Why Are Alignment Shims So Expensive? (And Where to Get Them for Half Price)
Why do commercial truck alignment shims cost so much? Distributor markup. Synergistic Supply manufactures its own — see the price difference for yourself.
Chris Ludwig
10/20/20262 min read
If you run an alignment rack, you already know the math hurts. A bag of torque arm shims that should cost twenty bucks is forty, sixty, sometimes more — and the price creeps up every single year. So why do simple steel shims cost so much, and is there a way around it?
Where the money goes
A shim is not a complicated part. It's a piece of steel, cut to shape, plated so it doesn't rust. The part itself is cheap to make. What you're paying for at the big brands is everything around the part:
Layers of markup. Manufacturer sells to a national distributor, distributor sells to a regional warehouse, warehouse sells to you. Every layer takes its cut.
Brand overhead. Big catalogs, big sales forces, big trade-show booths — all of it gets priced into a two-dollar piece of steel.
Annual increases, because they can. The major brands have raised shim and wedge prices year after year for a decade. Shops need the parts, so shops pay.
How we do it differently
Synergistic Supply came out of the shop world. We used these parts every day, paid those prices, and knew the parts were grossly overpriced for what they are. So we started manufacturing them ourselves — and cut out every layer between the factory and your shop.
That's the whole secret. We make our own shims and wedges, we sell them direct, and we've held our prices essentially flat for ten years while the big brands raised theirs again and again. Our first price increase in company history came this year — after nine flat years.
What that looks like in real numbers
Checked October 2026:
A set of International torque arm shims (43-441 series) sells for $60.40–$69.80 from a major online seller. Our 43-441 series bag: $32.64.
The wide torque arm shim set lists at $125.45 and up elsewhere. Ours (43-651 series): $41.26.
Same steel, same job, half the money or less — because there's nobody in the middle.
The wedges nobody else makes
Our HD zinc caster wedges are the only slotted, break-away wedges on the market. The slots mean one set covers three axle widths, so one box does the work of three. The big wedge makers won't slot theirs — selling you one set instead of three would shrink their own catalogs. We'd rather sell you the one set.
How to order
We keep it old-school and simple: call or text 469-215-7730, or email customerservice@synergisticsupply.com. Most orders ship the same or next business day from Itasca, Texas, and shipping is free on orders of $1,000 or more. Pay by card from your invoice, or by Zelle.