What is Heat Treated Lumber?

You might not be aware of it, but you have probably been affected by heat-treated lumber. This lumber is used for packing crates in the overseas transport of imported and exported goods.  Many customs programs will turn away wooden packaging that isn’t heat-treated.  So there's a chance you have come in contact with a product that was in heat-treated lumber.

Packaging

Almost all goods that are shipped overseas by boat or plane are in wooden crates.  The wooden crates are required by law to be made of heat-treated wood.  Insect pests can live in untreated wood, so wood used for shipping crates have to be heat treated to destroy pests that are living inside the wood.

Treatment

For wood to be officially heat treated, it must have been heated to a temperature of at least 133 degrees for a minimum of 30 minutes.  The temperature and duration is more than enough to destroy any pests that are in the wood. Different options for heat treatment include chemical pressure impregnation and kiln drying.

Marking and Certification

Heat-treated lumber has to be certified with certain kinds of permanent markings. The markings should be seen on at least two sides of the wooden article.  Markings should include the symbol for the International Plant Protection Convention, the international code for the country of origin, a distinctive number for the producer of the wood, and a representation of the person or entity that is responsible for the use of the wood and marking procedures for the item.

Dealing With The Pests

Heat treatment is needed to stop non-native pest species into ecosystems.  Countries around the world have experienced attacks of non-native pest species. Non-native pest species that are in wood are a threat to native forest ecosystems.   A natural predator usually won’t exist for an introduced pest species.  Some of the more common pest species are the confused flour beetle, the red flour beetle, the warehouse beetle, and the Indian meal moth.

Rules and Regulations

A wooden crate or packaging material can be noncompliant due to heat treatment rules that fall under three categories.  The categories are unmarked, infested, or inappropriately marked.  If packaging material is in violation of heat treatment rules, it can be re-exported at the cost of the importer.  Other financial penalties can occur from the use of wood that isn’t in line with the heat treatment regulations.