ISPM-15 is an international plant-health standard requiring wood packaging materials crossing international borders to be heat-treated or fumigated to kill wood-boring pests. The standard is recognized by ~180 countries. For domestic US-to-US moves, ISPM-15 doesn’t apply — but most operations don’t know which of their wood pallets are ISPM-15 marked and which aren’t.
The mark
A compliant pallet bears a logo (the IPPC wheat symbol), the country code, a unique facility number, and the treatment code (HT for heat-treated, MB for methyl bromide fumigated). The mark is branded into at least two opposite faces of the pallet.
What it costs
ISPM-15-treated wood pallets cost roughly $2–$5 more per pallet than untreated ones. The treatment itself adds operational cost to the pallet supplier (the kiln operation), not the user.
When you need it
Any time the pallet (with its load) crosses an international border. The most common scenario in our region is Canadian shipments — a tote sold from Ohio or Michigan to a customer in Ontario or Quebec needs ISPM-15-compliant pallets.
Our policy
We use ISPM-15-marked pallets on all wood-pallet inventory. The extra cost is minor and means we don’t have to swap pallets when a sale crosses the border. We also use heat-treated plastic and steel pallets, which are ISPM-15-exempt (the standard applies to solid wood only).
What to check at receipt
If you receive totes on wood pallets and you plan to ship across a border later, look for the IPPC mark before you load product. An unmarked wood pallet can’t be cleared at the border — the load gets repalleted at significant cost, or rejected.
Treated vs. heat-treated
Don’t confuse ISPM-15’s “HT” (heat-treated) with chemically-treated pallets (CCA, etc., which are no longer common in pallet wood). Chemical treatment doesn’t qualify for ISPM-15. Heat treatment to 56°C core for 30+ minutes does.
Questions on this one? Email info@ibctankscleveland.com. We answer everything inside one business day — usually inside four hours.