Generally, pallets come in one of three thicknesses: 1/2, 5/8 or 3/4
Pallets are made from a combination of hard and softwoods. The most predominately used hardwoods are oak, yellow poplar, alder and a combination of basswood, aspen, and cottonwood. Common softwoods are southern pine, and Douglas fir.
Approximately, 4.7 billion board feet of solid hardwood and 2.2 billion board feet of softwood was consumed in 1992 for the production of pallets.
(Source: Wood Materials Use in the US Pallet and Container Industry Virginia Tech, written by Eric Hansen, Robert Bush, John Punches)
The wood pallet and container industry is the largest user of hardwood lumber in the United States. (Source: Flexual Properties of Eastern Hardwood Pallet Parts, Virginia Tech)
Pallets to be recycled are mechanically reduced to any size necessary by crushers, grinders, hammermills and hogs. Magnets remove nails and metal fragments during these processes.
Recycled pallets are used for poultry litter, livestock bedding, fuel, mulch, soil amendment, particleboard furnish, pulp furnish and charcoal furnish.
The ash content, high heating value, moisture holding capacity, particle size distribution and level of chemical contamination determine to what use a recycled pallet will be put. For example, pallets that were used to ship toxics or were made from wood that was pesticide treated cannot be used for animal litter or bedding. Not only is this a hazard to the animals, but also, in the case of livestock, these hazardous materials could enter the human food chain. Pallets with a high heating value can be used for fuel while those with a high moisture holding
capacity are excellent for animal bedding and litter.
(Source: Department of Wood Science and Forest Products written by Marshall S.White and John A. McLeod)
Wood Packaging
Generation:
Percent:
Recovery:
Source: U.S. EPA 1996. Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 1996 Update EPA530-R-97-015, Washington, D.C.
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