ISPM-15 is the international standard that requires solid-wood packaging—pallets, crates, dunnage, and skids used in export—to be heat-treated or fumigated to kill pests, then stamped with an official mark. Its purpose is to stop wood-boring insects from hitchhiking across borders inside packaging. If you export from Miami on wooden pallets or in wooden crates, the wood almost certainly has to comply, or the shipment can be held, treated, or rejected at the destination.
What ISPM-15 covers
The standard applies to non-manufactured solid-wood packaging material used in international trade: pallets, wooden crates and boxes, dunnage, load boards, and similar. It does not apply to processed wood products like plywood, OSB, or particleboard, because manufacturing already destroys pests. Raw, solid wood is the target because it can harbor larvae.
How wood is treated and marked
There are two approved treatments. Heat treatment (HT) heats the wood core to at least 56°C for 30 minutes. Fumigation uses an approved chemical treatment. Once treated, the wood is branded with the ISPM-15 mark: the IPPC wheat symbol, a country code, a unique producer number, and the treatment code (HT or MB). Inspectors at the destination look for this stamp; unmarked wood is treated as non-compliant.
Why it matters for Miami exporters
Miami is a major export gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, and most trading partners enforce ISPM-15. Non-compliant packaging can be quarantined, re-exported, or destroyed at your expense—and it delays the whole shipment. Building compliance into your export crating and packing from the start avoids costly surprises at the border.
How to stay compliant
Source pallets and crates from suppliers who provide ISPM-15-stamped wood, keep treatment certificates on file, and inspect the mark before loading. If you build custom crates for machinery or oversized goods, confirm your packing provider uses treated, stamped lumber. When in doubt, plastic or presswood pallets sidestep the requirement entirely because they are not solid wood.
Frequently asked questions
Does ISPM-15 apply to plastic or plywood pallets?
No. The standard only covers raw solid-wood packaging. Plastic, metal, plywood, OSB, and particleboard are exempt because they do not carry live pests the way untreated solid wood can.
What does the ISPM-15 stamp look like?
It shows the IPPC wheat-stalk symbol, a two-letter country code, a unique registration number for the treatment provider, and a treatment code—HT for heat treatment or MB for methyl bromide fumigation.
What happens if my pallets are not compliant?
Customs at the destination can hold, treat, re-export, or destroy the shipment, usually at the exporter’s cost, and the delay can cause missed deadlines. Verifying the mark before export prevents this.
Export-ready packing from Miami
Go Freight builds ISPM-15-compliant crating and handles export drayage and warehousing under one roof. Request a free quote or call (786) 445-0150.