A pallet is usually a small line in an export shipment, yet it can stop the whole container at the destination. If a wooden pallet has no valid ISPM 15 mark, or the mark is illegible, or a repaired board has no mark of its own, the importing country’s plant-health authority may hold the consignment, order treatment, destroy the pallet or send it back. The goods on top can be perfectly in order.
This guide is for exporters, factories and logistics teams buying pallets in Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia. It explains what ISPM 15 actually requires, how to check a mark, when plastic or processed-wood pallets are a better choice, and how to specify footprint and load so pallets from different suppliers behave the same way.
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What ISPM 15 covers, and what it does not
ISPM 15 applies to wood packaging material made from raw wood, including pallets, crates and dunnage; wood packaging made wholly of processed wood such as plywood, and packaging that is not wood, is outside it.
ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade, is an International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures adopted under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). The current text was adopted in 2018 and published in 2019. Its scope covers wood packaging material made from raw wood that moves in international trade, and expressly includes dunnage. Section 2 lists crates, boxes, packing cases, dunnage, pallets, cable drums and spools or reels.
Section 2.1 exempts, as low risk:
- wood packaging made entirely of thin wood, 6 mm or less in thickness;
- wood packaging made wholly of processed wood material, such as plywood, particle board, oriented strand board or veneer, created using glue, heat or pressure, or a combination;
- barrels for wine and spirit that have been heated during manufacture;
- gift boxes for wine, cigars and other commodities made from wood processed to be free of pests;
- sawdust, wood shavings and wood wool;
- wood components permanently attached to freight vehicles and containers.
Plastic, metal and paper pallets are not wood packaging material, so ISPM 15 does not apply to them. A pallet that mixes plastic or processed wood with solid timber blocks or boards is still in scope for the raw-wood parts.
ISPM 15 is the international baseline. Each importing country applies it through its own rules and may add requirements. Confirm the current rule of the destination country before you ship.
Treatment, debarking and the mark
An ISPM 15 pallet must be made of debarked wood, treated by an approved method, and carry the official mark applied under the authority of the exporting country’s plant protection organisation.
Annex 1 of ISPM 15 sets the approved treatments:
| Code | Treatment | Core requirement in Annex 1 |
|---|---|---|
| HT | Heat treatment in a conventional steam or dry kiln chamber | At least 56 °C for at least 30 continuous minutes throughout the entire profile of the wood, including its core |
| DH | Dielectric heating (microwave or radio frequency) | At least 60 °C for 1 continuous minute throughout the entire profile of the wood, including its surface |
| MB | Methyl bromide fumigation | Concentration and time schedule set in Annex 1 |
| SF | Sulphuryl fluoride fumigation | Concentration and time schedule set in Annex 1 |
Annex 1 also sets the bark tolerance. Whatever the treatment, the wood must be debarked; small separate pieces of bark may remain if each is less than 3 cm wide, or, if wider, has a surface area under 50 square cm. For methyl bromide and sulphuryl fluoride the bark must come off before treatment; for heat treatment it may be removed before or after. ISPM 15 also notes that methyl bromide depletes the ozone layer and that more environmentally friendly treatments are being pursued. Confirm which treatment codes your destination accepts before you choose one.
Annex 2 defines the mark. It has four required components:
- the IPPC symbol, on the left;
- the ISO two-letter country code, separated by a hyphen from
- the producer or treatment provider code, assigned by the national plant protection organisation (NPPO);
- the treatment code (HT, DH, MB or SF), on a separate line or after a hyphen.
The mark must be inside a rectangular or square border with a vertical line separating the symbol from the codes. It must be legible, durable and not transferable, placed where it is visible when the pallet is in use, preferably on at least two opposite sides, and must not be hand drawn. Red and orange should be avoided because those colours are used for dangerous goods labels. Nothing else may be inside the border; a producer’s logo may sit outside it.
How to check a pallet in practice:
- Find the mark on at least one side, ideally two.
- Check that all four components are there and the border is complete.
- Check that the country code matches where the pallet was made or treated.
- Ask the supplier for its NPPO registration and recent treatment records for the batch.
- Reject hand-painted marks, marks with extra text inside the border, and marks on only one loose board.
Reuse, repair and remanufacture
A marked pallet that is unchanged needs no re-treatment, but a repaired board needs its own mark and a heavily rebuilt pallet must be re-treated and re-marked.
Section 4.3 of ISPM 15 draws three lines:
- Reuse. A treated, marked pallet that has not been repaired or altered keeps its status for its service life.
- Repair. Up to approximately one third of the components replaced. Only ISPM 15-treated wood or processed wood may be used, and each added treated component must carry its own mark. The NPPO of the repairing country may instead require the old marks to be obliterated and the whole unit re-treated and re-marked.
- Remanufacture. More than approximately one third replaced. Old marks must be permanently obliterated, for example by painting over or grinding, and the pallet re-treated and marked anew.
This matters when you buy used or pooled pallets. A pallet with several marks is not non-compliant in itself, but a replaced board without a mark is. If you buy reconditioned pallets, ask how repairs are done and marked.
💬 Shipping on used pallets to save cost? We can check how a supplier repairs and re-marks pallets before you commit, and inspect a batch before loading. Ask us to check a pallet supplier.
Wood, plastic or processed wood
Choose the pallet material from the route, the load, the hygiene requirement and whether the pallet comes back; then specify it fully.
| Factor | Solid-wood pallet (ISPM 15) | Plastic pallet | Processed-wood (moulded) pallet |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISPM 15 | Required for export | Not applicable | Exempt if wholly processed wood |
| Repairs | Easy to repair; repairs must be marked | Usually not repairable | Usually not repairable |
| Hygiene and washing | Absorbs moisture; harder to clean | Washable; suits food and pharma lines | Check moisture behaviour for each design |
| One-way export | Widely available | Suits closed loops where pallets come back; compare cost for one-way use | Used for one-way export; check the rated load |
| Fire and racking | Check with your warehouse and insurer | Check with your warehouse and insurer | Check rated load in racking |
Plastic pallets are made by injection moulding, blow moulding or other processes, from virgin or recycled polymer. Recycled content affects stiffness and consistency between batches, so ask the maker to state the material and to keep it the same on reorders. For food or pharmaceutical use, ask for the material declaration your market requires.
Moisture is the hidden risk with wood. ISPM 15 heat treatment is defined by temperature and time, not by a final moisture content, and a container of damp pallets can sweat, stain cartons and grow mould. Ask for the moisture content at dispatch if this matters to your goods.
Footprint and load: write them so every maker quotes the same pallet
Give the footprint, entry type and deck design, and state load as the nominal or maximum working load for each support condition, tested to ISO 8611-1 where you need a rating.
ISO 6780:2003, Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling — Principal dimensions and tolerances, sets principal dimensions and tolerances for new flat pallets of any material and the openings, clearances and chamfers needed for handling. ISO confirmed it as current in 2026. Ask the maker which footprint and tolerances it builds to, and check that your forklifts, racking and container plan fit that footprint before ordering.
Load is where specifications go wrong. A pallet that carries a load on a flat floor may fail in racking, where it spans between beams. ISO 8611-1:2025, Pallets for materials handling — Flat pallets — Part 1: Test methods, sets test methods split into nominal load testing, maximum working load testing and durability comparison testing. ISO notes that specific capacity tests do not replace field tests on specific designs.
In your specification, write:
- footprint and height in millimetres;
- two-way or four-way entry, single or double deck, number and position of blocks or stringers;
- wood species group or plastic type;
- the load per pallet and how it sits: uniformly spread, concentrated, or on a few points;
- support conditions: floor, forklift, racking across beams, stacked loaded pallets;
- the test basis if you need a rating, and who runs it.
Then check pallets against that list at inspection. Our note on pre-shipment inspection and AQL explains sampling.
Pallets in the wider shipment
The pallet is part of the load unit; specify the wrap, strapping and securing together with it.
The load on the pallet needs wrapping or strapping, and the pallet needs securing inside the container. See our guides to stretch film and strapping and container loading and dunnage. For heavy machinery, the skid or crate is the pallet; see export crates for heavy goods.
Frequently asked questions
1. Do plastic pallets need an ISPM 15 mark?
No. ISPM 15 covers wood packaging made from raw wood. Plastic pallets are outside it. Check whether the destination has any other rule for the goods.
2. Is plywood or OSB packaging exempt?
ISPM 15 exempts packaging made wholly of processed wood such as plywood, particle board, OSB or veneer made with glue, heat or pressure. Solid-wood parts on the same unit are still in scope.
3. Can the supplier paint the mark by hand?
No. Annex 2 says the mark must not be hand drawn. It must also be legible, durable, inside a border, and should not be red or orange.
4. Does heat treatment have to be repeated after a pallet is repaired?
Not always. Repairs of up to about one third of the components may use marked, treated wood, each piece carrying its own mark, unless the repairing country’s NPPO requires re-treatment. A remanufactured pallet must be re-treated and re-marked.
5. What happens if the pallet is non-compliant at the destination?
The importing NPPO may detain the consignment and order removal, treatment, destruction or reshipment of the wood packaging. The rules and costs depend on the country; confirm them before shipping.
Summary
For export, use ISPM 15-marked debarked and treated wood, or a material outside ISPM 15; check the mark on every batch; and specify footprint and load by support condition.
Sunsho Trade is a trading company. For pallets we look for and vet makers and treatment providers in Vietnam and Asia, collect quotes on one specification, check marks and records, inspect batches and plan delivery with your other packaging.
💬 Ready to source pallets? See our industrial packaging and logistics materials service, or send us your pallet specification. For other plant supplies, start from industrial sourcing.
Sources
Checked on 27 October 2026.
- IPPC, ISPM 15 Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade (adopted 2018, published 2019; Annex 1 and Annex 2 revised by CPM-13 in April 2018): https://www.ippc.int/en/publications/640/
- ISPM 15 English text (IPPC file, 2019-02 version): https://assets.ippc.int/static/media/files/publication/en/2019/02/ISPM_15_2018_En_WoodPackaging_Post-CPM13_Rev_Annex1and2_Fixed_2019-02-01.pdf
- ISO 6780:2003, Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling, Principal dimensions and tolerances (confirmed 2026): https://www.iso.org/standard/30524.html
- ISO 8611-1:2025, Pallets for materials handling, Flat pallets, Part 1, Test methods: https://www.iso.org/standard/87543.html