Wood Species for Pallets: Acacia, Pine, Rubber & Plywood

Compare the 4 most common wood species for pallets in Vietnam: acacia, pine, rubber wood and plywood. Density, load, price and export rules in one guide.

Table of Contents

Reviewed and updated by ICD - Week 43/2026

The most common wood for pallets in Vietnam is acacia, followed by pine, rubber wood and pressed wood (plywood). Acacia is cheap and easy to buy for domestic warehouses; pine is light for cargo where weight matters; rubber wood has a smooth surface for clean industries; pressed wood needs no ISPM 15 treatment when exported. Whichever you choose, natural wood should be dried below 20% moisture to limit mould.

4 types

Acacia, pine, rubber wood and pressed wood are the 4 common pallet materials

below 20%

Wood moisture to aim for to limit mould and discolouration (USDA)

56°C / 30 minutes

ISPM 15 heat treatment threshold for natural wood export pallets

Quick summary:

The 4 most common pallet woods in Vietnam are acacia (called tram in the trade), pine, rubber wood and pressed wood (plywood).
Acacia is the most used for domestic wooden pallets thanks to low prices and plentiful plantation supply.
Imported pine is the lightest of the three natural woods, suiting cargo where weight must be cut, but it costs more than acacia.
Choosing the wrong wood for the purpose can raise pallet cost considerably without better quality.

The wood you choose affects price, lifespan and load capacity directly, because wood is the largest cost of a pallet. In Vietnam, the four woods used most to build pallets are acacia (tram), pine, rubber wood and pressed wood (plywood).

Each has clearly different physical properties, price and range of use. This article looks at each wood from a manufacturer’s practical viewpoint, helping companies choose the best material for storage, transport and export.

Acacia

Plantation wood grown in Vietnam, low price, plentiful supply.

Pine

Light, attractive grain, mostly imported.

Rubber wood

Smooth face, few knots, needs treatment against borers.

Pressed wood, plywood

Outside the scope of ISPM 15, used for one-way cargo.

In more than 15 years making pallets at ICD Vietnam, I have met quite a few companies that chose expensive imported pine for warehouse pallets, when cheaper acacia would have met the requirement just as well.

The reverse also happens: some companies used cheap mixed wood for export pallets to the EU, and the shipment was held at the port because the pallets had not been treated correctly under ISPM-15. Understanding each wood helps you avoid costly mistakes like these.

Acacia (Tram Wood) - The King of Vietnam’s Pallet Industry

Acacia is the wood most used for pallets in Vietnam. That position comes from a mix of low cost, steady plantation supply and mechanical properties that suit most companies.

Tall stacks of wooden pallets in a warehouse yard: pallets for storage and domestic transport are mostly built from plantation wood.

Are acacia and tram the same wood?

Not exactly. “Keo la tram” (Acacia auriculiformis, also called golden-flowered tram) is one species of acacia, with a density of 490-840 kg/m3 according to PROSEA; the pallet trade usually lumps Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia mangium and hybrid acacia together as “acacia wood” or “tram wood”. True tram trees belong to the Melaleuca genus (the cajuput and tram cu of the Mekong Delta), a completely different plant. When ordering, state the exact species to avoid confusion.

Acacia is the most common plantation tree in the northern and central provinces of Vietnam, with a harvest cycle of only 5-7 years. Fast growth means plentiful supply and a low raw material price.

Technically, acacia has a density of 550-650 kg/m3, which puts it in the medium-hard group, and it carries load well once dried properly. Sawn acacia dries quickly and is not prone to mould under normal storage.

Acacia does have one drawback that everyone in the trade knows: many knots and eyes. This is a natural trait of the species. So why is it still the most used? The answer lies in how manufacturers deal with the drawback.

When the wood is sawn, boards are graded: boards with few knots are kept for pallets, while boards with many knots are usually sold as chip or paper raw material. This keeps pallet quality up while using almost all of the log, so little is wasted.

Truck loaded with wooden pallets stacked in tiers for delivery — Pallets stacked on a truck for delivery. Plantation acacia allows large-volume production with stable supply.

Pine or rubber wood cost more, and if poor boards were rejected the manufacturer would take a loss; this is why acacia always gives the most competitive wooden pallet price.

Acacia pallets suit best: domestic warehouse storage, supporting goods in factories, sea export (after ISPM-15 treatment), and applications that need large quantities on a limited budget.

Acacia pallet prices are quoted by size, design and quantity; contact ICD Vietnam for a quote per lot.

Pine for Pallets - When Is the Higher Price Worth It?

Pine is the wood most widely used for pallets in Europe and North America.

In Vietnam, pine is not a native pallet wood: most pine pallets you see on the market arrive with imported goods or are built from imported pine.

Pine grown in Vietnam (mainly in Lam Dong and Nghe An) is usually small, crooked and full of knots, and does not meet the standard for large-scale industrial pallet production.

The standout feature of pine is its light weight: imported pine has a density of about 400-550 kg/m3, lower than acacia (550-650 kg/m3).

Domestic pine is heavier than imported pine

The 400-550 kg/m3 range fits common imported pines such as Radiata pine (about 515 kg/m3). Pine grown in Vietnam is heavier: Pinus kesiya about 610 kg/m3 and Pinus merkusii about 710 kg/m3 when dry, according to The Wood Database. So a pallet built from domestic pine is not as light as one from imported pine.

Round logs piled up awaiting sawing: small, crooked, knotty trees make it hard to cut uniform pallet boards in large quantities.

With the same structure and the same volume of wood, this density gap makes an imported pine pallet about 20% lighter than an acacia pallet. A pallet weighing 30 kg in acacia would weigh about 24 kg in imported pine, about 6 kg lighter each. Multiplied across a few dozen pallets in a shipment, the tare weight saved is considerable, especially for air freight, where cost is charged per kg.

Besides being light, pine looks better: pale colour, attractive grain and fewer knots than acacia. Pine also contains natural resin that gives fairly good moisture resistance once dried.

The biggest drawback of pine for pallets in Vietnam is a higher price than acacia because it depends on imports. Pine boards are also softer than acacia, so load capacity is lower at the same board thickness.

So when should you choose pine? When exporting light cargo by air or when a foreign customer specifically asks for this wood (many EU and US markets are used to pine pallets). New pine pallet prices are quoted by size and quantity; contact ICD Vietnam for a quote.

Choose pine

Air export cargo that needs less weight, or the buyer specifies pine.

Think twice

Heavy cargo stacked many tiers high: check the board section because pine is softer.

Not needed

Pallets that stay still in a domestic warehouse: light weight brings no benefit.

Rubber Wood - A Premium Choice from the South

Rubber wood is salvaged from rubber plantations that have finished their latex cycle; it has a hard, smooth surface and a density of about 595 kg/m3, suiting industries that need a clean surface; its weakness is poor natural durability, so it must be treated and dried against borers.

Rubber wood is typical of Vietnam’s Southeast and Central Highlands. When a rubber tree reaches the end of its latex cycle (usually after 25-30 years), the trunk is used to make furniture and pallets.

This is an important difference: rubber wood for pallets is “retired” wood, taken after the tree has delivered its main economic value in latex, so supply depends on the replanting schedule of rubber plantations.

Rubber trees planted in rows, trunks with tapping cuts and latex cups — A rubber plantation in tapping: at the end of the harvest cycle, the trunk is used for furniture and pallets.

Technically, rubber wood has an average dry density of about 595 kg/m3, ranging 560-640 kg/m3 (per The Wood Database and the US Forest Products Laboratory), similar to acacia and heavier than most imported pine. It carries load well and its hard surface resists dents. The surface is smooth, with far fewer knots than acacia, an even colour and a gentle grain.

Because of these traits, rubber wood usually goes to furniture (higher value), and using it for pallets in practice means using the part that falls short of furniture standard, which is still very good for industrial use.

Rubber wood pallets are well regarded in food, pharmaceuticals and electronics thanks to a smooth, easy-to-clean surface with no sharp splinters.

There is one drawback to note: The Wood Database places rubber wood in the poor natural durability group, prone to rot, discolouration by fungi and insect attack. The wood is easily bored if it has not gone through HT heat treatment or proper vacuum impregnation and drying. To be clear: HT heat treatment kills organisms in the wood at the time of treatment, while long-term resistance to borers comes from impregnation and drying.

Rubber wood pallets usually cost more than acacia because they need more thorough treatment and drying; in return, a pallet that is treated and stored correctly has a durable surface with few splinters.

Wood source

Rubber trunks past the latex cycle, usually after 25-30 years.

Surface

Smooth, few knots, even colour, easy to clean.

Note

Starchy wood prone to borers: needs impregnation or proper heat treatment.

Pressed Wood (Plywood) - Exempt from Fumigation, Best for One-Way Export

Unlike the three natural woods above, pressed wood (presswood) and plywood are industrial materials made from wood chips or thin wood layers pressed under high heat and pressure.

The biggest advantage of pressed wood pallets is that they need no ISPM-15 treatment for export, if the whole pallet is made from wood processed with glue, heat and pressure; ISPM 15 excludes these materials from its scope, so no IPPC mark is needed.

Pressed wood pallets are usually lighter and cheaper than natural wood pallets of the same size, and can be nested together when not in use to save warehouse space.

The drawbacks are also clear: poor water resistance (they swell when wet), lower load capacity than solid wood, and fewer reuse cycles than natural wood pallets.

When does a pressed wood pallet still need ISPM 15 treatment?

Under the scope of ISPM 15, only packaging made ENTIRELY of wood processed with glue, heat and pressure (plywood, particle board, OSB, veneer) is excluded. Many pallets have a plywood deck but legs or blocks of natural wood; in that case the natural wood must still be treated and stamped under ISPM 15. Wood 6 mm thick or less is also outside the scope of the standard.

Pressed wood pallets suit light one-way export best (the pallet is not recovered), where low pallet cost and saved fumigation time are the priority.

Comparison Table of the 4 Pallet Woods

The table below pulls together the traits analysed above so companies can quickly pick the right wood. Density follows The Wood Database, PROSEA and TCVN 12619-2:2019; the remaining criteria are relative comparisons among the 4 types.

Criterion	Acacia (tram)	Pine	Rubber wood	Pressed wood / plywood
Density (kg/m3)	550-650	400-550 (imported pine)	560-640 (average 595)	500-600
Weight versus an acacia pallet of the same structure	Benchmark	About 20% lighter	Similar	Lighter, thin pressed structure
Load capacity	Good	Lower than acacia at the same section	Similar to or higher than acacia	Lowest of the 4 types
Price	Contact for a quote	Contact for a quote	Contact for a quote	Contact for a quote
ISPM-15 treatment needed for export?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No, if made entirely from processed wood
Natural durability	Needs drying to avoid mould	Needs drying	Poor, must be treated against borers	Poor when wet
Supply in Vietnam	Very plentiful (North and Central)	Limited (mostly imported)	Plentiful (South)	Plentiful
Moisture resistance	Medium	Fair	Poor (needs treatment)	Poor
Surface	Many knots	Smooth, attractive grain	Smooth, few knots	Flat, uniform

What Moisture Level Is Acceptable for Pallet Wood?

Pallet wood should reach below 20% moisture before building. According to the Wood Handbook of the US Forest Products Laboratory on the biological properties of wood, wood must be dry below 20% to control mould and discolouration; decay fungi only grow strongly when moisture passes the fibre saturation point, around 30%, at 10-35°C.

It helps to separate drying from ISPM 15 treatment: HT heat treatment only requires the wood core to reach 56°C for 30 minutes to kill pests and does not require a specific moisture level. A pallet with an HT mark can still be damp and mouldy if the wood was never dried or was left out in the rain.

Treatment step	Purpose	What you can measure	Can it replace the other step?
Air drying	Reduce moisture in sawn wood before building	Moisture falls gradually with the weather	Cannot replace kiln drying when stable moisture is needed
Kiln drying (KD)	Bring wood to a target moisture, usually below 20%	Moisture read with a wood moisture meter	Does not replace ISPM 15 unless the mark is applied
HT heat treatment (ISPM 15)	Kill insects and nematodes in the wood	Wood core 56°C for 30 minutes, HT mark	Does not guarantee the wood is dry
MB fumigation (ISPM 15)	Kill pests with methyl bromide	MB mark, fumigation certificate	Does not dry the wood

On receiving pallets, use a handheld wood moisture meter to measure a few boards at random in the middle of the stack (where wood dries slowest). If you need pallets for a long container trip or a cold store, state the maximum moisture in the order. The moisture figures follow the Wood Handbook of the US Forest Products Laboratory (USDA); see the References section.

How to Choose Pallet Wood for Each Purpose

The general rule is to choose wood by where the pallet will go and how many times it will be reused; I sum it up in 5 rules any company can apply right away.

Domestic storage

Acacia

Sea export, heavy cargo

Acacia or rubber wood with ISPM 15 treatment

One-way export, light cargo

Pressed wood

Air freight, light weight needed

Pine

Rule 1, domestic storage, cargo over 1 tonne per pallet: choose acacia. It has the best price-to-performance ratio, because acacia carries load well, is cheap and has stable supply all year. Knots matter little, since storage pallets put function ahead of looks.

Rule 2, sea export, heavy cargo: choose acacia or rubber wood, then treat to the ISPM 15 standard. Treatment is only a small part of the pallet price and is minor against the value of the shipment.

Rule 3, light cargo under 1 tonne, one-way export: choose pressed wood. This skips ISPM-15 treatment, cuts weight and removes the need to recover pallets. Rule 4, air freight or a customer who asks for pine: choose pine, since light weight cuts freight and offsets the higher pallet price.

Rule 5, food and pharmaceuticals needing a clean surface: choose rubber wood or pressed wood. A smooth, low-splinter, easy-to-clean surface helps plants meet hygiene requirements under HACCP and GMP.

Newly built ICD Vietnam pine pallet before delivery — A newly built pine pallet with pale, low-knot deck boards, photographed before delivery to a customer in June 2026.

3 Common Mistakes When Choosing Pallet Wood

The mistake I see most often is a company choosing imported pine for a long-term storage pallet. Pine costs more than acacia and has lower load capacity at the same board thickness.

The main reason people choose pine is its light weight, but when the pallet sits still in a warehouse, light or heavy makes no difference. The company is paying extra for an advantage it does not use.

Sawn timber in bundles with spacers under cover at a timber yard — Sawn timber of a known species stacked in bundles at the yard: plantation wood of known origin is easier to control for quality and paperwork than mixed wood.

The second mistake is using mixed wood (forest wood of unknown species) for export pallets. Mixed wood is very cheap but uneven in quality: some boards hard, some soft, so the pallet does not reach its design load.

More seriously, mixed wood can include rare species on controlled lists, causing legal trouble when forest rangers inspect.

Wood Origin Paperwork for Pallets

Pallet wood is a forest product, and its management and traceability now follow Circular 26/2025/TT-BNNMT (effective 1 July 2025, replacing Circular 26/2022/TT-BNNPTNT; before that, Circular 27/2018/TT-BNNPTNT expired on 15 February 2023). Plantation wood of a known species such as acacia, rubber or pine is much easier to document than mixed wood of unknown species.

The third mistake is choosing pressed wood for pallets that must be reused many times. Pressed wood pallets are designed for few cycles and then wear out fast. If a company needs pallets that circulate dozens of times internally, investing in acacia pallets from the start usually gives a lower total cost of ownership than replacing pressed wood pallets again and again.

Cheap Pallet Wood - How to Save Without Losing Quality

Warehouse of sawn timber stacked in bundles awaiting processing — Bundles of sawn timber awaiting processing: whether boards are grade A or B and how dry the wood is decide the pallet’s lifespan, and with it the monthly cost.

The real way to save is to compare cost per month of use (total cost of ownership, TCO), not just the unit price of each pallet. For example, a mixed wood pallet lasts 6 months and fails, while a grade A acacia pallet costs 2.4 times as much to buy but lasts 36 months. Dividing purchase price by months of use, the grade A acacia pallet costs about 60% less per month even though the purchase price is higher.

The calculation above only divides purchase price by months of use. In a real comparison, also add replacement cost, re-handling labour and the risk of damaged goods when a pallet breaks midway.

To get truly cheap pallet wood, a company can apply 3 approaches. First, order in large quantities to get volume discounts. Second, use grade B acacia (boards with a few knots but still stiff enough) in place of grade A to cut the price while load capacity barely changes. Third, consider used pallets that are still in good condition, usually priced at about half to two thirds of a new pallet of the same size, suitable for short-term storage.

Order in volume

Get volume discounts.

Use grade B acacia

Boards with a few knots but still stiff enough, load hardly drops.

Consider used pallets

Suit short-term storage; check for rot, breaks and the ISPM-15 mark if exporting.

Wood choice summary

Choose acacia for domestic warehouses; acacia or rubber wood treated to ISPM 15 for heavy export; pressed wood for light one-way cargo; imported pine when weight must be cut. Natural wood should be dried below 20% moisture.

Conclusion

No single pallet wood is “the best” for every situation, only the wood that fits each need. Acacia is the default choice for most companies thanks to low price and good load capacity.

Pine suits air export or cases where the lowest weight is needed. Rubber wood fits food and pharmaceuticals that need a clean surface. Pressed wood is best for one-way export of light cargo where fumigation time should be saved.

Contact ICD Vietnam for advice on choosing the right wood for your purpose and for a quote per lot.

Stack of wooden pallets and a stack of blue barcoded pallets side by side in a warehouse — Wooden pallets stacked in a warehouse next to a pallet of another type: each storage and export need calls for a suitable pallet material.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which wood makes the most durable pallets?

There is no single most durable wood for every case. Acacia and rubber wood have hard surfaces and carry load better than imported pine and pressed wood, but rubber wood has poor natural durability, so it lasts only when treated and dried properly. If the pallet is used only once for export, cheaper pressed wood still meets the need. The choice depends on the purpose, not absolute durability.

Is pine good for pallets?

Pine is good for certain cases: light air export, pallets that need good looks (attractive grain), or when a foreign customer specifies the wood. Outside these cases, acacia is usually the better choice in Vietnam thanks to a lower price and better load capacity.

Most durable is not always most economical

Choose wood by the number of cycles, the load and the pallet’s destination, not by absolute durability alone.

Why is acacia the most used wood for pallets in Vietnam?

Three main reasons: the cheapest raw material thanks to plentiful plantation supply, good load capacity that meets most needs, and knotty boards rejected during selection can be sold as chip or paper raw material instead of being wasted. These three factors give acacia the best price-to-performance ratio for large-volume pallet production.

Is pressed wood the same as plywood?

Pressed wood (presswood) and plywood are both engineered wood but differ in material and structure. Pressed wood is made from finely ground chips pressed in a mould, with a smooth surface and no grain. Plywood is made from thin layers (veneer) laid at right angles, keeps a natural grain and is stronger. Pallets made entirely from these two materials need no ISPM-15 treatment for export.

Close-up of pressed wood surface on a pallet — Close-up of the surface of chip pressed wood: the chips are mixed with glue and pressed under high heat and pressure.

Does ICD Vietnam supply pallets in all 4 woods?

Yes. ICD Vietnam supplies acacia, pine, rubber wood and pressed wood pallets, for both domestic storage and export cargo; export pallets are treated and marked with the IPPC stamp under ISPM-15 through a licensed provider. The technical team advises on the right wood by use, load, quantity and budget.

What wood is used for pallets?

In Vietnam, pallet wood is mainly plantation acacia, plus pine (mostly imported), rubber wood salvaged after the latex cycle, and pressed wood and industrial plywood. Each differs in weight, price and treatment needed for export.

What moisture does pallet wood need?

It should be below 20%. According to the US Forest Products Laboratory, wood dry below 20% moisture limits mould and discolouration. ISPM 15 heat treatment does not replace drying, so state the maximum moisture when ordering pallets.

595 kg/m3

Average dry density of rubber wood (The Wood Database)

490-840 kg/m3

Density of Acacia auriculiformis (PROSEA)

Is tram wood good for pallets?

The wood the pallet trade calls tram is usually Acacia auriculiformis, an acacia with a density of 490-840 kg/m3, strong enough for domestic warehouses and sea export after ISPM 15 treatment. The point to control is drying enough to avoid shrinkage and cracked boards.

Contact ICD Vietnam

ICD Vietnam has a workshop and warehouse in Hanoi and a southern workshop at 551/212 Le Van Khuong Street, Tan Thoi Hiep Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City, supplying acacia, pine, rubber wood and pressed wood pallets for storage and export cargo; export pallets are treated and marked with the IPPC stamp under ISPM-15 through a licensed provider. Orders are processed within 1-2 working days; delivery takes 1-3 days within Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, 2-5 days between regions and 3-7 days to other provinces under the shipping policy. Wooden pallets carry no warranty and can be returned within 7 days under the return policy; volume discounts apply.