Wood packaging material made of unprocessed raw wood is a recognized pathway for the introduction and spread of pests. To limit the entry and spread of pests, through international trade, the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) adopted the International standards for Phytosanitary Measures Guidelines for regulating wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15).

The United States has reached agreements with other countries to adopt ISPM15 to stop the spread of pests.  As the National Plant Protection Organization of the United States, The United States Department of  Agriculture, in coordination with the wood packaging material industry, has developed an export program to guarantee compliance with the important requirements of the trading countries.

The program insures certified treatment and marking of wood packaging material for international trade, while maintaining traceability of the packaging material.  The integrity of the programs dependent upon industries compliance. What should my company do to comply with ISPM 15 requirements? Wood packaging material, including pallets and dunnage, must be either heat treated or fumigated and marked by a company certified to heat treat if it is to be exported to countries participating in ISPM 15.

General Pallet manufactures the highest quality wood shipping crates for a variety of industrial, commercial, and residential uses. We build all of our custom crates and heat treated wood pallets to the highest standards to help protect your cargo during shipment.

What does heat treated wood pallets mean?

The wood packaging material must be placed in a heat chamber and heated to achieve a minimum wood core temperature of 56 degrees C for a minimum of 30 minutes.  The product must then be marked to show it is compliant with ISPM 15. If I buy repaired pallets, that were previously heat treated, are they still ISPM 15 compliant? No.  If the pallets have been repaired, they must be re-heat treated and re-stamped.  The old stamps must be obliterated.  The supplier should provide documentation that the pallets were re-heat treated.

How do I know I am buying a repaired pallet?

Look for new replacement boards or nail holes in the deck boards, which are the boards on the top and bottom of the pallet. What if my supplier doesn’t own heat treating equipment? He may be using another company to do his heat treating, which is OK.  Look for a stamp (two positions with the same stamp number) on the pallets and ask him to provide a letter of certification. Does General Pallet own a heat-treating unit and are they certified? Yes.  We have a large unit with a capacity of two truckloads per charge, at our Flemington, NJ facility.  We also heat treat for other pallet companies.  We are certified by third party inspections and monthly audits.

The PALLETS DO NOT conform to the international requirements. If your current vendor cannot certify the heat treated pallets, your product may be subject to quarantine at the receiving port, and you may be subject to fines and penalties, as well as other costs of repacking.

What does a heat treatment stamp look like?
Heat treatment stamps can vary slightly in form.  for additional information, please refer to:

http://www.alsc.org/WPM_summary_mod.htm

The mark for heat treated pallets must include the trademark of the accrediting agency, the facility ID, the heat treatment mark, the two-letter country code, the approved international symbol for compliant wood packaging material, and an indication for use as dunnage if applicable.