Wood packaging material

If you use wood packaging material when you import goods to the EU, you need to comply with the international standard called ISPM 15. This standard means that wood pallets, other wood packaging and dunnage need to have a special mark that shows that the wood has been treated against pests that would otherwise threaten EU forests.

Wood packaging material – more than just pallets

The concept of wood packaging material is broad. It includes wood or wood products used in supporting, protecting or carrying a commodity. It may take the form of packing cases, crates, boxes, drums and similar containers, pallets, box pallets and other load boards, pallet collars and dunnage used in the transportation of all kinds of products.

Processed wood products that has been processed with glue, heat and/or pressure, and wood packaging material that consists entirely of wood of 6 mm of thickness or less, are excluded.

Wood packaging material requirements

In order to comply with ISPM 15, wood packaging material must fulfil the following requirements:

• The wood packaging material is produced from debarked wood. There is a tolerance for an unlimited number of individual pieces of bark provided that these are no wider than 3 centimeters (irrespective of length) or, if wider than 3 centimeters, have a surface less than 50 square centimeters.
• The wood packaging material is produced from wood that has been subjected to an approved treatment. Approved treatments include heat treatment (marked HT) in a way that ensured that its core reached a temperature of at least 56 degrees centigrade for at least 30 minutes as specified in the standard. Gassing by methyl bromide (marked MB), gassing by sulphuryl fluoride (marked SF) or heat treatment by the use of dielectric heating (marked DH) as specified in the standard are also approved treatments.
• The wood packaging material is marked in accordance with the ISPM 15 standard.

The Swedish wood packaging programme

The official Swedish Wood Packaging Programme fulfils the requirements of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15) guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade.

Legal base and official body

The Swedish Wood Packaging Programme is based on regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament of the Council on protective measures against pests of plants. The Swedish Board of Agriculture is the official body responsible for this programme in Sweden.

Heat treatment and kiln drying

Most Swedish wood packaging material is made from sawn wood which has been heat treated in connection with kiln drying at a sawmill. A limited number of producers of wood packaging material are approved for heat treatment only.

Officially controlled sawmills that supply manufactures of wood packaging material must be approved to mark their sawn wood with the ISPM 15 mark. This approval procedure guarantees that the wood has been treated in accordance with the approved treatments in the Annex 1 to the ISPM 15 standard.

The Swedish wood packaging programme requires debarked wood.

Fumigation with methyl bromide is not allowed in Sweden.

Marking

The regulation, set requirements not only for companies producing wood packaging material but also for sawmills producing sawn wood. Only officially registered and approved companies are allowed to use the official marking.

Below you will find two examples of templates. However, you will find further examples in the Annex 2 to the ISPM 15 standard.

Please note that sawn wood for direct use as wood packaging material in international trade should be marked as wood packaging material.

Buying sawn wood from Sweden for production of wood packaging material

Before you enter into an agreement to buy wood for production of wood packaging material, make sure that the supplier company is authorized to apply the ISPM 15-mark.

For validation, we recommend that the invoice or delivery note shall contain:

• a reference to the treatment,
• information that the supplier is authorized to apply the ISPM 15 mark, and
• the official registration number of the supplier.

Regular inspections of wood packaging material producers

The company shall be able to prove that they have an internal system established, securing that:

• Wood packaging material intended for marking with the ISPM 15-mark consists entirely of debarked wood and wood treated by a producer approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture to apply the ISPM 15-mark.
• Incoming, purchased wood is checked at delivery and documented. The invoice or another trade document should give evidence of compliance with the requirements for treated wood.
• Treated and untreated wood, if present, is kept separated in all possible situations.
  

At the time of inspection, the critical points of the logistics and production process are investigated.

Approved producers of wood packaging material are assessed regularly at minimum once a year.

Approved manufacturers

On the right hand side you will find a list of companies that have been approved by the Swedish Board of Agriculture to apply the ISPM 15-mark.

Searching the list
The approved companies are listed under More information. You may for instance search by registration number or company name.

If you cannot find the registration number or the company you are looking for, please contact us. There are a few approved companies that have not given us permission to publish their names on the Internet.

Import

When you import any consignment with wood packaging material to the EU, the wood packaging material need to comply with the FAO International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures, ISPM 15. The ISPM 15 standard lays down guidelines for regulating wood packaging material in international trade and has been implemented in the EU phytosanitary import regulation.

You will find the text of the ISPM 15 in the right-hand column.

Wood packaging material from China and Belarus

In several EU Member States, outbreaks of plant pests have been linked to wood packaging material originating from China and Belarus. The EU has decided on targeted checks of wood packaging material accompanying certain products from China and Belarus. You can find a list of the included taric numbers in the menu on the right.

In Sweden, the Board of Agriculture in cooperation with Swedish Customs check that wood packaging material complies with import requirements laid down by the EU’s and Sweden’s phytosanitary legislation.

The import requirements state:

• that wood packaging material must be treated and marked in accordance with the international standard, ISPM 15, and
• that the wood packaging material must not be infested by serious pests.
  

The targeted control effort will continue until June 30th 2020. However, discussions are on-going in EU to prolong this targeted control. New information will be published as soon an EU-decision is in place.

Suppliers from China and Belarus need to use approved wood packaging material

It is very important that suppliers in China and Belarus use wood packaging material that has been approved in accordance with the ISPM 15 standard.

Products will only be cleared for entry into Sweden once the Board of Agriculture has either

• decided that there will be no phytosanitary inspection, or
• decided that the result of the phytosanitary inspection is acceptable.

If we find plant pests or incorrect application of the ISPM 15 mark, the entire consignment may be held. The Board of Agriculture may decide on measures in order to enable import, which may entail considerable costs and delays.