176 



THE OUTLOOK FOR TIMBER IN THE UNITED STATES 



Table 132. — Timber products consumed in the manufacture oj pallets by product, specified years 1960-70, 



with projections oj demand (1970 relative prices) to 2000 





Pallet 

 production 



Lumber 



Plywood (%-inch basis) 



Hardboard 06-inch basis) 



Year 



Use per 

 pallet 



Total 



Use per 

 pallet 



Total 



Use per 

 pallet 



Total 



1960 



1965 



1970 



Millions 



62 



88 



126 



Board feet 



25 

 25 

 25 



Million board feet 



1, 550 



2, 200 



3, 150 



Square feet 



0. 29 

 . 85 



1. 11 



Million square feet 



18 



75 



140 



Square feet 



0.03 

 . 18 

 . 22 



Million square feet 

 2 

 16 

 28 









Lo 



w projections 









1980 



1990 



2000 



195 



250 

 295 



25 

 25 



25 



4,880 

 6, 250 

 7,370 



1. 40 

 1.68 

 1. 90 



270 

 420 

 560 



. 28 

 . 33 

 .38 



50 



80 



110 









Medium projections 









1980 



209 



25 



5, 220 



1. 40 



290 



.28 



60 



1990 



278* 



25 



6, 950 



1. 68 



470 



. 33 



90 



2000 



340 



25 



8,500 



1.90 



650 



.38 



130 









High projections 









1980 



1990 



2000 



225 

 310 

 390 



25 

 25 

 25 



5,600 

 7,750 

 9,750 



1. 40 

 1. 68 

 1. 90 



310 



520 

 740 



. 28 

 . 33 

 . 38 



60 

 100 

 150 



Sources: Pallet production, 1960, 1965, and 1970— 

 Based on data supplied by the National Wooden Pallet 

 and Container Association. 



Wood use, see source note table 131. 



Projections: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

 Service. 



Relationship of pallet production to index 

 of manufacturing production 



( 1967 = 100 ) 



!■■■«■ 





50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 



Index of manufacturing production 



on this relationship and assumed growth in indus- 

 trial production show continuing large increases in 

 demand for pallets (table 132). The medium pro- 

 jection at 1970 relative prices, for example, rises 

 nearly threefold by 2000. Rates of growth in 

 projected pallet demand, however, drop rapidly 

 from an average of 7.3 percent annually in the 

 1960's to 2.0 percent in the 1990's. Such a fall 

 means that growth in demand for pallets associated 

 with use in new materials handling systems 

 gradually ends, and that the projected increases 

 in demand depend to a greater and greater degree 

 on growth in industrial and agricultural produc- 

 tion. 



Lumber use per pallet has averaged about 25 

 board feet in the last decade or so. 33 This average 



Figure 67 



33 Anonymous. Pallet industry growing by leaps and 

 bounds. Wood Construction and Building Materialist 

 56(11) :26-27. 1970. 



The Appalachian pallet industry. Northern 



Logger and Timber Processor 20(2):22-23, 60-61. 1971. 



Baldwin, W. C. Pallets from low grade hardwoods. 

 Forest Prod. J. 18(3):11-13. 1968. 



U.S. Department of Commerce, Business and Defense 

 Administration. Wooden pallets. 1963. 



