ISO 18613: repair of flat wooden pallets
ISO 18613 sets the maximum defects and damage a flat wooden pallet may have before it must be repaired, and the minimum criteria a repair must meet, for pallets repaired with wood-based components. The current edition is ISO 18613:2014. It is the international reference for repair and inspection contracts.
Most wooden pallets in a pool or a closed loop are repaired several times in their life. ISO 18613 is the international standard for deciding when a pallet has to come out of service for repair, and what a repair must achieve. Its title is Pallets for materials handling: Repair of flat wooden pallets. It is published by ISO/TC 51. The current edition is ISO 18613:2014, which replaced the first edition of 2003.
What does ISO 18613 cover?
The standard does two things:
- It specifies the maximum defects and damage allowed before a flat wooden pallet must be repaired. This is the inspection threshold.
- It defines the minimum repair criteria: what a repaired pallet must look like when it goes back into service.
It applies to wooden flat pallets repaired with wood-based components. The exact defect limits and repair methods are in the standard and are not reproduced here.
Typical defects a repair standard addresses
Repair standards, ISO 18613 included, deal with the same kinds of damage that pallet inspectors check:
| Damage | Where it happens | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Broken or missing deckboards | Lead boards hit by forks | Load falls through, conveyor jams |
| Split or cracked blocks or stringers | Fork impact at the ends | Loss of strength, collapse in racking |
| Protruding nails | Loosened joints | Product damage, injury |
| Missing or damaged chamfers | Bottom deck | Pallet-jack entry problems |
| Excessive wane, decay or contamination | Any component | Strength and hygiene |
| Missing marks | Blocks, stringers | Pool identity, ISPM 15 status |
The ISO wood pallet quality family
ISO 18613 is one of a set of ISO/TC 51 standards for wooden pallets. Used together, they cover new and repaired pallets:
| Standard | Covers |
|---|---|
| ISO 18333 | Quality of new wooden components for flat pallets |
| ISO 18334 | Quality of assembly of new wooden pallets |
| ISO 15629 | Quality of fasteners for assembly of new and repair of used flat wooden pallets |
| ISO 18613 | Repair of flat wooden pallets |
| ISO 8611 | Performance testing of new flat pallets |
| ISO 445 | Vocabulary |
Repair and ISPM 15
Repair has phytosanitary consequences. Under ISPM 15, a repaired pallet (up to about one third of components replaced) must use treated and individually marked parts, or processed wood, and the national plant protection organization may require re-treatment and a single new mark. Replace more than about one third and it is remanufactured: old marks must be obliterated, the pallet re-treated and re-marked. A repair contract for export pallets must say which approach is used.
How it relates to other repair standards
| Source | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 18613 | International | Defect thresholds and minimum repair criteria |
| Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets | North America | Repair classes, allowed repair methods (companion stringers, plugs, plates) and a recommended repair mark |
| EPAL Technical Regulations | EPAL pool | Repairs only by EPAL-licensed repairers, with a repair marking nail |
| Pool operators' own rules | CHEP, PECO and others | Repair to the pool owner's spec |
When should a buyer cite ISO 18613?
- In repair or pallet-management contracts for wooden pallets in a closed loop, so both sides agree when a pallet is scrapped, repaired or returned.
- In inspection specs at receiving docks, as a defined damage threshold.
- For international programs where the North American grade language (Grade A, Grade B) means nothing to the supplier.
How to reference it on a spec sheet
- "Pallets requiring repair per ISO 18613:2014 to be removed from service and repaired to its minimum repair criteria."
- "Repairs with wood-based components only; replacement parts ISPM 15 treated and marked."
- "Repair mark per [owner's] marking rules" (for pooled or branded pallets).
For grading used pallets see pallet grades, and for field inspection see pallet inspection.
Frequently asked questions
Does ISO 18613 apply to plastic pallets?
No. It covers flat wooden pallets repaired with wood-based components.
Does a repaired pallet need a new ISPM 15 mark?
Under ISPM 15, replacement parts must be treated and individually marked, or made of processed wood, and some countries require the whole repaired pallet to be re-treated and re-marked. More than about one third replaced counts as remanufacture, which always requires re-treatment and a new mark.
What is the North American equivalent?
The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets has its own repair and remanufacture section with repair classes and a repair mark. Many North American recycling contracts use grade language (Grade A, Grade B) instead.
Sources and references
Related
- GuidesPallet repair: methods, standards and when a pallet is not worth fixingPallets are repaired by replacing broken deckboards, reinforcing cracked stringers with a companion stringer, plug or metal plate, and replacing damaged blocks, following ISO 18613 and the Uniform Standard. Repaired pallets are weaker than new, need re-treatment for export, and some retailers refuse them.
- GuidesPallet inspection: an incoming inspection checklist for new and used palletsInspect incoming pallets against a written spec. Check a sample from every delivery for size, board count and thickness, broken boards or stringers, protruding nails, moisture, mold, stains and the ISPM 15 stamp. Reject failures, record why, and share the results with the supplier.
- GuidesPallet grades: Grade A, Grade B, remanufactured and combo palletsUsed pallets are sold by grade. Grade A (#1) pallets are clean and sound with few or no repairs; Grade B (#2) pallets are sound but repaired, often with companion stringers. Remanufactured and combo pallets are rebuilt from used and new parts. Definitions vary by vendor, so write yours down.
- GlossaryRemanufactured palletA remanufactured pallet is a pallet assembled from components reclaimed from dismantled used pallets, sometimes to a different size or design from the originals. Under ISPM 15, a pallet with more than about one third of its components replaced counts as remanufactured and must be re-treated and re-marked.
- StandardsISPM 15: the wood packaging standard for international shippingISPM 15 is the IPPC standard requiring solid-wood packaging, including pallets and dunnage, to be debarked, treated (HT, DH, MB or SF) and marked before crossing a border. Plywood, OSB, presswood, wood 6 mm thick or less, and plastic, metal and paper pallets are exempt.
- StandardsUniform Standard for Wood Pallets (Woodpack Global, formerly NWPCA)The Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets is the North American industry standard for specifying, building and repairing wood pallets: terms, lumber quality, tolerances, fasteners, notches, repair and performance. Woodpack Global (formerly NWPCA) publishes it; it is voluntary and was revised in 2025.
- TypesRecycled pallets: grades, remanufacturing, cost and how to buy themA recycled pallet is a used wooden pallet that has been sorted, repaired or rebuilt and resold. Used 48 × 40 in pallets are sold as Grade A (few or no repairs) or Grade B (repaired). They cost less than new, but grade definitions vary by supplier and any repair voids an existing ISPM 15 mark.
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Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 684 words.