ISPM 15 Wood Packaging Rules: Why Export Crates Need the IPPC Mark

Why Wooden Crates Need Treatment

Untreated solid wood can harbor pests such as longhorn beetles, bark beetles, and pinewood nematodes, which travel across the ocean with cargo and devastate forests and crops in other countries. To prevent this, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) established International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15, known as ISPM 15, governing wood packaging material used in international trade.

Most countries have adopted ISPM 15. Crates, pallets, dunnage, and battens made of solid wood must undergo approved treatment and be marked before export; if they're found at the destination port without a mark or with a noncompliant mark, they may have to be treated, returned, or even destroyed, delaying delivery of the entire machinery shipment.

Approved Treatment Methods

Annex 1 of ISPM 15 lists the approved treatment methods (the current version is the 2018 revision):

• Heat treatment (HT): The entire piece of wood, including its core, must reach at least 56°C for 30 continuous minutes. This is the most common method.
• Dielectric heating (DH): Heating by microwave or radio frequency; the entire piece of wood, including its surface, must reach at least 60°C for 1 continuous minute.
• Methyl bromide fumigation (MB): ISPM 15 encourages switching to alternatives; it can't be used on wood with a smallest cross-section over 20 cm.
• Sulfuryl fluoride fumigation (SF): Also has cross-section limits, and isn't suitable for wood with too high a moisture content.

When people say "the crate needs fumigation," these days they usually mean heat treatment, not necessarily chemical fumigation.

What's on the Mark

Compliant wood packaging must bear a clear, permanent, non-transferable mark in a visible location, preferably on at least two opposite sides. The mark contains:

• The IPPC symbol: On the far left
• Country code: The two-letter ISO country code
• Producer or treatment provider code: Issued by each country's national plant protection organization
• Treatment code: HT, DH, MB, or SF

The mark can't be hand-drawn, and can't be replaced by tags or stickers that might come off in transit; international guidelines also recommend avoiding red and orange ink to prevent confusion with dangerous goods labels. Beyond treatment, ISPM 15 also requires solid wood packaging to use debarked wood.

Where to Get It Done in Taiwan

Taiwan's competent authority is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (動植物防疫檢疫署) under the Ministry of Agriculture. Under the agency's Directions Governing Entrusted Quarantine Fumigation and Heat Treatment of Wood Packaging Material (木質包裝材委託檢疫燻蒸及熱處理管理要點), treatment providers must apply to the agency's branches for approval of their heat treatment or fumigation facilities; once approved, they may use the registered stamp, and treatment records must be kept for 1 year. Since January 1, 2007, the agency no longer issues export phytosanitary certificates for wood packaging material; instead, approved providers treat it and apply a stamp complying with IPPC rules.

In practice, exporters mostly order already-treated, already-stamped crates directly from approved crate or pallet makers, without treating the wood themselves. When ordering, confirm:

• Whether the provider is on the agency's published list of approved treatment facilities, and whether the provider number on the stamp matches
• The treatment method (usually HT)
• Whether the stamp is clearly applied in a visible place on the crate (preferably on two opposite sides), and whether all solid wood components (including the base and dunnage) have been treated

The lists of approved treatment facilities for each branch are published on the agency's website.

Is Plywood Exempt?

Yes. ISPM 15 explicitly exempts the following materials:

• Processed wood made using glue, heat, or pressure, such as plywood, particleboard, oriented strand board (OSB), and veneer
• Thin wood 6 mm or less in thickness
• Sawdust, wood shavings, and wood wool
• Wine and spirit barrels heated during manufacture
• Gift boxes made of wood processed so that it's free of pests
• Wooden components permanently attached to freight vehicles or containers

So some exporters choose all-plywood crates or plywood pallets, which need no treatment or mark. But note that if there's even one solid wood batten or solid wood foot in the crate, that piece must be treated; it's best to use the same material throughout.

In addition, some countries have extra rules for wood packaging, such as stricter bark residue requirements or accepting only certain treatment methods; check the destination country's requirements with the buyer or freight forwarder before shipping.

For other packing priorities, such as rust and moisture protection, see How to Pack Machinery for Ocean Export.

FAQ

Q: Why do wooden crates need the IPPC mark?
A: ISPM 15 requires solid wood packaging used in international trade to undergo approved treatment and be marked, to prevent pests from spreading across borders. Unmarked solid wood packaging may have to be treated, returned, or destroyed at the destination port.

Q: What are the conditions for heat treatment?
A: The entire piece of wood, including its core, must reach at least 56°C for 30 continuous minutes; the treatment code on the mark is HT.

Q: Where can it be done in Taiwan?
A: The competent authority is the Ministry of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency; treatment and stamping are done by providers approved by its branches, with lists published on the agency's website. Exporters usually buy treated crates directly from approved providers.

Q: Are plywood crates exempt?
A: Yes. Processed wood such as plywood, particleboard, and OSB, as well as thin wood 6 mm or less, is within ISPM 15's exemptions; but any solid wood components in the crate must still be treated.