1. Wood as a packaging material

1.1 Wood types used

Barring specific specifications, normative constraints or legislation, most common wood species can be used in packaging; in practice, however, their number remains limited.

Five main species are used in the manufacture of pallets, palletboxes and crates: poplar, maritime pine, Scots pine, spruce fir and Douglas fir. The choice of species depends mainly on the availability of forest resources close to the manufacturing sites. The same pallet can be made up of a mixture of different species, without this affecting its use.

Lightweight wooden packaging is mainly made from poplar wood, and to a lesser...