ISPM 15 explained

What the standard actually regulates

ISPM 15 is published by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and sets out approved treatments for wood packaging material, together with a mark applied by operators authorised by the national plant protection organisation. The scope covers solid wood packaging such as pallets, crates, cases, dunnage and bracing.

Because the standard is about pest risk in timber, processed wood-based materials are treated differently, and non-wood materials such as plastic sit outside it entirely. GOV.UK lists processed, non-solid wood packaging as outside these rules — plywood, raw wood 6mm thick or less, barrels for wines and spirits, and gift boxes made from processed wood — and exemptions of this kind depend on the material and the route, not on who is shipping. Whether a particular product counts as regulated wood packaging is a question to check for your specific movement.

The mark, and what it does not prove

An ISPM 15 mark identifies the country, the authorised operator and the treatment applied. It is applied by the authorised operator — not by a distributor, and not by the exporter after the fact. A pallet without a valid mark is not compliant wood packaging for movements that require it, however good its condition.

A mark also does not certify the goods, the load, the consignment paperwork or the receiving country's other import requirements. It speaks only to the timber treatment.

Repairs and remanufacture

Repair is where most avoidable problems arise. Where wood packaging is repaired or remanufactured, the standard sets out how treatment and marking must be handled, and an existing mark does not automatically extend to newly added components. If a pallet in your pool has been repaired, its status for an export movement needs establishing before it is loaded.

How to check your own position

This page is general information reviewed on the date shown. It is not a compliance determination and nothing here certifies that a specific pallet or consignment meets a requirement.

• Confirm whether your movement is in scope at all — origin, destination and material all matter.
• Confirm the current UK requirements on the GOV.UK wood packaging page for both import and export.
• Read the current ISPM 15 text via the IPPC standards list rather than relying on summaries.
• Where a buyer or forwarder states a requirement, get it in writing and keep it with the consignment file.