ISPM 15

ISPM 15, "Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade", is a standard of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). It aims to stop wood-boring pests traveling in pallets, crates and dunnage made from raw wood. The United States enforces it through the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and CBP, under 7 CFR 319.40-3.

What the US rule requires

• Treatment: regulated wood packaging must be treated in accordance with 7 CFR part 305, by heat treatment (HT) or methyl bromide fumigation (MB) (319.40-3(b)(1))
• The IPPC mark: the wood must carry a mark with the IPPC symbol, the ISO two-letter country code, the number the national plant protection organization assigned to the producer, and the treatment code, HT or MB (319.40-3(b)(2))
• What is regulated: wood or wood products used to support, protect or carry a commodity, including dunnage, crating, pallets, packing blocks, drums, cases and skids (7 CFR 319.40-1)

What is exempt

Manufactured wood, loose wood packing material and wood pieces less than 6 mm thick are outside the definition of regulated wood packaging (7 CFR 319.40-1). APHIS lists plywood, pressboard, oriented strand board, hardboard, parallel strand lumber, laminated veneer lumber, masonite veneer, plastic pallets, synthetic foam, metal frames and inflated dunnage as not subject to its wood packaging rules.

What happens if the wood isn't compliant

An inspector at the port of first arrival may order the immediate re-export of wood packaging that lacks the required mark (319.40-3(b)(3)). In a sealed FCL container the pallets carry the cargo, so a re-export order on the wood can put the whole load at stake. In an LCL consolidation one shipper's unmarked pallet can hold up the container at the CFS. Either way the delay brings handling, storage and examination costs on top.

How to avoid problems

• Buy pallets and crates only from a supplier registered to apply the IPPC mark, and check the mark is legible on two opposite sides
• Use marked wood for dunnage and bracing inside the container too; loose blocks are the usual miss
• Where the goods allow it, use plastic, metal or plywood pallets and skip the question
• Note the packaging type on the packing list so the importer and broker can answer CBP quickly

The same standard applies to US exports to most countries. The ocean freight and LCL pages cover packing for each mode.