Export packaging and ISPM 15: pallet marking and sea packing

What ISPM 15 covers

The standard is issued under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). It covers wood packaging material made from raw wood, including dunnage used to secure cargo. The aim is to reduce the spread of pests that can survive in unprocessed wood.

Exempt from the requirements are, among others:

• packaging made entirely of thin wood (6 mm or less),
• packaging made wholly of processed wood: plywood, particle board, OSB or veneer produced using glue, heat or pressure,
• wine and spirit barrels heated during manufacture,
• gift boxes made of wood processed in a way that renders it pest free,
• sawdust, wood shavings and wood wool,
• wood components permanently attached to freight vehicles and containers.

In practice, a pressed-wood pallet needs no mark, while an ordinary plank pallet does.

Approved treatments

Whatever the method, the wood must be debarked. Only small, clearly separate pieces of bark may remain: less than 3 cm wide, or wider but with an individual surface area under 50 cm².

HT is by far the mark you will see most often.

What the mark looks like

The mark must contain four elements:

1. the IPPC symbol (wheat ear), placed on the left,
2. the two-letter ISO country code, e.g. PL, PH,
3. the producer or treatment provider code assigned by the national plant protection organisation, separated from the country code by a hyphen,
4. the treatment code: HT, DH, MB or SF.

The mark must be rectangular or square, inside a border, with a vertical line separating the symbol from the codes. No other information may appear inside the border. It must be legible, durable and not transferable, placed in a visible location, preferably on at least two opposite sides. It must not be hand drawn. Red and orange should be avoided, because they are used for dangerous goods labelling.

In Poland the plant protection inspectorate (PIORiN) publishes the national list of ISPM 15 producer codes. Before a facility is given a number it is audited; audits and supervision are carried out by the Łukasiewicz Research Network - Wood Technology Institute in Poznań. When buying pallets, ask the supplier for its registration code.

Repaired and remanufactured pallets

A pallet with up to about one third of its components replaced counts as repaired; each new component must be made of wood treated under the standard and carry its own mark. If more is replaced, the pallet counts as remanufactured: old marks must be permanently obliterated, and the pallet re-treated and re-marked. A pallet that has not been repaired does not need re-treatment during its service life.

EU import requirements

Under the EU plant health law (Regulation (EU) 2016/2031), wood packaging material and dunnage entering from outside the EU must be treated in line with ISPM 15 and marked. Between EU member states there is generally no such requirement; PIORiN notes an exception for softwood packaging from certain regions of Portugal and Spain because of pine wood nematode risk. For exports outside the EU, PIORiN recommends ISPM 15-compliant packaging in every case, because not all countries publish their phytosanitary rules.

If packaging carries no mark or live pests are found, the plant health authority of the importing country may detain the consignment, order removal and treatment or destruction of the packaging, or require reshipment. Costs and delays usually fall on the importer, and container charges grow every day.

When importing from Asia, write the ISPM 15 requirement into the contract and ask for photos of the marks before loading.

Packing for ocean transport

A container crosses climate zones, is lifted by cranes and moves with the sea. Key principles:

• Securing. Cargo must not shift. Fill voids and use straps, wedges and airbags. The international reference is the 2014 IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code); it is not mandatory, but it sets out good practice for securing and weight distribution.
• Moisture. Temperature swings cause condensation inside the container. Wet pallet wood increases the risk; use dry pallets and desiccants.
• Weight distribution. Heavy items at the bottom and evenly spread along the container.
• Unit packaging. Cartons with adequate stacking strength, film wrap, corner protectors.

This matters when there is damage. The Institute Cargo Clauses exclude losses caused by insufficient packing or stowage in a container where it was done by the assured or before cover attached. Details in cargo insurance and the Institute Cargo Clauses.

Labelling the shipment

On each outer package, show:

• shipping marks: consignee name or abbreviation, destination port or place, order number, package number as "no. / total",
• gross and net weight and dimensions,
• handling pictograms such as "this way up", "keep dry", "fragile",
• for dangerous goods, the labels and marks required by the rules for the mode of transport.

Package marks must match the packing list and the transport document; discrepancies are a frequent cause of customs queries. The document set is covered in international trade shipping documents, and container choice in shipping container types and dimensions.

When negotiating on Hiram, packaging and marking requirements can be written into successive versions of the terms, so both sides have one current record of what was agreed. If you are looking for a supplier or buyer, browse the market.

Sources

• IPPC: ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• European Commission: Requirements for wood packaging and dunnage (opens in a new tab)
• PIORiN: Opakowania drewniane (wood packaging, in Polish) (opens in a new tab)
• IMO: CTU Code (opens in a new tab)
• Institute Cargo Clauses (A) 1/1/09, LMA/IUA (opens in a new tab)