[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":136},["ShallowReactive",2],{"copy:\u002Fexport\u002Fispm-15-crates":3},{"path":4,"h1":5,"metaDescription":6,"kicker":7,"lede":8,"panel":9,"spec":22,"drawing":42,"photo":43,"sections":44,"faqs":109,"related":122,"sources":129},"\u002Fexport\u002Fispm-15-crates","ISPM 15 crates","ISPM 15 crates built from heat-treated lumber and marked with the IPPC stamp on two opposite sides, ready for the export lane you name.","ISPM 15 program","An ISPM 15 crate is a wood crate whose lumber has been treated under the international standard and carries the IPPC stamp. We build them from HT-marked lumber, stamp them on two opposite sides, and confirm the markings against your order before the crate leaves for your dock.",[10,13,16,19],[11,12],"Treatment","HT, the heat code on most crates",[14,15],"Stamp","IPPC mark on two opposite sides",[17,18],"Panels","Plywood and OSB exempt",[20,21],"Quote needs","L x W x H, gross lb, country",{"rows":23},[24,27,30,33,36,39],[25,26],"Skid and runners","HT-marked softwood, sized to gross weight",[28,29],"Cleats and frame","HT-marked lumber, nailed or lag bolted",[31,32],"Sheathing","Plywood or OSB, exempt from the standard",[34,35],"Stamp placement","Minimum of two opposite sides",[37,38],"Closes with","Lid frame, screws or nails per spec",[40,41],"Ask for","Destination, inside dimensions, gross weight, quantity","stamp",null,[45,51,78,84,89,94,99,104],{"h2":46,"paragraphs":47},"What makes a crate an ISPM 15 crate",[48,49,50],"Two things have to be true together. The solid wood in the crate must have been through an approved treatment, and the crate must carry the mark that says so. A crate with treated wood and no mark is not compliant on the dock. A crate with a mark and untreated wood is a worse problem, because the mark is a statement to an inspector.","The standard works on pests. Insects ride inside raw lumber and bark, so the treatment goes to the core of every board rather than the surface. That is why we do not accept 'dry' or 'clean' as a substitute. Drying alone is not the treatment; the lumber has to meet the schedule and be marked.","For a buyer, the practical meaning is simple: every skid, runner, cleat and frame member of solid wood in your crate needs to come from a supplier whose treatment is on record.",{"h2":52,"paragraphs":53,"table":57},"The four approved treatments and the one we use",[54,55,56],"NELMA lists four approved ISPM 15 treatments. HT is heat. MB is methyl bromide. SF is sulphuryl fluoride, added in 2018. DH is dielectric heating. Each has its own code that appears in the stamp.","Our crates are built on heat-treated lumber. USDA APHIS describes the heat treatment as a minimum wood core temperature of 56 degrees C for a minimum of 30 minutes. Heat leaves no chemical residue on the wood and is the code shippers see most often on skids and crates.","If your customer or your destination's plant-protection authority asks for a specific treatment, put it in the quote request. We will say what we can supply before you place the order, not after.",{"head":58,"rows":61},[59,11,60],"Code","Notes",[62,66,70,74],[63,64,65],"HT","Heat","Core temperature held for the required time",[67,68,69],"MB","Methyl bromide","Chemical fumigation, regulated use",[71,72,73],"SF","Sulphuryl fluoride","Added to the standard in 2018",[75,76,77],"DH","Dielectric heating","Microwave or radio-frequency heating",{"h2":79,"paragraphs":80},"How the mark goes on",[81,82,83],"NELMA says finished pallets, skids, crates and boxes are stamped with the facility's IPPC stamp on a minimum of two opposite sides. That is the rule we build to. On a crate, we put the mark on opposite end walls where the skid or frame lumber is visible, and where a forklift fork or crane sling will not wear it off.","APHIS adds that heat-treated packaging must carry the ISPM 15 official mark together with the quality mark of an ALSC accredited agency. The mark has parts: the IPPC symbol, the country code, the producer number and the treatment code. The stamp page shows each part and what it tells you.","We check the legibility of the stamp before the crate is closed. A blurred or partly hidden stamp is the reason for most holds.",{"h2":85,"paragraphs":86},"What happens to the plywood",[87,88],"Plywood, particleboard, OSB, flakeboard and veneer are exempt. A sheathed crate can use plywood walls and a plywood lid with no mark on the panels. Cleats, skid, runners and any solid lumber frame remain subject to the standard.","For the full rule, and where an exempt panel stops and a lumber member begins, see the plywood exemption guide. It saves a lot of arguments with a freight forwarder.",{"h2":90,"paragraphs":91},"Repairs, reuse and remanufactured crates",[92,93],"A crate repaired with new boards is a different case from a new crate. NELMA states that a remanufacturer must re-stamp each component with its own agency-issued HT stamp. In practice, replaced boards need their own HT mark, and an old stamp on the surviving boards does not stand in for them.","Because of that, we never promise a treatment mark on a used crate before we have seen it. Send the used-crate details with the quote request, and we will tell you what can be marked and what has to be replaced with new HT lumber.",{"h2":95,"paragraphs":96},"Check the destination before you order",[97,98],"We do not list which countries require ISPM 15. Rules differ by country and by cargo, and they change. Ask APHIS and the plant-protection authority of the destination country, then send us the answer. If the answer is that the stamp is required, we build to this program. If it is not, we can still build on treated lumber so the crate stays usable on a later lane.","Pressure-treated lumber is a trap. NELMA says it meets ISPM 15 only if it was heat-treated and stamped HT before the preservative went on. Pressure-treated boards without that mark do not qualify.",{"h2":100,"paragraphs":101},"Lumber we use and how members are sized",[102,103],"Softwood is the usual choice: pine, spruce or fir, depending on the stock available from the treatment supplier. Skids and runners are sized from the gross weight and the span between supports. Cleats are sized from the panel they hold and from the stacking load above them. We spell out the lumber section in inches on the crate spec, so a repeat order matches.","Heavier loads need doubled runners, a deck of boards across them, and sometimes a strongback along the lid. Lighter loads need much less. Overbuilding is wasteful, and underbuilding is dangerous, so we ask for gross weight and the load's mounting points before pricing.",{"h2":105,"paragraphs":106},"Documentation to keep with the shipment",[107,108],"Keep a copy of your quote, the crate spec and any email in which APHIS or the destination authority confirms the wood requirement. If a terminal or officer questions the crate, those papers answer faster than argument. We also note the lumber source against your order number.","Ask your forwarder whether the destination wants a written statement about the wood packaging on the commercial documents. Some do. Preparing that line is the shipper's task.",[110,113,116,119],{"q":111,"a":112},"What is an ISPM 15 crate?","A wood crate whose lumber has been treated to the international standard and carries the IPPC stamp. The plywood panels are exempt; the skid, runners and cleats are not.",{"q":114,"a":115},"How many sides carry the stamp?","A minimum of two opposite sides, per NELMA. We place it where the lumber is visible and handling will not wear it away.",{"q":117,"a":118},"Is pressure-treated lumber acceptable?","Only if it was heat-treated and stamped HT before the preservative treatment. Otherwise it does not meet the standard.",{"q":120,"a":121},"Can you stamp a crate I already own?","We cannot promise a mark on a used crate before inspecting it. Replaced boards need their own HT mark, so send the details with a quote request.",[123,124,125,126,127,128],"\u002Fexport","\u002Fexport\u002Fispm-15-stamp","\u002Fexport\u002Fheat-treated-crates","\u002Fexport\u002Fplywood-exemption","\u002Fguides\u002Fispm-15-requirements","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsheathed",[130,133],{"label":131,"url":132},"USDA APHIS: wood packaging treatment programs","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aphis.usda.gov\u002Fplant-exports\u002Fwood-packaging-material\u002Ftreatment-programs",{"label":134,"url":135},"NELMA: wood packaging inspection program","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelma.org\u002Finspection-programs\u002Fwood-packaging\u002F",1794178336782]