What Are Presswood Pallets
Presswood pallets — also known as compressed wood pallets, pressed wood pallets, or moulded wood pallets — are manufactured by compressing wood chips, sawdust, and fine wood fibre under very high pressure and heat to form a solid, dense one-piece pallet structure. Unlike conventional sawn-timber pallets assembled from multiple boards and metal fasteners, a presswood pallet is moulded as a single homogeneous component, free from nails, screws, or loose parts.
At Nord Panels, presswood pallets are produced at a dedicated pallet manufacturing facility in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan. The plant uses sawmill residues and wood processing by-products — including birch sawdust and chips generated by the adjacent birch plywood manufacturing operation — as raw material. This approach makes presswood pallet production an environmentally efficient use of the complete raw material stream from the site’s integrated wood processing complex.
The Manufacturing Process
Presswood pallet production begins with preparing the raw material furnish. Wood chips and sawdust are screened to remove oversized particles and contaminants, then blended with thermosetting binders — typically urea-formaldehyde or MDI (methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) resins — at a precisely controlled loading ratio. Binder content determines the final density, hardness, and moisture resistance of the moulded pallet.
The blended furnish is formed into a mat and loaded into a steel mould that defines the three-dimensional geometry of the pallet — including the deck surface, the integral leg or block structure, and any drainage or ventilation openings. The loaded mould is transferred to a multi-opening hot press where temperatures of 160–200 °C and high specific pressure cure the binder and consolidate the wood particles into a rigid load-bearing structure.
After pressing and cooling, pallets are demoulded, trimmed, and inspected. The one-piece moulded construction eliminates fastener heads that snag handling equipment, loose boards that detach under load, and the risk of nail or splinter contamination in goods. This contamination-free characteristic is particularly valued in food, pharmaceutical, and electronics supply chains.
ISPM-15 Compliance: The Export Advantage
One of the most commercially significant features of presswood pallets in international trade is their inherent compliance with ISPM-15 — the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 issued by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). ISPM-15 was established to prevent the international spread of invasive wood pests — bark beetles, pinewood nematodes, Asian longhorned beetles, and related organisms — that can survive and propagate in solid wood packaging materials.
Conventional sawn-timber pallets must receive heat treatment (HT) at a minimum core wood temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 continuous minutes, or approved fumigation with methyl bromide (MB), and must bear an official IPPC mark before crossing most international borders. Failure to comply can result in shipment detention, mandatory treatment at the importer’s expense, destruction of non-compliant pallets, or refusal of entry — all outcomes that impose direct cost and delay on shippers.
Presswood pallets are manufactured from wood particles that are exposed to temperatures well above 56 °C throughout their mass during the hot-pressing process. This thermal processing exceeds the ISPM-15 heat treatment threshold for the entire wood particle volume — not just the surface. As a result, presswood pallets are classified as non-regulated articles under ISPM-15, meaning they do not require separate heat treatment certification or IPPC marking for international movement.
This exemption delivers a material simplification of export logistics. Shippers using Nord Panels presswood pallets can dispatch consignments to ISPM-15-regulated destinations — including the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and virtually all major trading nations — without arranging fumigation, obtaining HT certificates, or risking phytosanitary inspection delays at borders.
Standard Dimensions and Load Ratings
Nord Panels manufactures presswood pallets in the principal international pallet footprints:
- EUR / EPAL format — 800 × 1200 mm: The standard European pallet footprint, compatible with the European Pallet Association (EPAL) pool system and accepted across European retail, logistics, and manufacturing supply chains.
- ISO 1 (GMA) format — 1000 × 1200 mm: The globally recognised format common in North American, Asian, and international supply chains.
- Half pallet — 800 × 600 mm: For smaller unit loads, retail display applications, and secondary packaging operations.
Static load capacity of standard-density presswood pallets reaches 3,000–4,000 kg, with dynamic load capacity of 1,500–2,000 kg depending on pallet geometry and density grade. These values cover the majority of general cargo, consumer goods, and industrial product shipments. High-density grades with elevated load ratings are available for heavy industrial applications.
Pallet height in the standard four-way entry configuration is 78–80 mm, compatible with standard pallet jack tine entry dimensions and automated pallet handling systems. The moulded leg or block structure provides stable bearing on racking systems without lateral movement.
Applications in Export Supply Chains
The combination of ISPM-15 exemption, consistent load ratings, and absence of metal fasteners makes Nord Panels presswood pallets well suited to a range of export cargo categories:
- Food and beverage: No contamination risk from nails or splinters; smooth surfaces facilitate cleaning between uses.
- Pharmaceuticals and medical devices: Contamination-free construction meets GMP and GDP requirements for packaging contact materials.
- Electronics and precision equipment: No metal components eliminate magnetic and mechanical hazards to sensitive goods.
- Automotive parts: Consistent moulded dimensions and no protruding fasteners protect coated and painted surfaces.
- Chemicals: One-piece construction prevents accumulation of spilled liquids in gaps between boards.
For supply chain configurations where empty pallets must be returned efficiently, the nestable compressed wood pallet format offers additional logistical advantages. Details are provided in the companion article on nestable compressed wood pallets for warehouse and transport.
Quality Control and Acceptance Standards
Every presswood pallet produced at Nord Panels passes through a defined quality control sequence before dispatch. Dimensional checks verify that the pallet footprint, height, leg position, and entry dimensions conform to the stated specification and that four-way fork entry is unobstructed. Load tests on production samples confirm that static and dynamic load ratings are achieved under the test conditions of EN ISO 8611, the principal international standard for pallet performance testing.
Compression resistance is a critical property for pallets used in racking systems. During racking, the pallet is supported only at the two end beams rather than across its full bottom surface, placing concentrated bending loads on the deck. Presswood pallets’ homogeneous cross-section provides good load distribution across the deck, and Nord Panels’ production quality programme monitors compression test results by batch to ensure consistent performance.
Surface hardness of the moulded deck is measured to confirm that the curing process has achieved the target binder conversion. Under-cured material produces pallets that are prone to surface indentation under concentrated point loads from pallet feet or packaging corners, which can cause instability in stacked loads. Nord Panels’ press cycle control and post-press hardness verification ensure that pallets reach their rated surface hardness before leaving the production line.
Moisture content of finished pallets is maintained below 12 % to avoid dimensional changes in storage and transit. Pallets are stored under cover at the plant before shipment, and bulk orders are wrapped in moisture-resistant packaging for container loading. These measures ensure that pallets arrive at the customer’s facility in specification condition regardless of transit duration or climatic conditions en route.
Environmental Profile
The raw material for Nord Panels presswood pallets consists of wood processing residues — sawdust and chips that would otherwise require disposal. Using these by-products as pallet feedstock avoids the need to harvest dedicated timber for pallet production and improves the overall resource efficiency of the manufacturing site. At end of pallet service life, the compressed wood structure can be shredded and used as biomass fuel or composted, making it a fully recoverable material in circular economy frameworks.
Ordering and Logistics
Nord Panels presswood pallets are available in full truckload quantities for domestic Kazakh customers and in container loads for export. The plant’s Petropavlovsk location, with direct rail access to the Russian and trans-Kazakhstan rail networks, supports competitive delivery lead times to destinations across Central Asia, Russia, and Europe.
Standard pallet specifications are held in stock for rapid order fulfilment. Custom branding — including company logo and handling instruction overprints — can be applied to pallet decks for supply chain identification or brand traceability.
For enquiries, quotations, or technical specifications, visit the presswood pallets catalog or contact the team via the contact page. Nord Panels also supplies birch plywood and premium wood pellets manufactured at the same Petropavlovsk facility. Company background and production capacity details are available at about Nord Panels.