ISPM 15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) is a global regulation that governs wood packaging materials used in international trade. Its purpose is to prevent the spread of invasive insects and plant diseases across borders. If you ship anything internationally using wood packaging, compliance is not optional — it's a legal requirement.
The standard requires that all solid wood packaging — pallets, crates, dunnage — be either heat treated or fumigated, and marked with an approved IPPC stamp. This applies to shipments between almost all countries. The regulation was first adopted in 2002 and has been progressively strengthened since, with enforcement tightening significantly in recent years.
The scope is broader than many realize. ISPM 15 covers not just pallets, but also crates, cribbing, load boards, pallet collars, skids, and dunnage (loose wood used for bracing). Even a single piece of untreated wood holding cargo in place can render an entire shipment non-compliant.
Non-compliance can result in shipment refusal at customs, mandatory treatment or destruction of packaging at the importer's expense, quarantine delays, and fines. The costs of non-compliance far exceed the small premium for treated pallets. We've heard from customers who lost $10,000+ in delay costs because of a single non-compliant pallet in a mixed shipment.
Plastic pallets, plywood, and engineered wood products are exempt from ISPM 15 since they're manufactured at temperatures that eliminate pest risk. If you ship internationally frequently, plastic pallets may be worth considering for their hassle-free compliance. However, for most businesses, heat-treated wood pallets offer the best balance of cost and compliance.
For wood pallets, look for the IPPC stamp on at least two opposite sides of the pallet. The stamp includes the country code (US for United States), producer number (identifying the specific treatment facility), and treatment code (HT for heat treatment, MB for methyl bromide). The stamp must be legible and applied by an authorized entity.
Common compliance mistakes include: using untreated pallets for international shipments (the most frequent error), assuming that old pallets with faded stamps are still compliant (stamps must be legible), using treated pallets that have been repaired with untreated wood (the repair lumber must also be treated), and confusing kiln-dried with heat-treated (they're not the same standard).
For businesses that ship to multiple countries, keep a reference chart of destination-specific requirements. While ISPM 15 is the baseline, some countries have additional requirements. Australia and New Zealand, for instance, have stricter biosecurity protocols that may require additional documentation.
Working with an ISPM 15-certified pallet supplier ensures compliance from the start. At Anaheim Eco Pallets, every export pallet we provide comes with proper certification and stamp — guaranteed. We maintain detailed treatment records that can be provided for customs documentation if needed.
The simplest way to stay compliant: establish a relationship with a certified supplier and specify ISPM 15 treatment on every international order. Build it into your standard operating procedures so compliance becomes automatic rather than ad hoc. Prevention is always cheaper than fixing a customs rejection.