ISPM 15 (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) is the global rule that solid-wood packaging, such as pallets, crates and dunnage, must be treated against pests and carry an official mark before it crosses a border. It was first adopted in 2002 under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and each country's national plant protection organization (NPPO) enforces it.
Why the standard exists
Raw wood can carry insects, nematodes and fungi. Packaging made from it travels with almost every type of cargo and, unlike a log or a sawn board, is often built from low-grade timber that has not been processed and is reused many times. Several forest pests spread worldwide in wood packaging, including the pine wood nematode and the Asian longhorned beetle; see pinewood nematode and Asian longhorned beetle.
Before ISPM 15, importing countries set their own, inconsistent rules, and shippers faced different certificates, fumigations or refusals at each border. ISPM 15 replaced this with one set of treatments and one mark that all participating countries recognize.
Who sets and enforces it
The standard is adopted by the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM), the governing body of the IPPC, a treaty administered under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The IPPC sets the standard, but it is not a regulator. Each country decides how to apply it. Its NPPO authorizes treatment providers and producers, audits them, inspects arriving consignments, and decides what happens to non-compliant packaging.
Countries phased in the rules from 2003 onward. According to Wikipedia, the European Union required compliance from March 2005 and the United States from September 2005; Australia's requirements came in September 2004 with full compliance in July 2010.
Scope: what is covered
ISPM 15 applies to wood packaging made of raw (unprocessed) coniferous and non-coniferous wood thicker than 6 mm that is used in international transport. That covers:
- pallets, pallet collars and skids;
- crates, boxes, cases and cable drums;
- dunnage, the loose wood used to block and brace cargo (dunnage and ISPM 15).
Articles outside the scope include plastic, metal and paper pallets, and wood-based materials already made with processes that eliminate pest risk, such as plywood, OSB, particle board and presswood. Wood thinner than 6 mm and some specialty items, such as barrels for wine and spirits that were heated during manufacture, are also excluded. The full list is in ISPM 15 exemptions.
What the standard requires
Every article must be made from debarked wood, treated with an approved measure, and then marked. The details:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debarking | Wood must be free of bark. A small amount may remain if pieces are less than 3 cm wide, or if wider than 3 cm and under 50 cm² each (see the debarking requirement) |
| Heat treatment (HT) | Core of the wood at 56 °C for at least 30 minutes continuously |
| Dielectric heating (DH) | 60 °C minimum throughout the wood profile for 1 minute, reached within 30 minutes |
| Methyl bromide (MB) | 24-hour fumigation; for example 650 g·h/m³ at 21 °C or above with a final concentration of at least 24 g/m³ |
| Sulfuryl fluoride (SF) | 24 or 48 hours of fumigation at 30 °C or 20 °C and above respectively, on debarked wood up to 20 cm thick |
| Marking | IPPC mark with ISO country code, producer number and treatment code |
Heat treatment dominates in practice. Methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting substance controlled under the Montreal Protocol, so many countries and producers prefer other treatments. Each method has its own guide: heat treatment, methyl bromide, dielectric heating and sulfuryl fluoride.
History and revisions
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2002 | First adoption (as guidelines for regulating wood packaging material) at the fourth session of the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures |
| 2004 | Technical panels on forest quarantine and phytosanitary treatments set up to resolve practical issues |
| 2006 | Revised Annex 1 with updated methyl bromide schedules, adopted at the first CPM |
| 2009 | Major revision covering reuse, repair and remanufacture, bark rules and treatment application, adopted at CPM-4 |
| 2013 | Dielectric heating added as an approved treatment at CPM-8 |
| 2017–2018 | Sulfuryl fluoride fumigation added; the 2018 edition includes SF |
The 2009 revision introduced stricter bark rules, which countries such as Australia applied from 1 July 2010. Anyone working with older stamps or documents should check which edition applied when the wood was treated.
How compliance is demonstrated
Producers register with their NPPO or an authorized body, apply an approved treatment and stamp the mark on the product. Treatment records, temperature logs and mark-use controls are subject to audit. The process is described in ISPM 15 certification and the paperwork in ISPM 15 documentation. The mark itself is covered in the ISPM 15 mark.
At the border, inspectors check marks and may look for live pests. If packaging lacks a valid mark or shows live pests, the importing country can require treatment, destruction or re-export of the packaging, sometimes of the whole consignment, at the importer's or carrier's cost; see ISPM 15 non-compliance. Some countries add their own conditions on top of the standard; ISPM 15 country rules summarizes them.
Frequently asked questions
What does ISPM 15 apply to?
It applies to solid-wood packaging used in international trade, including pallets, crates, boxes, cable drums and dunnage, if the wood is raw and thicker than 6 mm.
Does ISPM 15 apply to plastic or plywood pallets?
No. Plastic, metal and paper pallets, and wood products that are manufactured (plywood, OSB, presswood), are outside the standard.
Is ISPM 15 a law?
It is an international standard adopted under the IPPC. It becomes legally binding when a country incorporates it into national regulation, which most trading countries have done.
Which treatment is most common?
Heat treatment to a core temperature of 56 °C for 30 minutes is the most widely used, and its mark code is HT.
Sources
- ISPM 15 (2018 edition, Korean translation) — International Plant Protection Convention
- ISPM 15: inception to current implementation — Standards and Trade Development Facility
- ISPM 15 Annex 1 background — International Plant Protection Convention
- Sulphuryl fluoride fumigation treatment for nematodes and insects in debarked wood (PT 23) — International Plant Protection Convention
- ISPM 15 — Wikipedia