What to Check Before Freight Ships Overseas
If you're shipping goods overseas on wooden pallets or in wooden crates, ISPM-15 compliance is not optional. Get it wrong and your freight can sit at the port, get fumigated at your expense, or get destroyed. Here's what you need to know before anything ships.
What ISPM-15 is and why it exists
ISPM-15 stands for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15. It's a set of guidelines established by the International Plant Protection Convention to prevent the spread of invasive insects and plant diseases through wood packaging material. The concern is real: wooden pallets and crates can carry bark beetles, pine wilt nematodes, and other pests that devastate forests when introduced to new regions.
More than 180 countries enforce ISPM-15 requirements on imported wood packaging. Some, including Australia, China, Canada, and the entire European Union, enforce it strictly. Arriving without the right treatment documentation means your freight doesn't move.
What the HT mark means and where to find it
Wood that has been heat treated to comply with ISPM-15 carries a specific mark burned or branded into the wood. The mark should appear on two opposite sides of each pallet, or on the crate panels. If you can't find it, the wood isn't certified. More on when heat treated pallets are required.
What happens when freight arrives without it
The short answer: it doesn't go through.
Customs authorities in most countries have the authority to detain, re-export, fumigate, or destroy wood packaging that doesn't carry the ISPM-15 mark. In practice, what usually happens is detention while the importer scrambles to figure out what to do. Detention fees at port add up fast, and if the freight is time-sensitive, the cost of missing a delivery window can far exceed the cost of the pallets.
In Australia and New Zealand, enforcement is strict enough that missing compliance on a shipment can result in the entire container being sent back or destroyed at the shipper's cost. That's an expensive lesson for a problem that's easy to prevent.
What to specify when ordering
When you order pallets or crates for international shipment, specify ISPM-15 heat treated in writing on your purchase order. Don't assume. The supplier needs to provide material that carries the official mark and can document the treatment.
For crates, the same rules apply to all solid wood components, not just the base. Side panels, top frames, and internal blocking all need to be from certified material if the crate is going overseas. Export pallets and crates: what you need to know.
If you're buying standard pallets and then modifying them by adding a board, cutting them down, or adding blocking, the certification on the original pallet may no longer apply. Check with your supplier before doing any modification to certified material.
How to confirm before booking freight
Before a shipment moves, verify three things:
- The ISPM-15 mark is physically on the material — on two opposite sides of each pallet or on the crate panels
- The supplier can provide treatment documentation if customs requests it
- The destination country's specific requirements are met — some countries have rules beyond the basic ISPM-15 standard
Your freight forwarder should be able to flag country-specific requirements before booking. If they're not asking about wood packaging compliance, ask them. How Atlas approaches export packaging.
Atlas supplies ISPM-15 heat treated pallets and crates. Tell us where your freight is going and we'll confirm compliance on every piece.
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