Do pallets going to Canada need to be heat treated?
Wood packaging shipped into Canada from the continental United States is currently exempt from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's policy D-98-08, pending a phased move to full ISPM 15 implementation. Check before each shipment.
What the exemption covers
The exemption applies to wood packaging made and shipped within the continental United States. It does not apply to wood from other countries that passes through, and it is described by the agency as pending a change. Rules that wait on a phase-in can move, so read the agency's page the week you ship, not the month you plan.
A table to keep in mind
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Where was the wood grown and treated? | The exemption is for wood packaging from the continental US |
| Does the receiver ask for the stamp anyway? | A customer's rule can be stricter than the border |
| Is the pallet pooled or rented? | A rented pallet has its own return rules |
| Will it return empty? | Returning wood faces the rules of the country it re-enters |
Why people heat treat anyway
A receiving plant may insist on the stamp even if the border does not. Heat-treated stock removes the question. The cost is the premium and the mould risk if it is loaded hot; see the mould guide.
How to ask
When you send a request, name the destination province and say whether the receiver specifies a stamp. See heat-treated pallets for the buying route and the HT stamp for what a mark shows.
What the exemption is not
An exemption from one policy is not a ruling that heat treatment is unnecessary for every load. A receiver may still ask for it, a carrier may require it, and the policy may change when the phased move to full ISPM 15 implementation takes place. The agency's own questions-and-answers page is the place to look, and the date matters.
A Michigan shipper's checklist
- Ask the receiverDo they require the mark, whatever the border says?
- Check the agency pageHas the exemption changed since this guide was last reviewed?
- Check the palletIs it made and treated in the continental United States?
- Decide on the stampWhere doubt remains, buy marked stock.
Rented and returnable pallets
A returnable pallet that crosses a border has to come back. If the pallet is owned by a pool, the pool handles the return. If it is owned by a plant, the plant plans the freight. Either way, the pallet is a two-way trip and its paperwork should say so.
Border paperwork and the pallet
The pallet is a small part of a customs file, but a pallet problem can hold up the whole load. A carrier that sees an unmarked pallet may refuse it. A customs officer may inspect it. A shipper who has checked the rule and kept a note of the date has an easier time.
Check the receiver, not only the rule
The ISPM 15 rule sets the general standard for wood packaging crossing borders, but the receiving company and the carrier may ask for more. Some want paperwork, some want a specific mark position, and some refuse used pallets altogether.
Before ordering, ask the receiver in writing what it accepts, keep that reply with the shipping file, and buy pallets that are plainly marked. A pallet without a legible mark is the most common reason a load is held.
Keep a record
Keep the supplier's invoice and a photograph of the mark on one pallet in the shipping file. If a question arises later, the record is the quickest answer.
Source: Canadian Food Inspection Agency, wood packaging questions and answers (read 10 November 2026). Last reviewed 12 November 2026. Confirm current rules with the agency.
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Last reviewed 12 November 2026.