18 guides

ISPM 15 & Phytosanitary Rules

The international standard for wood packaging: treatments, the mark, exemptions, pests and what happens at the border.

ISPM 15 Explained: International Wood Packaging Regulation

ISPM 15 is the IPPC standard requiring wood packaging in international trade to be treated and stamped. Scope, treatments, marking, history and enforcement.

The ISPM 15 Mark: How to Read the Wheat Stamp on Pallets

The ISPM 15 stamp shows the IPPC symbol, a country code, a producer number and a treatment code (HT, MB, DH or SF). Learn to read it and spot invalid marks.

Heat Treatment (HT) of Wood Packaging: 56°C for 30 Minutes

ISPM 15 heat treatment heats wood packaging until its core reaches 56°C for at least 30 continuous minutes. How HT works: kilns, probes, records and limits.

Methyl Bromide (MB) Fumigation of Wood Packaging and Its Phase-Out

How methyl bromide fumigation works under ISPM 15, the CT schedule, the Montreal Protocol QPS exemption, the EU ban, health risks and alternatives to MB.

Dielectric Heating (DH) Treatment for Wood Packaging (ISPM 15)

Dielectric heating (DH) uses microwave or radiofrequency energy to heat wood to 60°C for one minute. ISPM 15 rules, limits, equipment and comparison with HT.

Sulfuryl Fluoride (SF) Fumigation Under ISPM 15: Rules and Limits

Sulfuryl fluoride (SF) became an approved ISPM 15 wood packaging treatment in 2018. Learn the 20 and 30 °C schedules, wood limits, safety and acceptance.

Debarking Requirements under ISPM 15: Bark Tolerance Explained

ISPM 15 requires debarked wood, not perfectly bark-free wood. See the 3 cm and 50 cm² bark tolerance, when debarking must happen and how it is judged.

What Is Exempt from ISPM 15? Plywood, OSB, Thin Wood and More

Which wood packaging needs no ISPM 15 treatment or mark: plywood, OSB, veneer, wood 6 mm or thinner, sawdust, heated barrels and gift boxes, and the limits.

What Happens When Wood Packaging Fails an ISPM 15 Inspection?

Missing marks, bark or live pests can get cargo held, re-exported, treated or destroyed at the importer's cost. Typical outcomes in the EU, US and Australia.

Pinewood Nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) and Wood Packaging

How the pinewood nematode kills pines, how Monochamus beetles spread it, its history in Asia and Portugal, and why it is a main driver of ISPM 15.

Asian Longhorned Beetle and Wood Packaging Pathways

The Asian longhorned beetle reached the US and Europe in wood packaging from China. See its biology, outbreaks since 1996 and how ISPM 15 responded.

Emerald Ash Borer and Other Wood-Boring Pests in Packaging

The emerald ash borer has killed millions of North American ash trees since 2002 and is spreading in Russia. Biology, packaging pathways and other borers.

ISPM 15 Rules for Reused, Repaired and Remanufactured Pallets

How ISPM 15 treats reused, repaired and remanufactured pallets: the one-third rule, marking new parts, obliterating old marks and when to re-treat.

ISPM 15 Certification: How Wood Packaging Producers Qualify

How pallet and crate makers become authorized to apply the ISPM 15 mark: NPPO schemes in the US, UK and EU, facility audits, kiln sensors and record keeping.

Dunnage and ISPM 15: Rules for Loose Wood in Shipments

Dunnage, the loose lumber used to block and brace cargo, falls under ISPM 15. Learn the definition, the dunnage mark, container bracing and alternatives.

Kiln Dried (KD) vs Heat Treated (HT): Not the Same Thing

Kiln drying lowers moisture; ISPM 15 heat treatment kills pests at 56°C for 30 minutes. How KD, HT and KD-HT differ and why a KD stamp is no export mark.

Documents for Wood Packaging in Export: Marks and Records

Marked wood packaging usually needs no phytosanitary certificate because the ISPM 15 mark is the proof. Which records exporters keep and when more is asked.

ISPM 15 Around the World: Overview of Country Requirements

How the EU, US, Canada, UK, Australia, China and other markets apply ISPM 15 to wood packaging, including intra-EU and US-Canada exceptions and extra rules.