Phytosanitary certificate
Also called: phyto certificate, phyto, plant health certificate
A phytosanitary certificate is an official document issued by the exporting country's national plant protection organization stating that a consignment of plants or plant products meets the importing country's plant health requirements. ISPM 15-marked wood packaging does not need one; the mark takes its place.
In depth: Export pallets: ISPM 15, container sizes and material choices
Phytosanitary certificates follow the International Plant Protection Convention model. They are used for plants, seeds, grain, logs, lumber and other regulated plant products.
Pallets and phytosanitary certificates
ISPM 15 states that applying the mark makes a phytosanitary certificate unnecessary for the wood packaging. The mark shows the internationally accepted treatment was applied.
| Item | Paperwork |
|---|---|
| ISPM 15-marked pallets, crates and dunnage | The IPPC mark; no phytosanitary certificate for the packaging |
| Lumber or logs shipped as the product | Often a phytosanitary certificate, per the importing country |
| Plants and plant products carried on pallets | Certificate for the product, if required; the pallet still needs the mark |
Why it matters
Some buyers still ask pallet suppliers for a "phyto" or a heat-treatment certificate. What most need is a letter or certificate of compliance from the pallet supplier confirming treatment and marking under the national ISPM 15 program. That is a commercial document, not a government phytosanitary certificate.
On a spec sheet or RFQ
Ask for "ISPM 15 HT, marked, with a letter of compliance" if you need paperwork. Ask your freight forwarder whether the product itself needs a phytosanitary certificate.
Common confusions
A heat-treatment certificate from a pallet supplier is not a phytosanitary certificate, and a phytosanitary certificate for goods does not cover unmarked pallets under them.
Related
- GlossaryWhat is ISPM 15?ISPM 15 is the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) standard for wood packaging material in international trade. It requires pallets, crates and dunnage made of solid wood to be debarked, treated by an approved method such as heat treatment (56 °C core for 30 minutes), and marked with the IPPC mark.
- GlossaryIPPC markThe IPPC mark is the stamp that shows wood packaging was treated under ISPM 15. It contains the IPPC symbol, a two-letter ISO country code, a producer or treatment provider code assigned by the national plant protection organization, and a treatment code (HT, DH, MB or SF), inside a border.
- TypesExport pallets: ISPM 15, container sizes and material choicesAn export pallet must meet ISPM 15 (heat-treated and marked wood, or an exempt material such as plastic, presswood, paper or metal), fit the container and the consignee's equipment, and usually be cheap enough to lose. Common choices are HT wood, 45 × 45 in or 1200 × 1000 mm footprints, and nestable plastic.
- StandardsISPM 15: the wood packaging standard for international shippingISPM 15 is the IPPC standard requiring solid-wood packaging, including pallets and dunnage, to be debarked, treated (HT, DH, MB or SF) and marked before crossing a border. Plywood, OSB, presswood, wood 6 mm thick or less, and plastic, metal and paper pallets are exempt.
- GlossaryWhat is heat treatment (HT) for pallets?Heat treatment (HT) is the ISPM 15 method of heating wood packaging until the whole profile of the wood, including its core, reaches at least 56 °C for 30 continuous minutes. Treated pallets carry the IPPC mark with the code HT.
More in Standards and compliance
- GlossaryCP palletCP pallets (chemical pallets) are a family of nine standardized wood block pallets, CP1 to CP9, developed for the European chemical and plastics industries. Each type has a defined size and construction for loads such as bagged polymer, drums and bulk containers.
- GlossaryDebarked lumberDebarked lumber is wood from which the bark has been removed. ISPM 15 requires all treated wood packaging to be made of debarked wood, allowing only small pieces of bark: under 3 cm wide of any length, or wider pieces with a surface area under 50 cm² each.
- GlossaryDielectric heating (DH)Dielectric heating (DH) is an ISPM 15 treatment that heats wood packaging with microwaves or radio waves until the entire profile of the wood, including its surface, reaches at least 60 °C for 1 continuous minute. Treated wood is marked with the code DH.
- GlossaryEPALEPAL (European Pallet Association e.V.) is the organization that licenses manufacturers and repairers of EPAL Euro pallets and other EPAL load carriers and controls their quality. The EPAL 1 Euro pallet is a 1200 × 800 × 144 mm block pallet used in open pallet exchange across Europe.
- GlossaryFSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act)FSMA is the US Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. Under its Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart O), pallets are transportation equipment and must be designed and maintained so they are suitable and adequately cleanable, and do not make food unsafe.
- GlossaryGMAGMA stands for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (now the Consumer Brands Association), whose name became attached to the standard 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm) US grocery pallet: a partial four-way wood stringer pallet with three notched stringers, seven top and five bottom deckboards.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 230 words.