Heat treated pallets and the IPPC mark.

What ISPM-15 is

ISPM-15 is a plant health standard covering wooden packaging used in international trade. The purpose is simple: to stop insects, larvae and fungi travelling inside timber from one country to another. When a pest reaches a country with no natural predator waiting for it, the damage to forests can be severe.

The standard covers pallets, crates, cases, blocks and wooden packaging supports: any piece of solid timber carrying the load falls under it.

What heat treatment actually means

In heat treatment the timber is heated until the temperature at the core of the profile reaches at least 56 degrees Celsius and stays there for at least 30 minutes. What is measured is the core, not the surface. Once that is achieved, living organisms inside the wood are killed.

Heat treatment does not dry or strengthen the pallet, it only deals with pests. So a heat treated pallet is not a stronger pallet, it is a compliant one.

How to read the mark

The mark is usually stamped on the side blocks of the pallet, on at least two faces. It contains:

• The IPPC symbol (the wheat ear). These are official marks and must not be imitated.
• The country code. TR for Türkiye.
• The authorisation number of the producer or treatment facility.
• The treatment code. HT for heat treatment, DH for dielectric heating, MB for methyl bromide.

Methyl bromide (MB) has been abandoned or banned in many countries because of its effect on the ozone layer. In practice the code you will see today is HT.

What happens at customs without the mark

The outcome depends on the destination country, but none of the options are good:

• The shipment is held and the process drags on.
• The wooden packaging has to be treated on the spot or replaced, usually at the buyer expense.
• In some cases the wooden packaging is destroyed.
• In some countries the entire shipment is sent back.

Saving a small amount on unmarked pallets means putting the whole freight cost at risk.

Which timber is exempt

Not every wooden product falls under the rule. Processed wood products are exempt, because heat, pressure and adhesives are already part of how they are made:

• Plywood, particle board, OSB and MDF
• Very thin timber (generally 6 mm and under)
• Packaging made entirely from processed wood

Solid timber pallets, crates and blocks are covered. If in doubt the rule is simple: if the load is going abroad and the packaging is solid timber, look for the mark.

Is it needed domestically

No. ISPM-15 exists for international shipments. There is no heat treatment requirement for a load moving within Türkiye, which is why sound used pallets are both cheaper and perfectly adequate for domestic work.

Confusion usually comes from one place: a company shipping both domestically and abroad, with both kinds of pallet mixed in the same yard. Stacking export pallets separately solves it outright.