The little stamp that keeps your export from getting turned away at the port — what it means and when you need it.
If you ship wooden pallets internationally, ISPM-15 is the rule that governs your wood. Miss it and your shipment can be refused, fumigated, or destroyed at the border — an expensive surprise.
ISPM-15 is an international standard designed to stop pests from hitching a ride in untreated wood packaging. Compliant pallets are heat-treated (or, less commonly, fumigated) and stamped with a recognizable wheat-stalk mark.
The stamp encodes the country, a unique facility number, and the treatment method — 'HT' for heat treatment. Inspectors look for it, so a missing or illegible stamp is as good as no treatment at all.
Domestic shipments inside the U.S. generally don't require ISPM-15, which is why most reclaimed pallets aren't treated. It's worth confirming your lane before you pay for treatment you don't need.
We stock heat-treated export pallets and can advise on exactly when you need them — and, just as importantly, when you don't.
Reuse beats replace almost every time — for your budget and the planet. When in doubt, ask us to spec it.