Yes: boxed business stock and building materials such as timber, boards, tiles and worktops can be stored on pallets in a unit, as long as nothing on the pallet is flammable, hazardous or otherwise prohibited by our terms. There is no forklift at any Wigwam site, and no staff to unload. For a pallet delivery, book a haulier with a tail-lift and a pallet truck, or bring your own, and be there to meet it.
What can and can't go on the pallet
Our business storage page lists "palletised goods" among the stock our units suit. What's on the pallet is what matters:
| On the pallet | Can it be stored? |
|---|---|
| Boxed or wrapped stock, office furniture, equipment | Yes |
| Food and drink stock, such as bottled drinks | Yes if securely packed: our terms bar "food or perishable goods unless securely packed so they are protected from and do not attract vermin" |
| Timber, sheet boards, worktops, tiles, sanitaryware, doors, kitchen and bathroom units | Yes |
| Bagged cement, plaster and bonding | Yes, but our building materials guide warns they can "go off in the bag": don't store part-used bags; buy fresh |
| Paving slabs, bagged aggregates, fencing panels | Yes, if dry |
| Bagged compost | Ask us first: our terms bar "any item that emits fumes, or odours" |
| Paint, oil, petrol, cleaning solvents, gas cylinders | No. Our terms bar "combustible or flammable substances including but not limited to gas, paint, petrol, oil, cleaning solvents or compressed gases" |
| Chemicals, asbestos, toxic waste | No |
Trade consumables such as sealants, solvent adhesives and primers that carry a flammable hazard symbol fall under the flammable rule (see flammable liquids): check the label, and ask if unsure.
Getting a pallet from the lorry to your unit
Wigwam does not accept, receive or sign for deliveries for you. Someone from your side needs to be at the unit, within your site's access hours (normally 6am to 10pm; check your site's page), to meet the courier or haulier, check the goods and take them into your unit. Cheltenham's page shows 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm at weekends and bank holidays, and also 6am to 10pm, so confirm the hours before you book a delivery there.
- Book the delivery inside your site's access hours (normally 6am to 10pm: check your site's page and confirm your hours when you book), at a time you or someone from your business can be there.
- Ask the haulier for a vehicle with a tail-lift and a driver with a pallet truck, or have your own pallet truck waiting. A 2020 post on our blog mentions "pallet trucks available", but our site pages don't say which sites have one you can use; ask on 0800 2545585.
- Check the goods before you sign, and note any damage on the driver's paperwork while the driver is still there.
- Move the pallet straight into your unit.
Don't leave anything outside your unit: the terms bar leaving "items or refuse in any common space", and clause 11 says anything left "unattended in common areas at the Facility or outside Your Unit at any time shall be treated as abandoned", so shrink-wrap, strapping and empty pallets go into your unit or away with you. Damage to the building is yours to put right, including damage caused "by removal, haulage or delivery contractors".
For online sellers and regular stock deliveries
Many online sellers keep their stock in a unit and visit during access hours to pick and pack orders before taking them to the post office or courier. Under clause 22 of the terms, the unit is for storage. It cannot be used as an office, a shop, a workshop, a place for staff to work, or a business or mailing address. You can't connect a power supply for equipment unless Wigwam authorises it (clause 22(e)).
If stock arrives every few weeks, you, or someone from your business with their own access, must be there for every delivery. A unit gives you secure space you control; the receiving and handling stay with you.
For tradespeople and builders' merchant deliveries
If you're a tradesperson storing materials between jobs, or renovating and having a merchant deliver to your unit, be there, and ask the merchant how they'll get the load off the vehicle. Taking materials out for a job is normal use, but cutting or mixing them happens elsewhere, because the unit is "solely for the purpose of storage". If you'd rather not handle the load yourself, we can put you in touch with local removals firms.
Choosing a unit for pallets and long loads
Pallets belong in a ground-floor unit, where a loaded pallet truck can roll from the vehicle to your door without a lift. Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster also have a limited selection of drive-up units and external containers, where you park beside the door. For your nearest site, check your site's page or ask us.
How many pallets fit? As an estimate, a 1,200mm × 1,000mm pallet (one of the ISO 6780 standard sizes, listed for Europe and Asia) covers 1.2 square metres of floor. 1.2 sq m is about 12.9 sq ft, so a 50 sq ft unit has room for 50 ÷ 12.9 ≈ 3.9 pallets on paper, about 3 once you leave space to move; 100 sq ft gives 100 ÷ 12.9 ≈ 7.8, about 6. A Euro pallet (1,200mm × 800mm) covers about 10 sq ft. Treat these as a starting point: the unit's shape and how high you can safely stack both change the answer.
The largest ground-floor unit on these sites' September 2026 price lists:
| Site | Largest ground-floor unit |
|---|---|
| Lincoln | 1,000 sq ft (listed as a bulk unit) |
| Reading | 450 sq ft |
| Tewkesbury | 365 sq ft |
| Alton, Bromsgrove, Chipping Norton, March, Marlow | 300 sq ft |
| Leatherhead | 265 sq ft |
| Bath | 235 sq ft |
| Burton-on-Trent, Dorking | 200 sq ft |
| Shipston-on-Stour | 150 sq ft |
If your site isn't in the table, ask us. Prices vary by site and floor, and your quote is what counts: our cost guide shows the spread.
Long loads such as worktops need a unit deep enough and a door wide enough; tall items such as fencing panels (a 6ft panel is 1.8m) need a door and ceiling high enough. We list units by floor area (square feet and square metres). Sizes are approximate (clause 26), and we don't publish each unit's length, width or height, so if a long or tall item has to fit, ring us on 0800 2545585 with its measurements before you book. Our terms say that if you have exact requirements you "must check with Us before signing". Our page on weight covers heavy loads.
Keeping stock and materials in good condition
Our units aren't heated or climate-controlled, so liquids can freeze in a hard winter: see whether units get cold in winter before you store drinks or anything in glass.
Insuring pallet stock
All customers require contents protection for their stored goods: you either take our cover or "arrange insurance at your own expense". Declare your stock at what it would cost you to replace it today, not its selling price and not what you originally paid: our pick, pack and post guide puts it as "what it would cost you to replace the stock at today's cost". Lost sales and profit aren't covered by a storage-goods policy (our terms also exclude "lost profits or business interruption", clause 30(a)); that's a question for your business insurer. Our Summary of Insurance isn't published online, so for how a stock claim is settled, ask us on 0800 2545585. See how much contents cover you need.
Building materials
Our building materials guide advises keeping timber and sheet goods off the concrete floor on scaffold boards or timber offcuts, supporting long lengths evenly so they don't bow, storing sheet boards flat, and covering stacks with a dust sheet or tarp rather than sealed plastic, which traps moisture. Worktops follow the same rule: flat, evenly supported and off the floor. Our page on damp and mould in storage explains condensation and how to avoid it.
Ask us before you book
Call 0800 2545585 with what's coming and when, and ask:
- the pallet's footprint and weight, and the vehicle bringing it;
- whether your site has a pallet truck you can use;
- the largest delivery vehicle the site's access takes;
- the route from the parking area to your unit, for a pallet truck;
- the depth of the unit you're offered, and the width and height of its door;
- whether the floor suits a full pallet of dense material such as tiles or slabs;
- whether you can bring your own powered handling equipment on site;
- how a stock claim is settled under our Contents Protection.
Once the handling is sorted, get a price online for a ground-floor unit at your nearest site.
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