of the pellets. This might be for a neighborhood block party or a big event with multiple wood pellet grills burning all at once.
If you have a large family or a neighborhood of people with Traeger grills, everyone might want to pool their money on a half pallet or a full pallet of wood pellets to help each household save money.
Unless you are planning to smoke an immense amount of meat in the next year it really doesn’t make a lot of sense for a small family to invest in 1,000 to 2,000-pounds of Traeger wood pellets.
How Long Does 20 lbs. of Traeger Pellets Last?
The typical Traeger grill will go through 1-pound of wood pellets per hour at a temperature of 225 to 275-degrees. So, you can expect to burn through 20-pounds of pellets in 20 hours when smoking meat.
When you start to turn the Traeger grill up to 350-degrees, the burn rate can increase to around 2-pounds per hour. This would translate to 10 hours of time out of a 20-pound bag.
At the high end of the spectrum, a Traeger grill set to 400 to 450-degrees might burn through 3-pounds of wood pellets in an hour. This would translate into a little more than 6 hours of time out of a 20-pound bag.
Final Thoughts
Buying Traeger wood pellets in bulk only really makes sense if you have multiple families pooling together to split a half or full pallet of 20-pound bags. It can also make sense for special events, like a block party where multiple Traeger grills are burning all at once.
Considering that even when properly stored a bag of Traeger wood pellets is only good for 6 to 12 months, it rarely makes sense for a small family to make such a large investment as even a half pallet.
If you crunched the numbers and it makes sense for you to buy them in bulk, your best options are wholesale vendors like Barbecue Island or a major retailer like Home Depot.
A 500-bag half pallet is typically sold for $900 or $18 per bag. Whereas a 100-bag full pallet is sold for $16 per bag with a grand total of $1,600.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.