ISPM-15 Export Crating: What Chicago Exporters Must Know Before They Ship
If your product ships internationally in a wooden crate, pallet, or skid, one regulation determines whether it clears customs or gets quarantined at the border: ISPM-15. Here is what Chicago exporters need to know.
What ISPM-15 Is
ISPM-15 (International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) requires all solid wood packaging in international trade to be heat-treated to kill pests and stamped with a certified mark proving it. It exists to stop wood-boring insects from hitching rides across oceans. Most countries enforce it, including the EU, China, Mexico, and Canada.
What Happens Without Compliance
Non-compliant wood packaging can be refused entry, quarantined, or destroyed at the importer’s expense, and in some countries the entire shipment gets held while the packaging issue is sorted out. A missing stamp can turn a routine export into a very expensive delay. This is not a technicality customs overlooks.
What the Stamp Looks Like
The ISPM-15 mark includes the IPPC wheat symbol, the country code, a producer number identifying the certified facility, and the treatment code (HT for heat treatment). It must be applied to the wood packaging itself. Paperwork alone does not count.
What Chicago Exporters Should Do
- Use a certified crating company. Only craters certified under the ISPM-15 program can legally apply the mark. Ask for the certification.
- Crate for the journey, not just the border. Export crates need blocking, bracing, and moisture protection engineered for ocean freight or long-haul trucking, not just a stamp.
- Get the documentation right. The crate, the stamp, and the export paperwork should all align before the shipment leaves your dock.
- Consider on-site crating. For heavy machinery, having the crate built around the equipment at your plant saves a move and keeps the compliance chain clean.
We build ISPM-15 certified export crates in our shop and on-site at Chicago-area plants and warehouses, with the certified stamp and documentation your shipment needs to clear customs anywhere. Call (847) 258-5530 or request a free quote online.
