The cheapest thing in your container, the wooden pallet under the cargo, is one of the most common reasons a shipment gets stopped. Raw wood carries insects and fungi, so ISPM 15 sets a global rule: solid-wood packaging in international trade must be treated and marked. Sort it once at the supplier and you never think about it again. Unmarked wood, on the other hand, can mean the box is held, treated, destroyed or sent back. Nexport Logistics checks that your wood packaging is compliant before the container ships, in the Nexportal platform.
What ISPM 15 is
ISPM 15 ("Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade") is International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15, issued under the IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention). It's adopted under the IPPC (185 contracting parties); most major trading nations enforce it via their national plant-protection organisation (NPPO). It exists to stop wood-borne pests crossing borders inside packaging.
What it covers, and what's exempt
Covered (solid/raw wood): pallets, crates, boxes, cases, dunnage, cable drums, spools, load boards. Anything made of solid wood used to carry, protect or support goods.
Exempt: processed wood such as plywood, OSB, particle board and veneer, wood made entirely of such material, plus thin wood (≤ 6 mm), because the manufacturing process already kills pests.
The treatments
To comply, the wood must be debarked and then treated by an approved method, the main two being:
- HT (heat treatment): core temperature of at least 56 °C for ≥ 30 minutes, also achievable via dielectric/microwave heating.
- MB (methyl bromide fumigation): still in the standard but being phased down for environmental reasons; many countries (including the EU) no longer permit its use.
The IPPC mark is your proof
Compliant wood carries the IPPC mark, stamped or branded into it, with four parts:
- the IPPC "wheat-ear" logo;
- the two-letter ISO country code of the country of treatment;
- a unique registration number of the producer, assigned by the NPPO;
- the treatment code: HT, DH (dielectric), MB or SF (sulphuryl fluoride). (The old DB suffix was dropped from the standard: debarking is simply mandatory for all WPM.)
The mark must be legible, permanent and visible, typically on at least two opposite sides. No mark means the wood is treated as non-compliant, even if it was actually treated. The mark is the evidence.
What non-compliance costs
If wood packaging arrives without a valid mark, the consequences depend on the country, but range across mandatory treatment, destruction, or re-export of the wood (and sometimes the whole consignment), always with delay and cost to the cargo interest. Some countries are far stricter than others: Brazil, for example, wants ISPM 15 confirmed on every Bill of Lading and re-exports non-compliant wood to origin at the consignee's expense.
How Nexport Logistics handles it
As a forwarder under the FENEX conditions, we check that your WPM is ISPM 15-treated and correctly IPPC-marked, that any treatment certificate is in order, and that the right declarations are made for strict destinations. A pallet should never be the reason your container is held. It runs with your Customs, import certificates and documents in Nexportal.
Shipping on wooden pallets or in wooden crates? Email info@nexportlogistics.nl and we'll check the wood side before it sails.
Official source: IPPC — ISPM 15: Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (International Plant Protection Convention). Related: Wood Packaging Ispm15 · Import Certificates · Customs