# Free pallets from work. Heat treated? Safe to burn?



## Brian26 (Dec 5, 2015)

Took a few pallets home from work and burned them. No fire starter needed as these burn with the touch of a flame and throw off some good quick heat.

I can get an endless supply of them at work. My company actually pays to get them removed by a recycling company. They burn fast and hot and am not expecting an all night burn from them but they are free.

I assume the HT stamp is heat treated? If so then in my eyes HT means dry free wood. 

As far as I can tell burning them they are not chemically treated.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 5, 2015)

I believe HT is heat treated ... from the look of them I would not hesitate to burn them.


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## Rebelduckman (Dec 5, 2015)

Burn away! I've made kindling for 3 years from pallets


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## billb3 (Dec 5, 2015)

It's not hard to find what the codes on the pallets  mean online.
even with *H*eat *T*reated or *K*iln *D*ried pallets what may or may not have been shipped on them and possibly spilled on them saturating the wood is why many of the sites will recommend not using them in a fireplace or wood stove.

I've burned those I was quite reasonably certain of their history of use.


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## English BoB (Dec 5, 2015)

I cut up pallets for kindling have done for years. HT or not never had an issue. 

bob


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## AmbDrvr253 (Dec 6, 2015)

Have to agree with Bob. Been using pallets to stretch shoulder seasons for years. Never had issues. Tho mosta what I get is either HT or KD as well.


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## mass_burner (Dec 6, 2015)

I'd like to add another point. Breaking down pallets can be,  if not  dangerous, prone to cuts, gouges, etc. All pallets are different, nails, screws, wood shards etc. For the low amount of BTUs, I don't think it's worth it.


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## Fred Wright (Dec 6, 2015)

Pallets make fine kindling and starter wood.


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## new home neil (Dec 6, 2015)

Fred Wright said:


> Pallets make fine kindling and starter wood.



The HT actually stands for High Temperature, it is stamped on the wood so it can be sold to other countries. That way they know they arent getting any invasive species transported from one place to another through the wood.


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## rygar (Dec 6, 2015)

i use pallets for kindling all the time, never had an issue.


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## sepulvd (Dec 8, 2015)

I burn pallets all the time since I get them for free at work. never had a problem except if you fill your stove to max. the heat does get kinda high


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## CenterTree (Dec 8, 2015)

new home neil said:


> The HT actually stands for High Temperature, it is stamped on the wood so it can be sold to other countries. That way they know they arent getting any invasive species transported from one place to another through the wood.



_Google searches:_*
Heat Treatment [HT]* The wood has to heated for at least 30 minutes to a minimum core temperature of at least 132.8 °F /56° C. A Pallet treated this way will be stamped with *[HT]*, and it should appear near the stamp of the IPPC logo

*[HT]:* Wooden pallets manufactured in Canada or the US undergo a pest control treatment called heat treating (HT) which involves heating the pallet to minimum core temperature of 56°C for softwoods and 60°C for hardwoods for a minimum of 30 minutes in a kiln.  HT pallets are not harmful to your health.


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## iamlucky13 (Dec 9, 2015)

Right, the heat treatment is simply oven baking to kill pest larvae. It's a certified stamp with a unique ID number for each stamp traced to records of who owns the stamp to aid in enforcement.

The main stamp to look out for is the one that says "MB," which means it was instead fumigated with methyl bromide to kill the larvae. It will offgas hazardous fumes when heated, but I think has been mostly phased out.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Dec 11, 2015)

mass_burner said:


> I'd like to add another point. Breaking down pallets can be,  if not  dangerous, prone to cuts, gouges, etc. All pallets are different, nails, screws, wood shards etc. For the low amount of BTUs, I don't think it's worth it.




Nah.  I can't be bothered with them myself, because I get plenty of free wood and the splitter makes more kindling than I can use, but if you need wood, pallets are a good source.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pallet+breaker+tool


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## Donk4kyv (Dec 12, 2015)

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Nah.  I can't be bothered with them myself, because I get plenty of free wood and the splitter makes more kindling than I can use, but if you need wood, pallets are a good source.



I think it's sinfully wasteful to burn them for kindling.  I use every one I can get my hands on for stacking splits; they are great for keeping the bottom layer off the ground and allow air to circulate under the woodpile.  Of course, pallet wood rots just as quickly as does firewood in contact with bare ground, but I make them last a year or two longer by laying them over scrap pieces of tarpaulin, plastic sheeting, torn off roofing material or anything else I can find to serve the purpose.  I wish pallets were plentiful enough round here to use for kindling.

The best ones for stacking wood are made of plastic.  They don't rot and last for ever, but I rarely ever find any of those discarded.


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