ISPM 15 for Shipments to Korea: No Treatment Mark on the Pallet Means Destruction or Re-Export
What counts as wood packaging?
Wood packaging is timber joined to a shipment to support, protect, or move it. Article 2(1) of Korea's Wood Packaging Quarantine Guideline names wooden pallets, wooden crates, dunnage, wooden containers, and bracing timber. The regulated item is not the thing you are selling; it is the wood holding it.
That distinction is where shipments come apart. Export paperwork and inspection look at the cargo, while quarantine at arrival looks under it. Flawless goods on an unmarked pallet still draw an order.
What is in scope and what is excluded?
| In scope | Excluded |
|---|---|
| Wooden pallets, crates, wooden containers | Plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, veneer |
| Dunnage, bracing timber | Wood 6mm thick or less |
Article 2(2) calls the excluded group "processed wood": made with adhesive, heat, or pressure, so pests are taken to be already removed or killed. A crate built from plywood therefore needs no treatment and no mark. Mix in solid sawn timber anywhere and that part comes back into scope.
Dunnage and bracing are the pieces most often missed. Offcuts wedged in to stop cargo shifting inside the container are wood packaging too.
What treatment is required?
Article 3(1) sets an order of operations. Debark the wood, have a licensed treatment provider treat it, then mark each piece. All three, not two.
| Treatment | Threshold | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Heat treatment | Minimum 56C for at least 30 minutes throughout the profile, core included | HT |
| Dielectric heating | Minimum 60C for at least 1 minute throughout, surface included | DH |
| Methyl bromide fumigation | At least 24 hours. At 21C and above, minimum CT 650 with final concentration 24; at 16C, 800 and 28; at 10C, 900 and 32 | MB |
Debarking does not have to be total. Annex 1 allows bark up to 3cm wide regardless of length, or wider than 3cm if the patch is under 50 square centimetres.
Methyl bromide carries limits. It cannot be applied below 10C, and pieces with a cross-section over 200mm must not be fumigated. Some markets restrict methyl bromide on their own account and will expect heat treatment, so settle the treatment method against the destination's rules before booking rather than after.
How do you read the mark?
The mark is the proof of treatment. Annex 2 fixes its parts.
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Symbol | The IPPC-approved symbol, placed to the left of everything else |
| Country code | ISO two-letter code. Korea is KR |
| Producer code | The unique number Korea's Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency assigns to the treatment provider |
| Treatment code | HT for heat treatment, DH for dielectric heating, MB for methyl bromide |
Who applies it is fixed too. Article 28-3(2) of the Plant Protection Act limits marking to heat treatment operators registered with the quarantine authority and pest control operators that have filed with it, and Article 28-3(3) bars anyone else from treating or marking. A shipper cannot have a stamp cut and apply it.
Can a used pallet be reused?
Yes. Article 3(2) allows reuse where the mark is present and the wood has not been reinfested. Once you touch it, the answer changes.
| Situation | What is required |
|---|---|
| Reuse: nothing altered | Use as is |
| Repair: some components replaced | Treat the replaced components, then mark them |
| Remanufacture: fully dismantled and rebuilt | Remove the old mark, treat again, then mark |
Sending out a repaired pallet on the strength of its old mark is the common failure. The newly fitted timber carries no mark yet.
What happens when it is not met?
This is the part that lands on cargo arriving in Korea.
| Finding at quarantine | Order | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| No treatment mark | Destruction or re-export | Guideline Article 14(3)1 |
| Bark still attached | Destruction or re-export | Article 14(3)2 |
| Cannot be treated | Destruction or re-export | Article 14(3)3 |
| Marked, but a regulated pest is found | Treatment ordered | Article 14(2) |
| A prohibited pest is found | Destruction or re-export regardless of the mark | Article 14(4) |
There is a cash side. Article 50(2)2 of the Plant Protection Act sets a fine of up to KRW 5 million for failing to report non-compliant wood packaging, reporting falsely, or not destroying it. Forging a mark, marking wood that was not treated to standard, or marking as an unlicensed operator moves into Article 48: up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 10 million.
The sharper cost is usually time. The container sits while destruction or re-export is arranged, and demurrage and storage accrue separately throughout. Demurrage and detention covers how those charges are built.
What does the importer in Korea have to do?
Obligations run both ways. Article 12-2(1) of the Plant Protection Act requires the importer to report without delay and destroy wood packaging that was not treated, carries no mark, or fails the import requirements. Reporting goes through the customs electronic clearance system or the plant quarantine online portal.
Once reported, the quarantine officer may notify customs to hold clearance until the order has been carried out (Guideline Article 12(3)). One pallet can hold an entire consignment.
What has to be decided first?
- Decide whether to use solid wood at all when you set the packing spec. A plywood crate removes treatment and marking from the job entirely.
- Book the treatment provider before the shipment. Only registered or filed operators can mark, so this is not something to arrange at the last minute.
- Check the destination's additional requirements first. Article 3(1) provides that where the importing country asks for more, you follow that or obtain an export phytosanitary certificate from a quarantine officer.
- Check dunnage and bracing right before stuffing. Packing gets handled and the offcuts inside the container get forgotten.
- On a repaired pallet, confirm the replaced components carry a mark.
Interactive tool
CBM calculator
Heavier packing means more volume and more freight. Check the CBM before you lock the packing spec.
Frequently asked questions
What is ISPM 15?
It is International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15, adopted under the International Plant Protection Convention, governing wood packaging used in international trade. Korea implements it through the Plant Protection Act and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency's Wood Packaging Quarantine Guideline, which is the basis for requiring treatment and a mark on wood packaging.
Does a plywood crate need heat treatment?
No. Article 2(2) of the Wood Packaging Quarantine Guideline treats plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, veneer, and wood 6mm thick or less as processed wood and excludes them, on the basis that adhesive, heat, or pressure has already removed or killed pests. If solid sawn timber is mixed into the build, that part is back in scope.
What are the heat treatment thresholds?
A minimum of 56C for at least 30 minutes throughout the profile, core included. Using dielectric heating, the whole piece including the surface must reach at least 60C for at least one minute. Methyl bromide fumigation runs at least 24 hours with minimum CT values and final gas concentrations set by temperature band, and it cannot be applied below 10C.
Can we apply the treatment mark ourselves?
No. Article 28-3(2) of the Plant Protection Act allows only heat treatment operators registered with the quarantine authority and pest control operators that have filed with it to apply the mark, and Article 28-3(3) bars anyone else from treating or marking. Article 48 makes a breach punishable by up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 10 million.
Can a repaired pallet be reused?
It can be reused where the mark is present and the wood has not been reinfested. Where components have been replaced, the replaced components must be treated and then marked; where the pallet was fully dismantled and rebuilt, the old mark must be removed and the pallet treated and marked again (Guideline Article 3(2)).
What happens to the cargo if the pallet has no mark?
Article 14(3) of the Wood Packaging Quarantine Guideline requires destruction or re-export where the treatment mark is absent, bark has not been removed, or the wood cannot be treated. If a regulated pest is found on marked wood, treatment is ordered instead; if a prohibited pest is found, destruction or re-export follows regardless of the mark. Clearance of the consignment can be held until the order is carried out.
