Importation of Wood Packaging Materials
(WPM) into the United States

ISPM 15 is the “International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Publication No. 15: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade’.

USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has adopted the international standard for wood packaging material (WPM) that was approved by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.

All WPM entering or transiting through the United States must be either heat treated (HT) to a minimum wood core temperature of 56c for a minimum of 30 minutes or fumigated with methyl bromide as outlined in the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures: Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (ISPM 15). The WPM must also be marked with an approved International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) logo and two letter International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the country that treated the WPM certifying it has been appropriately treated.

Additionally, WPM must be marked with a unique number assigned by the exporting country’s national plant protections organization to the treatment facility and either the abbreviation HT or MB.  Paper certifications (treatment certificates) are no longer required or accepted in lieu of the IPPC logo.

APHIS and CBP will require the immediate re-exportation of any unmarked WPM, as it is not in compliance with the ISPM 15 treatment and marking standard. APHIS and CBP will also require the immediate re-exportation of any marked WPM that is found to be infested with a live wood-boring pest of the families Cerambycidae (long horned beetle), Buprestidae(wood-boring beetles), Siricidae (wood wasps), Cossidae (carpenter moth), Curculionidae (weevils), Platypodidae (ambrosia beetles), Sesiidae (clearwing moths) and Scolytidae (bark beetles).

Noncompliance with the ISPM 15 standard will create considerable hardship for importers moving cargo into the United States.  To avoid delays and rejection of cargo commodities entering or transiting through the United States, USDA strongly recommends that all importers utilize only ISPM 15 approved WPM or seek alternatives to regulated WPM.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ISPM-15

For more information on the WPM regulation, please visit U.S. Department of Agriculture