Wood Packaging Regulations

As of July 2006, The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will fully enforce its strict wood product materials shipping regulations in order to reduce the risk of quarantine pests. This regulation applies to all wood packaging material (i.e., wooden pallets, boxes, and crates), which means:

• Non complaint regulated wood packaging material will not be allowed to enter the United States as well as many countries internationally.
• While phase one of this regulation began in September 2005, as of July 2006, all wooden pallets are required to be heat-treated or fumigated.

This standard will likely impact companies shipping loads abroad by increasing prices and adding to the paperwork needed for export.With this deadline rapidly approaching, more and more exporters and importers are turning to steel for their shipping solutions because it:

• Does not require treatment for bugs or infestation
• Does not require regulatory paperwork including non-coniferous declarations and FDA regulations
• Does not need to be fumigated or heat treated for export use
• Is readily recyclable, saving landfill space and creating recycling revenue for customers