When choosing a pallet made from wood, you need to understand the reasons to use heat-treated pallets when complying with ISPM requirements. Heat treating the pallets does not allow infestation of pests during the process of shipment or transit. While, this a basic reason to focus on an ISPM 15 pallet, there are several other reasons to comply with the requirements.
Heat treatment of pallets
If you want an effective heat treatment method, you need to ensure its effectiveness. For instance, you need to debark the timber as you need the core only for the production of pallet. Apart from this, the wood needs to reach a specific temperature for moisture removal so that you can prevent rotting. Moreover, the heat treatment also enhances the potential of the pallet to resist weather changes. After treating and drying the pallet, you need to mark it with the ISPM stamp along with the country of origin.
Reasons to use ISPM pallets
What are the reasons to use ISPM 15 pallets? Note the following points.
- Reducing the health risks
The heat treatment of pallets can reduce the risk of chemical exposure during the transit of goods, which can cause harm to the manufacturer and the person handling the cargo or shipment. Due to heat treatment of wood, it eliminates the requirement of chemical treatment. Therefore, it is a safe and secure option for transporting delicate and breakable items cautiously.
- Prolong its life
The ISPM 15 pallet undergo heat treatment, which makes them last longer and provides upfront quality. Due to the treatment, the composition and properties of wood change, and this makes it resistant to decomposition. Even if you store the pallet in humid or damp conditions, it does not attract fungi or microorganisms that facilitate rotting.
- Environment-friendly product
When compared with plastic pallets, a heat-treated wooden pallet is safe for the environment, and does not make the ozone layer toxic. Apart from this, the treatment makes the wood capable of recycle and reuse. As no chemicals are involved during the heat treatment, they are environment-friendly and cost-effective with recycling.
- Makes the pallet lightweight
The heat treatment also reduces the capacity of wood to attract moisture. In other words, the treatment builds resistance against moisture and makes it lightweight and ideal for shipping industries.
Complying with the requirements
The ISPM 15 is one of the conventions for the protection of wood in manufacturing pallets, which states that wood packaging needs to undergo treatment, whether it is hardwood or softwood. After the heat treatment, the packaging gets a stamp of ISPM 15 on it. In other words, the treatment certifies that the pallet does not cause health hazards and is suitable for carrying to different countries.
The final word
When choosing a wooden pallet, you need to go for a heat-treated option. If you want to know whether a pallet has undergone the treatment, you need to look for the special mark or the ISPM 15 pallet, which also states the country of origin. It is necessary for customs clearance, along with the certificate and the process of fumigation.
