The ISPM-15 exemption means a composite (presswood) pallet needs no heat treatment or fumigation for export. The exemption comes from how the product is made; you do not need to re-treat, stamp or certify it for every shipment.
What is ISPM-15?
ISPM-15 is a plant-health standard that requires untreated solid wood packaging in international trade to be heat treated (HT, 56 °C core / 30 min) or fumigated and IPPC-stamped. Solid wood pallets fall within this scope.
Why is a composite pallet exempt from ISPM-15?
A composite pallet is a processed wood product made by pressing wood fibre with resin above 150 °C under high pressure. Processed panel/pressed products are outside the scope of ISPM-15; the manufacturing temperature is far above the 56 °C core requirement of the standard. The exemption is therefore permanent.
No heat treatment, no fumigation, no stamp
This exemption removes the fumigation/heat-treatment fee, IPPC stamping, waiting time for treatment and the risk of customs rejection. It lowers total export cost and speeds up shipping. Find the practical detail in our ISPM-15 in Export article and the product on our export pallet page.