All wood packaging material must be
made of debarked wood. For this standard, any number of visually separate
and clearly distinct small pieces of bark may remain if they are:
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less than 3 cm in width (regardless
of the length); or
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greater than 3 cm in width, with the total surface area of an individual
piece of bark less than 50 square cm
All new/repaired/remanufactured wood packaging material, including dunnage,
must be heat treated. This should be in accordance with a specific
time-temperature schedule that achieves a minimum temperature of 56°C for a
minimum duration of 30 continuous minutes throughout the entire profile of
the wood (including the core).
The ISPM15 mark
An ISPM15 mark consists of three codes (country, producer and approved
measure), and the IPPC logo. An example of an ISPM15 mark is shown in Figure
1. More detailed information regarding the quality of marking required by
the UK Wood Packaging Material Marking Programme can be found on the
Scheme Updates Page.
Figure 1 An example of an ISPM15 mark*.
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Two-digit ISO country code |
Hyphen (mandatory) |
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IPPC Logo: this must be placed to the
left of the other elements (but may be placed on its side for narrow
faces). |
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Unique UKWPMMP registration number
(the producer/treatment provider code): leading zeros do not need to
be included: FC0001 can be abbreviated to FC001, FC01, FC1 as
appropriate.
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Treatment code (HT for heat
treatment): this must appear after the country code and registration
number. It must appear on a separate line, or be separated by a
hyphen if presented on the same line.
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The ISPM15 mark may be rectangular or
square in shape. It must be contained within a border with a
vertical line separating the IPPC logo from the other components.
For stencilling, small gaps in the border, the vertical line and
elsewhere in the components
of the mark are allowed. Corners may be square or rounded. No other
information is permitted within the border of the mark.
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*At import, countries should accept previously produced
wood packaging material carrying a mark consistent with earlier versions
of the standard. Other examples of the mark are provided on the right of this page.
How to mark articles of wood packaging material:
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Each article of wood packaging material shall be marked on two opposite
vertical surfaces.
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Marks shall be clearly visible when the article is in use.
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Marks shall be legible.
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Marks shall be permanent. The use of tags is not permitted, unless they
are nontransferable (unable to be removed without being damaged).
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Marks may be in any colour, but the use of red or orange is not
recommended as these colours are reserved for dangerous and hazardous
cargoes.
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Branding and laser printing is more effective on rough sawn timber and
composite pallet blocks and stencil and stamps are readily applied to
smooth wooden surfaces.
Processed wood (e.g. plywood, chipboard) and wood less than 6 mm thickness
is, generally, exempt from control but may be made subject to landing
requirements in some
countries. Where wood packaging material includes components made from
processed wood, these need not be subject to any additional treatment.
Thus the mark on a crate
made from both processed and solid wood components, which have been heat
treated, may include the treatment code letters ‘HT’. Where possible, the
ISPM15 mark shall be
applied to the solid wood element of the article of wood packaging
material.
Repaired or re-manufactured ISPM15 WPM
In order to maintain chain of custody and accountability, repaired and
re-manufactured ISPM15 compliant wood packaging material must be subject
to re-treatment and all
previous ISPM15 marks must be removed or obliterated and the product
re-marked by a person authorised under the UKWPMMP. In exceptional
circumstances the Forestry
Commission may grant an exemption from re-treatment and re-marking.
Companies may apply to the Forestry Commission for exemption but full
traceability and rigorous
control procedures must be evident before any application will be
considered. All such exemptions must be approved in writing by the
Forestry Commission.
Imported WPM that does not comply with ISPM15
Action taken is at the discretion of the Plant Protection Organisation of
the importing country. Non-compliant wood packaging material may be
re-exported (with or without
the goods being shipped with it), destroyed, treated, subjected to deep
burial or processing, e.g. chipping (depending upon the policy of the
country of import), generally
at the impo
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