ISPM 15 Wood Packaging: IPPC Pallet Stamp, HT and MB, Border Rules

What ISPM 15 covers and what it does not

ISPM 15 is a standard of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) for wood packaging material made from raw wood: crates, boxes, packing cases, dunnage, pallets, cable drums and spools or reels. It applies to the packaging, not the goods, so any shipment on wooden pallets or in wooden crates is covered, whatever the goods.

The standard exempts packaging made entirely of thin wood (6 mm or less); packaging made wholly of processed wood such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand board (OSB) or veneer created using glue, heat or pressure; wine and spirit barrels heated during manufacture; gift boxes for wine, cigars and similar goods made from wood processed to be free of pests; sawdust, wood shavings and wood wool; and wood parts permanently attached to freight vehicles and containers. National rules may word this slightly differently: US rules exclude wood pieces less than 6 mm thick in any dimension.

The exemption for processed wood covers packaging made wholly of it. A plywood or OSB crate on solid-wood skids or blocks still needs the solid wood treated and marked. Kiln-dried (KD) timber counts only if the drying met the heat treatment schedule and the wood carries the mark.

Approved treatments: HT, DH, MB and SF

Annex 1 of ISPM 15, last revised in 2018, lists four treatments. Heat treatment (HT) needs at least 56°C for 30 continuous minutes throughout the entire profile of the wood, including its core; steam heating, kiln-drying, heat-enabled chemical pressure impregnation and dielectric heating can qualify if they meet that. Dielectric heating (DH, microwave or radio frequency) needs 60°C for 1 continuous minute throughout the wood, including its surface. Methyl bromide (MB) fumigation runs for at least 24 hours at 10°C or more, and sulphuryl fluoride (SF) for 24 or 48 hours at 20°C or more; neither may be used on packaging with a piece of wood over 20 cm across at its smallest dimension, and SF also has a moisture limit.

Methyl bromide depletes the ozone layer. ISPM 15 encourages national plant protection organizations (NPPOs) to promote the other treatments, and the EU has not allowed MB for quarantine and pre-shipment use since 18 March 2010 (Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009). Acceptance also varies by destination: US rules and APHIS guidance name only HT and MB on the mark, so check with your US buyer before shipping packaging marked DH or SF.

Whatever the treatment, the wood must be debarked. Visually separate small pieces of bark may remain if each is less than 3 cm wide (any length) or, if wider, under 50 cm² in area. For MB and SF, bark must be removed before treatment.

The IPPC mark: what each part means

Treatment and marking are always done under the authority of the NPPO of the country where the packaging is treated. The mark sits in a rectangular or square border, with a vertical line separating the symbol from the codes, and has four required parts:

• IPPC symbol: shows that an ISPM 15 treatment was applied.
• Country code: the two-letter ISO code of the country, such as US, CN or KR.
• Producer or treatment provider code: a unique code the NPPO gives the packaging maker or treatment provider that applies the mark, so each unit can be traced.
• Treatment code: HT, DH, MB or SF. Some marks also show DB (debarked), which is not a required part of the current mark because all treated wood must be debarked.
• The mark must be legible, durable, not transferable and not hand drawn, placed where it is visible in use, preferably on at least two opposite sides. Red and orange should be avoided because they are used on dangerous goods labels. Extra details, such as a producer logo, go next to the border, outside it.
• Dunnage is often cut to length at loading, so it may be marked along its whole length at short intervals; shippers must make sure all dunnage carries a clear mark.
• Reuse and repair: a marked unit that has not been repaired, remanufactured or otherwise altered needs no re-treatment or new mark for the rest of its service life. A repaired unit (up to about one third of its parts replaced) must use treated and individually marked wood, or processed wood, for the new parts. With more replaced it counts as remanufactured: the old marks must be permanently obliterated and the unit re-treated and marked again.

What happens when wood packaging fails at the border

Under ISPM 15, if packaging has no mark or live pests suggest the treatment failed, the importing country can detain it and then remove the non-compliant material, treat it, destroy it or ship it back. When live pests are found, the importing NPPO should notify the exporting country. Typical national rules:

• United States: CBP enforces APHIS rules (7 CFR 319.40-3). An Emergency Action Notification (EAN) can require safeguarding, destruction of the wood packaging under APHIS supervision or re-export of the shipment, and inspectors may order immediate re-export of unmarked packaging. Since 1 November 2017 CBP can issue a penalty for a single violation under 19 U.S.C. 1595a(b), which can be assessed at the value of the articles introduced, cargo and wood packaging included, before mitigation; importers, carriers and bonded custodians can be liable.
• European Union: Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 requires packaging from outside the EU to be debarked, treated and marked to ISPM 15; packaging used in trade within the EU is outside these import rules. Until 31 December 2026, wood packaging carrying goods such as slate, stone, ceramic tiles and aluminium sheet from Belarus, China and India is checked in at least 15% of consignments (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/288).
• Australia: import conditions are set in BICON. Solid timber packaging must be treated, meet the ISPM 15 bark tolerance and be declared on a packing declaration; untreated packaging must be treated on arrival or may be exported or disposed of at the importer's expense.
• China: the goods owner or agent must declare wood packaging to customs. Packaging without the IPPC mark is treated or destroyed under customs supervision, and forging, altering or misappropriating IPPC marks, or removing or abandoning wood packaging without permission, can bring a fine of up to CNY 30,000.

Plastic, metal and processed-wood alternatives

APHIS lists plywood, pressboard, plastic pallets, OSB, hardboard, parallel strand lumber, laminated veneer lumber, synthetic foam, metal frames, inflated dunnage and Masonite veneer as packaging outside its wood packaging rules. Australia treats sufficiently processed wood, such as plywood and veneer, as very low risk, provided it is clean and free from solid wood, bark and soil.

These materials avoid treatment and marking, but hybrids do not: a plastic pallet with solid-wood boards or a plywood crate on solid-wood runners still needs the solid wood treated and marked. Compare cost, weight and whether pallets come back before switching. Triplicate's pallet calculator helps plan pallet loads, whatever the pallet material.

What to write on the packing list and certificates

ISPM 15 says the mark makes a phytosanitary certificate unnecessary, and that NPPOs should accept the mark without further specific requirements. Buyers, banks and some destinations still ask for a statement or certificate, so settle the wording before loading.

• Packing list: state the packaging type, count and ISPM 15 status, for example "10 wooden pallets, heat treated and marked to ISPM 15 (HT)", or "Plastic pallets and cartons, no solid wood packaging".
• Treatment certificate: if the buyer, letter of credit or destination asks for one, get a heat treatment certificate from the pallet supplier or treatment provider, or a fumigation certificate from the fumigator for MB or SF. The mark still has to be on the wood.
• Australia: the packer of an FCL or LCL sea container must complete a packing declaration, and solid timber or bamboo packaging must be declared on it.
• China: give the importer a clear statement of whether wood packaging is used, since it must declare it to customs.
• Records: keep supplier invoices for treated packaging and photos of the marks on each shipment in case of an EAN or query.