Pallet treatment and an international size standard received special attention recently when representatives from more than 20 member nations of the World Pallet Council (WPC) met in Washington. The group was hosted there by the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA).

During the past year, pest treatment of wooden pallets has been a focus of both the European Union and the U.N. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Starting last October, the Commission of the European Communities required all softwood pallets to be marked for the type of treatment — chemical, fumigation or heat — they had received. The requirement is intended to prevent introduction of the Pinewood Nematode, a microscopic eelworm that has caused damage to pines in Japan and China. Hardwood pallets are exempt.

In March of this year, the U.N. International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) adopted a standard for treatment of wooden pallets on a worldwide basis. The standard accepts two methods to assure that all pests have been eliminated from the wood. One is heat treatment of the pallet to 56 degrees Centigrade for thirty minutes. The second method requires that the pallet be fumigated with methyl bromide.

While the standard has not yet been transformed into regulations, many users of pallets for exports are already being asked to adopt the measures. The NWPCA, says Bruce Schlonick, president of the organization, suggests that pallet users carefully look at their pallets and processes to see that they are prepared for the time when countries will issue regulations linked to the IPPC.

International pallet size standards were also discussed at the meeting. As well as being a long-range project, pallet standardization is complex given the large number of pallet sizes used broadly. While a worldwide single pallet size would be preferred, it will be nearly impossible for an ideal size to be chosen from the hundreds currently in use.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) is currently trying to whittle the list down to six pallet sizes. The challenge is even more complex given the range of handling techniques used to move pallets. In addition to satisfying manual operations, the selected sizes must be able to interface properly with the wide array of automated equipment currently in use.

"I don't know whether there will be six sizes or 60," says Scholnick. "It certainly will not be tomorrow when we get down to six. The goal is to get some standardization that would still be compatible for all countries."