Every company that ships abroad runs into one line item: the ISPM-15 requirement for wooden packaging material. In this article we explain what ISPM-15 is, which pallets it covers, and why the composite (presswood) pallet removes the heat-treatment and fumigation burden in export.
What is ISPM-15?
ISPM-15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) is a plant-health standard introduced to stop untreated wooden packaging material from carrying pests in international trade. It requires wooden packaging such as pallets, crates and blocks to be either heat-treated (HT) or fumigated and then stamped (the IPPC mark with the wheat-ear logo).
Which pallets fall under ISPM-15?
The key phrase is “untreated solid wood”:
- Solid-wood pallets: covered by ISPM-15; heat treatment or fumigation plus stamping is mandatory.
- Composite / presswood pallets: considered processed because they are made with heat and pressure, so they are exempt.
- Processed panel products (plywood, OSB, MDF, etc.) are also generally exempt due to the processing in their manufacture.
Because of the high temperature applied during its manufacture, a composite pallet requires no ISPM-15; it can be used in export shipments with no extra processing, certificate or waiting time.
The hidden export cost of wooden pallets
A wooden pallet may look cheap on the label, but export adds line items: heat-treatment/fumigation fees, stamping, waiting time for the treatment, and the risk of a non-compliant pallet being rejected at customs. A wrongly or incompletely stamped pallet can cause an entire shipment to be turned back.
A composite pallet has none of these items. You can compare the total cost of ownership of composite and wooden pallets in the table on our Why Composite Pallets? page.
Benefits of composite pallets for exporters
- Fumigation/heat-treatment fees and waiting time disappear.
- No risk of an ISPM-15-related rejection at customs.
- Being lightweight, it lowers freight cost — especially air cargo.
- It nests, saving space on empty returns and in storage.
- With fixed dimensions it is compatible with automated export packing lines.
For air freight and one-way export, you can also consider the pressed-wood-based capacitainer pallet box.