The ISPM 15 standard — complete guide

What is ISPM 15?

ISPM 15 (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) is a standard adopted by the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) in 2002 and applied since 2005. Its purpose: preventing the spread of wood-borne pests (pinewood nematode, Asian long-horned beetle, bark beetles) through the wood packaging used in international trade.

In practice, any wood packaging — pallet, crate, dunnage — used for exports outside the European Union must have undergone an approved phytosanitary treatment and carry the IPPC mark that proves it.

For any company shipping out of the EU — whether through Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg or Le Havre — the subject is far from theoretical: one non-compliant pallet spotted at the port can mean a blocked container.

Heat treatment (HT)

The most common approved treatment is HT (Heat Treatment). The wood is heated until it reaches a minimum core temperature of 56 °C for 30 consecutive minutes. That temperature is enough to eliminate harmful organisms without altering the mechanical properties of the wood.

Methyl bromide fumigation (MB) is being phased out in most countries because of its impact on the ozone layer. In the European Union it has been banned since 2010.

The IPPC marking

The IPPC (International Plant Protection Convention) mark is the only recognised proof of ISPM 15 compliance. It is branded into the wood or applied with indelible ink, and includes:

The IPPC logo — the stylised wheat-ear symbol, recognisable worldwide.

The country code — two ISO letters (FR for France, DE for Germany, NL for the Netherlands, and so on).

The registration number — the unique identifier of the treating company with its national plant protection organisation.

The treatment code — “HT” for heat treatment, “DH” for dielectric heating, “SF” for sulphuryl fluoride.

When is ISPM 15 mandatory?

ISPM 15 is mandatory for any export of wood packaging outside the European Union, to the more than 180 signatory countries of the IPPC convention.

What about a delivery from our depots to your EU site?

Good news: a pallet delivery from our depots in the Paris region to your site in another EU member state is an intra-EU movement — no phytosanitary treatment is required for the delivery itself. The ISPM 15 question arises when your goods leave the Union: if your pallets are heading for the United States, China or North Africa, they must be compliant from the moment they are loaded. That is why it pays to order treated pallets from the start if you export.

Special cases inside Europe

Portugal: has required ISPM 15 even for intra-EU shipments since 2010, because the pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) is endemic on its territory. Any wood pallet entering Portugal must be treated — from any EU country.

United Kingdom: since Brexit (1 January 2021) the UK is treated as a third country. ISPM 15 is therefore mandatory for any shipment of wood pallets to the United Kingdom — a major flow from the Channel and North Sea ports.

Exempt materials

Some materials are exempt from ISPM 15 because their manufacturing process eliminates harmful organisms by design: plywood, particle board, OSB, wood composites produced with heat, glue and pressure, and moulded wood (pressed-fibre pallets). These materials require neither treatment nor IPPC marking.

Penalties for non-compliance

Shipping non-compliant wood packaging exposes the exporter to severe penalties: refusal of the goods at the border, destruction at the shipper’s expense, quarantine, fines, and potentially a place on the destination country’s phytosanitary watch list. The indirect costs — delays, port demurrage, contractual penalties, a lost customer — usually far exceed the fines themselves.