Guides · ISPM 15 and plastic pallet lots
ISPM 15 and plastic pallet lots
Plastic pallets are exempt from ISPM 15. The USDA lists plastic pallets among products not subject to its wood packaging regulation, so a plastic pallet needs no heat-treatment mark.
Last reviewed November 12, 2026
What ISPM 15 is
ISPM 15 is the international standard for treating wood packaging against pests. Wood packaging material entering the US must be treated and certified under it. Heat treatment means a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes. Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt.
What it means for your lot
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does a plastic pallet need an HT stamp? | No |
| Will a buyer ask for one? | Not for plastic; a wood pallet is a different lot |
| Does the exemption help export? | Yes; plastic export pallets are exempt from ISPM-15 treatment |
| Does the exemption say the pallet is clean? | No; condition is a separate read |
What to record instead
- The resin, if you know it: HDPE or PP.
- Whether the pallet is a one-way build.
- Any model mark or listing label.
- Photos of the deck.
The form fields this guide fills
- Pallet size
- Condition
How this guide ends
SOLD
Exempt plastic pallets that are whole.
RETURN
Exempt plastic pallets that belong to a pool.
SCRAP
Exempt plastic pallets that are broken.
Are plastic pallets exempt from ISPM 15?
Yes. The USDA lists them among products not subject to its wood packaging regulation.
Does exempt mean any plastic pallet can be exported?
The exemption removes the treatment rule. Condition, size and ownership still apply.
Words you will meet
- Heat treated (HT)
- ISPM 15 treatment for wood: core at 56 C for 30 minutes. Not needed for plastic.
- ISPM 15
- The international standard for treating wood packaging against pests. Plastic pallets are outside it.
- FM 4996
- FM Approvals standard that rates a pallet as equal to wood in fire tests.
- Resin identification code
- Number on a plastic part for the resin, which does not itself say whether it is recyclable.
- Commodity classification
- Sprinkler design class of stored goods; an unlisted plastic pallet can raise it.
- Injection moulding
- Pallet made by forcing molten resin into a mould at high pressure.
- CP9
- A chemical-industry pallet standard, 1140 x 1140 mm.
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene, resin code 2. The most common resin in plastic pallets; tough and moisture resistant.
- Fork pocket
- Opening in the pallet where the forks go.
- RFID
- Radio tag moulded or fixed into a pallet so it can be tracked.
- Structural foam
- Low-pressure moulding where a blowing agent expands the resin in the mould.
- Rotational moulding
- Resin heated in a rotating mould to make a hollow jointless part.
- Compression moulding
- Moulding by pressing resin in a closed mould; one of six processes in use.
- Welding repair
- Plastic is hard to glue, so cracked parts are normally welded.
- 4-way entry
- Forks or a jack can enter from all four sides.
- 2-way entry
- Forks enter from two opposite sides only.
Who asks, and what they need
- Plastic recyclers and pallet makers
- Buy broken pallets by weight as HDPE or PP feedstock; want clean, sorted, separated by resin and colour.
- Export shippers
- Light or low-cost one-way pallets with no ISPM 15 treatment; Euro 1200 x 800 and 1200 x 1000 sizes.
- Retailers that collect pooled or one-way pallets
- Stacks of marked and unmarked pallets left by suppliers; need to know which can be sold and which belong to a pool.
What the sources say
- USDA APHIS requires wood packaging material entering the US to be treated and certified under ISPM 15, and lists plastic pallets among alternatives that are not subject to APHIS regulation. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Steel, aluminum, plastic and engineered-wood pallets are exempt from ISPM 15; wood must reach a core temperature of 56 C for at least 30 minutes for heat treatment. (en.wikipedia.org)
- USDA APHIS lists plastic pallets among products not subject to APHIS regulation, as an alternative to wood packaging material. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Wood packaging material entering the US must be treated and certified per ISPM 15. (aphis.usda.gov)
- Cabka says plastic export pallets are exempt from ISPM-15 treatment, that there is no single export size, and that its nestable export designs include extra-lightweight and air-freight versions. (cabka.com)
- The International Fire Code permits pallets listed and labeled under FM 4996 or UL 2335 to be treated as wood pallets for sprinkler design. (iccsafe.org)
- A 2010 insurer figure cited by ICC puts fire spread to a pallet above at about 18 minutes for plastic versus nearly 50 for wood. (iccsafe.org)
- PHS Plastic lists 19 nestable 48 x 40 and other-footprint models with dynamic ratings from 1,102 to 3,500 lb and static ratings from 2,204 to 15,000 lb, so 'nestable' spans light export pallets to heavy-duty stackers. (phsinc.com)
- PHS lists 48 x 40 stackable plastic pallets with dynamic ratings of 2,500 to 5,000 lb and static ratings of 3,000 to 30,000 lb. (phsinc.com)
- Greystone Logistics processed about 60 million pounds of recycled plastic in the year ended May 31, 2024, using damaged plastic pallets from a buy-back program among its feedstock. (resource-recycling.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 48 stackable pallet (STK 207) at 4,000 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- PHS lists a 56 x 44 beverage pallet (STK 285) at 2,500 lb dynamic and 30,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- PHS lists a 48 x 32 stackable pallet (STK 783) at 3,500 lb dynamic and 15,000 lb static. (phsinc.com)
- Plastic pallets can deform (creep) under heavy long-term loads and are hard to repair. (en.wikipedia.org)
- Plastic pallets are made by injection molding, structural foam molding, thermoforming, compression molding, rotational molding and profile extrusion. (en.wikipedia.org)
- For products touching the pallet directly, stricter federal requirements may call for non-blended virgin HDPE; recycled pallets often meet general FDA needs. (nelsoncompany.com)
More questions sellers ask
Are plastic pallets exempt from ISPM 15?
Yes. The USDA lists plastic pallets among products not subject to its wood packaging regulation, so no heat-treatment mark is needed.
Are plastic pallets recyclable?
HDPE carries resin code 2 and is commonly recycled. A resin code alone does not say whether a given item is recyclable.
Can I put plastic pallets on racking?
Only if the model has a racking rating. Nestable and lighter export pallets are generally not rated for racking.
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