Are pallets safe for garden beds?
Clean, HT-marked, unpainted pallets are the usual choice for compost bays and ornamental beds. Avoid MB-marked wood, painted or stained pallets, and any pallet with spills or odours. Pallet wood isn't rot-resistant, so expect a short life in soil, and line food beds or use other wood where you're unsure.
Pick the right pallet
- Look for an HT stamp and no MB. HT means heat treatment to 56 °C at the core under ISPM 15.
- Reject paint, stain and coloured pallets; see painted pallets.
- Reject spills, stains, oily patches and chemical smells.
- Prefer dry, solid wood over pallets with composite blocks.
For vegetables
We haven't found a published study that measures uptake from used pallet wood into garden vegetables, so we don't make a safety claim either way. If you grow food, line the inside of the bed or use wood whose history you know.
Practical points
- Pull or set nails, and wear gloves; pallet boards splinter.
- Expect a few seasons before untreated pallet wood rots in contact with soil.
- Compost bays are a good fit: the wood is meant to be temporary.
Sources
- ISPM 15: Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (2018 edition) IPPC / FAO. Accessed October 27, 2026. Annex 1: heat treatment (HT) to a minimum of 56 °C for 30 continuous minutes through the whole profile of the wood.