According to MarketWatch, the wood pallet industry is expected to have a 5.7% compound annual growth rate each year between now and 2024. This isn’t surprising since container ships just keep getting bigger and many companies are trying to optimize space in their storage facilities for efficiency and to save money.

Pallets play a big role in both. And wooden pallets in particular offer lots of benefits.

Goods loaded on pallets help them get transported faster. They also help protect the goods during transit and during loading and unloading.

Goods on pallets can also be wrapped which helps keep the goods stable and works to keep the goods compact.

Wrapping itself offers protection from damage and discourages theft of merchandise.

Here is more information on pallets and what the benefits are of heat-treated pallets.

What Is a Pallet?
Pallets are built structures that have flat top deck boards and a bottom deck. The top consists of deck boards that are attached to the stringer boards on each side. The bottom deck consists of boards that attach to blocks under the stringers and provides space for access by a forklift or other jacking device.

Pallets can be two-way or four-way. This refers to how many sides from which a forklift or other jacking device can access to lift a pallet. Pallets that are two-way can be accessed from two sides, while four-way pallets can be accessed from all four sides.

Pallets can be made from a variety of materials. Each material has its strengths and weaknesses, but the huge majority of pallets in use worldwide are wooden.

ISPM-15 CompliantWhen shipping pallets internationally, the pallets must be heat-treated and meet the requirements of ISPM-15. ISPM-15 stands for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measure No. 15 and it applies to raw wood materials thicker than 6mm, such as wooden pallets.

To be ISPM-15 compliant, wooden pallets must be subjected to heat that fully penetrates the wood to a minimum temperature of 132.8 degrees Fahrenheit/56 degrees Celcius for at least 30 minutes. The purpose of the heat treatment is to kill off termites and certain species of beetles, weevils, wasps, roundworms, and proteobacteria in the wood to keep them from spreading worldwide.

Heat-Treated Pallets Weigh Less
During the heat treatment process, moisture is also removed from the wood and results in mass loss. This causes the wood to weigh less.

The reduction in weight has the benefit of saving money on both transportation and fuel costs. As well as possible (hard to measure) wear and tear on trucks, forklifts, and other jacking devices.

Mold and Bacteria Resistance
Another benefit of wood pallets that have been heat-treated and reduction of moisture in the wood is that they are more resistant to mold and bacteria which are attracted to damp conditions. This is important with many types of goods being stored and transported on pallets, especially those in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Rot Resistance
A study on ResearchGate.Net regarding wood modification by heat treatment showed that heat treatment leads to an increase in the wood’s resistance to rot, provided the wood is not placed in contact with soil.
This decease in rot can lead to a wooden pallet being more durable and able to stay in use longer. Thus lowering the cost and replacement rate for obtaining new pallets.

Economical
The initial cost of buying wooden pallets is most often less expensive than buying pallets out of other materials such as plastic or metal. Wooden pallets generally cost about three times less than plastic. Wooden pallets also carry more load weight per trip than plastic.

Can Be Repaired
Unlike plastic pallets, if a wooden pallet is damaged, it can most likely be repaired. Their construction is such that if one part is broken, it can easily be removed and replaced with a new piece of wood. Repairs can even be done regularly to help keep a pallet in good working order and extend its useful lifetime.

Earth Friendly
Heat-treated wooden pallets are one of the best alternatives when it comes time to consider how to dispose of pallets once they have served their purpose. Unlike pallets made of other materials, such as plastic or metal, wooden pallets are easy (and popular) to recycle. Wood pallets are biodegradable, but they can also be recycled into mulch or paper.

Can Be Refurbished
Because pallets are also economical, people buy them for purposes which don’t wear the pallets out. When that’s the case, many pallet companies will refurbish them for resale. This helps recoup some of the initial cost of purchase and helps get the full life out of each pallet, which is good for the environment.

Forklift Loadable
Pallets make moving goods by forklift simpler and more efficient. Many forklifts can carry up to 35,000 pounds of goods at a time. Goods can be moved from location to location faster, such as from the dock, to a truck, then to a warehouse.
Goods that are wrapped or stacked on a pallet can be easily lifted and stored higher up, making use of more vertical space, which allows more goods to be stored in the same footprint.

Order Heat-Treated Pallets Today
​Whether you need to ship internationally or need pallets to store and move goods around your warehouse, using heat-treated pallets makes good sense. Both for your business and the environment.
Contact us for a quote on heat-treated pallets. We’re here to help and answer any other questions you have.