Why Do You Heat-Treat a Wood Pallet?

International Standard

• The International Plant Protection Convention passed a measure in March 2002 requiring all wood packing materials, including pallets, be treated before they can be imported into any of the 177 member countries, which include the majority of countries in the United Nations. Heat treatment is one approved means of treating pallets to kill the bugs they harbor; the other method is fumigation. Properly treated pallets bear a mark indicting they are ISPM 15-compliant – that an accredited inspection agency has determined they conform to the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures.

Treatment Options

• Heat-treating wooden pallets involves heating them in a heat treatment chamber until the core temperature of the wood is at least 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees centigrade) and maintaining that temperature for at least 30 minutes. The alternative to heat treatment is to subject the pallets to a chemical bath in methyl bromide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has overseen the phase-out of methyl bromide for other uses but has made an exception to allow for its continued use in treating pallets.

Benefits of Heat-Treatment

• Heat treatment leaves you with a safe, chemical-free final product, unlike methyl bromide, which is toxic and thus a potential health risk. Heat treatment is a less technical process than chemical treatment. Only licensed fumigators can apply methyl bromide, which is a lethal gas and a highly regulated pesticide. Heat treatment will typically cost less per treated load of wood and does not require as much time as chemical treatment.

Production Cost

• Installing a heat treatment system requires a considerable up-front investment. The pallet industry, which already operated within a tight profit margin, has been forced to become more efficient in its manufacturing processes in order to remain competitive. Some exporters began to consider whether they wanted to replace wood pallets with pallets of other materials. But U.S. hardwood lumber producers, which stood to lose 40 percent of their market without a solid wood packaging market, successfully adapted to the regulatory changes for treating wood packaging materials.