Pallets
Standard wood pallets are 48" by 40" and 6" tall (or 1.2m by 1m and 150mm tall). They weigh about 37 pounds, or 17kg. They are usually made of cheap softwood. But it's a very cheap if not free building resource.
Chemical or heat treatment?
They often are treated with lots of chemicals, so it's not something you want to use in something like a garden where food is produced, or where it may be burned or decompose.
You can know how they are treated by the markings:
- Heat treatment - The wood must be heated to achieve a minimum core temperature of 56 °C (133 °F) for at least 30 minutes. Pallets treated using this method bear the initials HT near the IPPC logo.
- Chemical fumigation - The wood must be fumigated with methyl bromide. Pallets treated using this method bear the initials MB near the IPPC logo. From 19 March 2010 the use of methyl bromide as a treatment according to ISPM15 has been banned within all EU member states. This is due to causing potential harm to the Earth's stratospheric ozone layer.
References
Last modified: 202509100141