ISPM-15 Export Guide
In short
ISPM-15 requires that solid wood packaging over 6 mm thick crossing an international border be treated to kill pests and marked with the IPPC stamp. Heat treatment to a 56°C wood core for 30 continuous minutes is the dominant method. Plywood, OSB and particleboard are exempt because manufacturing already eliminates the risk. Getting this wrong does not produce a fine — it produces a container sitting at a foreign port at your expense.
Quote: ISPM-15 Export Guide
Send the details and a named person at the Evendale yard replies within one business day with pricing, freight and a piece count — in writing.
What is in scope and what is not
| Material | In scope? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solid wood pallets over 6 mm | Yes | The primary target of the standard |
| Crates and boxes, solid wood | Yes | Including cleats and framing |
| Dunnage, blocking, bracing | Yes | Frequently missed — loose dunnage fails containers |
| Wooden cable drums and spools | Yes | If solid wood over 6 mm |
| Plywood | No | Manufacturing heat and adhesive eliminate pest risk |
| Oriented strand board (OSB) | No | Same reasoning as plywood |
| Particleboard, MDF | No | Exempt |
| Wood thinner than 6 mm | No | Below the threshold |
| Plastic and metal packaging | No | Not plant material |
| Whisky and wine barrels | No | Heated during manufacture |
Dunnage is the most common failure point. Shippers treat the pallet carefully and then throw untreated 2×4 offcuts into the container to brace the load. An inspector finds the offcut, and the container is held.
Treatment methods
Heat treatment (HT)
The wood core is raised to a minimum of 56°C and held for at least 30 continuous minutes. Probes are placed in the thickest members because the standard is about the core, not the chamber air. Typical cycle times run 4 to 10 hours depending on species, thickness and starting moisture. No chemicals are involved, which is why HT now dominates globally.
Kiln drying with heat treatment (KD-HT)
Where lumber is kiln dried anyway, the kiln cycle can be configured to satisfy the HT parameters simultaneously. Efficient, and it delivers wood at a lower moisture content which is itself an advantage for export.
Dielectric heating (DH)
Microwave or radio-frequency heating raising the wood to 60°C through the full profile for one continuous minute. Fast and suitable for thick material, but requires specialised equipment and remains uncommon.
Methyl bromide (MB)
Chemical fumigation. Effectively phased out in North America, banned or restricted by a growing list of importing countries, and an ozone-depleting substance under the Montreal Protocol. If you see an MB stamp on wood in your facility, it is almost certainly old, and it should not be ground into mulch or used for furniture.
Reading and applying the mark
- The IPPC wheat symbol must be present — it is the element that certifies the mark is issued under the standard.
- ISO two-letter country code of the treating country, e.g. US.
- Unique facility identifier assigned by the national plant protection organisation.
- Treatment code: HT, DH or MB. DB may be added where debarking is separately required.
- Applied to at least two opposite sides of the unit, legible, permanent, and not in red or orange — those colours are reserved for hazard marking.
Country requirements at a glance
| Destination | ISPM-15 required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | Yes | Strictly enforced; bark-free requirement applied rigorously |
| China | Yes | Enforced; additional fumigation certificates sometimes requested |
| Australia / New Zealand | Yes | Among the strictest inspection regimes globally |
| Canada | Generally exempt from the US | Bilateral exemption for wood of US or Canadian origin |
| Mexico | Generally exempt from the US | Verify per commodity and per port |
| Brazil | Yes | Enforced |
| Japan / South Korea | Yes | Enforced |
| United Kingdom | Yes | Required since 2021 |
| India | Yes | Enforced |
The container loading checklist
Seven checks at the point of loading. Every hold we have been involved in tracing back would have been prevented by one of them, and dunnage is the item that catches careful people.
- Every solid wood item over 6 mm in the container is treated and marked — pallets, crates, dunnage, blocking, bracing, chocks. Shop-floor offcuts count.
- Marks are visible on two opposite sides of each unit after loading, not just before. A stamp facing a wall is a stamp an inspector cannot see.
- No bark anywhere. Check stringer and cleat edges specifically, which is where it survives.
- Wood is dry, with no mould bloom, no damp and no staining. Never load damp wood into a sealed container.
- Treatment records are on file against the shipment reference and can be produced within the hour.
- Destination requirements verified for this specific country and commodity — not assumed from the last shipment.
- Photographs taken of the loaded container before the doors close. These settle disputes about what was actually in there.
Plywood, OSB and particleboard are exempt because manufacturing already eliminates pest risk. On a frequent export lane, specifying plywood-sheathed cleated crates rather than solid-board construction removes a large part of this checklist permanently.
What a hold actually costs, in sequence
- Inspection and detention
The container is pulled and held. Demurrage and detention begin accruing immediately, whether or not anybody is doing anything about it.
- Notification
Consignee first, then shipper. In practice this takes longer than it should across time zones, and the clock runs throughout.
- The choice
On-site treatment where the destination permits it, re-export of the packaging or the whole container, or destruction. All three at the shipper's cost.
- Execution
On-site fumigation needs an approved facility and a slot. Re-export needs booked space. Destruction needs a permit. None happen the same day.
- Release
Typically five to fifteen days in a straightforward case. Longer if reinspection is required or the shipment crosses a holiday.
The direct costs are demurrage, detention, treatment or destruction fees and often a re-inspection charge. The indirect costs — a production line waiting for components, a retail window missed, a customer relationship — are usually larger and never itemised anywhere.
What to ask a treatment provider
| Question | A good answer | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| What is your accredited facility number? | A number, immediately, matching the mark on the wood | Vagueness, or a number that does not match the stamp |
| Where do you set the probes? | In the thickest members of the load | In the chamber, or "the chamber is monitored" |
| Can I see the trace for cycle X? | Sent within the hour | "We can confirm it was treated" |
| How long is a red oak stringer cycle? | 6.5 – 8.5 hours, or similar, without hesitation | A single figure quoted for all species |
| What do you do with wet stock? | Longer cycle, or it does not go in | "It all gets treated the same" |
| How do you mark, and on how many faces? | Two opposite sides, permanently, not in red or orange | One face, or ink that rubs |
| Is your wood debarked? | Yes, and checked at the edges | "It should be" |
The probe question is the diagnostic one. Chamber air reaches 56°C long before an oak stringer does, and a log showing compliant air temperature over an under-treated load is the commonest way a treatment passes an audit and fails an inspector.