PLIB (Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau) is a lumber grading and inspection agency based in the Pacific Northwest and accredited by the American Lumber Standard Committee. It also oversees facilities under the ALSC wood packaging program for ISPM-15.
Detailed Definition
PLIB is one of the agencies the American Lumber Standard Committee (ALSC) accredits to supervise lumber grading at member mills, so their lumber can carry a recognized grade stamp. Under the ALSC wood packaging material program, accredited agencies such as PLIB also audit pallet and packaging facilities that heat treat wood or build with treated lumber, and authorize them to apply the ISPM-15 mark with their assigned facility number. The agency's role is oversight and auditing; the facility itself does the treating and marking.
What an inspection agency's logo on an ISPM-15 mark means
In the US, ISPM-15 marks typically show the IPPC symbol, the country code US, the facility number and the treatment code such as HT, and usually also the logo of the inspection agency whose program the facility belongs to. Seeing an agency's logo means the facility operates under that agency's supervision, which includes audits of treatment records and marking controls. It does not mean the agency treated the pallet.
Lumber grade stamps and pallet buyers
Grade stamps on lumber identify the grading agency, the mill, the species or species group, the grade and the moisture condition at grading, such as kiln dried. Much pallet lumber is cut from cants or lower grades and is not individually grade stamped. If your pallet specification calls for a particular grade, ask how the supplier verifies it. See lumber grading.
Verifying an agency-supervised supplier
Ask the pallet supplier for its facility number and supervising agency, and confirm its participation with that agency if needed. Other accredited agencies, such as SPIB, run similar programs nationwide. For export programs, keep copies of supplier certificates or letters of compliance with your shipping records.
Related Glossary Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PLIB heat treat pallets?
No. PLIB is an inspection and grading agency. Heat treatment is carried out by pallet manufacturers, recyclers and lumber producers who operate their own chambers or buy treated lumber. Agencies like PLIB accredit and audit those facilities under the ALSC program, check treatment records and marking controls, and allow approved facilities to apply ISPM-15 marks with their facility number and the agency's logo.
Is PLIB the only agency that can supervise ISPM-15 pallets in the West?
No. Several ALSC-accredited agencies run wood packaging programs, and a facility can belong to whichever accredited agency it chooses, regardless of region. What matters for compliance is that the facility is enrolled in an ALSC-accredited program and applies marks correctly. Importers abroad look for a legible, correct ISPM-15 mark, not for a particular US agency.