ISPM 15 recognizes more than one treatment for wood packaging. In practice, nearly the entire Mexican market runs on heat treatment (HT). Here is the honest comparison, so you know exactly what you are buying and why.
The international standard mainly accepts two routes for wood packaging: heat treatment (HT) — heating the wood to 56 °C at its core for at least 30 minutes, including the dielectric heating variant — and methyl bromide (MB) fumigation under controlled doses and exposure times. Every treated piece is marked with the IPPC stamp showing the code of the treatment applied (HT or MB).
The lumber goes into a chamber where its internal temperature is raised to 56 °C for 30 minutes or more, killing insects and larvae at every life stage. It uses no chemicals, leaves no residue on the wood or on the product it carries, and lowers moisture content along the way — which also helps against fungi and staining. It is a controlled, repeatable process that can be audited through temperature records.
The packaging is exposed to methyl bromide gas in a sealed enclosure, at concentrations and exposure times set by the standard according to ambient temperature. It is effective against pests, but it has three fundamental drawbacks: methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting substance regulated under the Montreal Protocol, with its use restricted or phased out in many countries; it does not penetrate large-section lumber as evenly; and it leaves a less "clean" process for supply chains with environmental or product-safety requirements (food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics).
In short: for export pallets and crating manufactured in Mexico, HT is the practical standard: clean, auditable and accepted at every destination. MB fumigation is reserved for specific cases where HT is not feasible.
A current SEMARNAT authorization to apply the treatment and mark with the IPPC stamp; per-batch process records; and debarked, dry lumber. At BestPack Solutions we apply HT heat treatment in compliance with NOM-144 / ISPM 15 at our San Luis Potosí plant, with IPPC marking on every piece.
Yes, both are treatments recognized by the standard and are identified on the IPPC stamp with the code HT or MB. In practice, HT is the dominant standard in Mexico because it is clean, traceable and universally accepted.
Because it is an ozone-depleting substance regulated under the Montreal Protocol; many countries have restricted or eliminated its use, and many supply chains exclude it as a matter of environmental policy.
HT kills pests and, by reducing the wood's moisture content, lowers the risk of fungi and staining; it is not a fungicide, but dry, properly stored lumber is far less prone to developing them.
HT heat treatment in compliance with NOM-144 and ISPM 15.