Fumigation and heat treatment
Fumigation and heat treatment for export cargo
Wood used to crate, block or brace cargo is heat-treated to 56 °C at the core for 30 minutes or fumigated, and marked to ISPM 15[1]. Machinery shipped from the U.S. to Australia between 1 September and 30 April needs stink bug treatment as well[2].
Two different treatments
ISPM 15 covers the wood, not the cargo. Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage are heat-treated or fumigated with methyl bromide and stamped with the IPPC mark, the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Repaired or remanufactured wood is treated and marked again[1].
Australia’s brown marmorated stink bug measures cover the cargo. Machinery, vehicles, steel and other listed goods shipped from the U.S. between 1 September and 30 April are treated by a provider Australia approves. Breakbulk, flat rack and open top cargo is treated before it leaves; untreated, it is refused discharge or sent back[2].
Treatment by shipping method, to Australia in season
| Method | Use it when | Avoid it when |
|---|---|---|
| Container | Treated offshore and sealed within 120 hours (before 1 December), or directed to onshore treatment on arrival[2]. | The treatment provider is not on Australia’s approved list. |
| Flat rack, open top, breakbulk | Treated before loading by an approved provider[2]. | Untreated: refused discharge or sent back. |
| RoRo | Treated before loading, as for breakbulk; RoRo ships calling at risk countries get extra surveillance[2]. | Treatment is left to the destination. |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Rules that apply
- ISPM 15 wood packagingIPPC, administered in the U.S. by USDA APHIS
Wood packaging and dunnage must be heat-treated to a core temperature of 56 °C for at least 30 minutes, or fumigated, and carry the IPPC mark with the US country code, the facility number and HT or MB. Marked wood can be reused; repaired or remanufactured wood must be treated and marked again.[1]
Applies to: Crates, skids, blocking and dunnage
- Brown marmorated stink bug season: AustraliaAustralian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Target high-risk goods shipped from the United States between 1 September and 30 April need mandatory treatment, judged by the shipped-on-board date. Flat rack, open top and breakbulk cargo must be treated before it leaves; if untreated, it is refused discharge or sent back. Heat treatment holds 56 °C at the coldest surface for 30 minutes, and for break bulk pieces under 6,610 lb (3,000 kg) 60 °C for 10 minutes.[2]
Applies to: Machinery, vehicles, steel and other listed goods (HS chapters 84, 85 and 87 among them) shipped from the U.S. by sea, 1 September to 30 April
- Used machinery cleanliness: AustraliaAustralian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Used machinery must arrive free of soil, seeds and plant or animal material, which can mean partly dismantling the machine to clean hollow and concealed sections. Every consignment is inspected on arrival; a machine with low contamination is re-cleaned at an approved site at the importer’s cost, and a heavily contaminated one can be ordered out of the country.[3]
Applies to: Used machinery and parts shipped to Australia
Questions about fumigation
Does ISPM 15 apply to the machine itself?
No. It applies to the wood packaging: crates, skids, blocking and dunnage. The machine is covered by the destination’s cleanliness and pest rules.
Is a machine to Australia in March treated?
Yes, if it is shipped from the U.S. between 1 September and 30 April. The shipped-on-board date on the bill of lading decides.
Which treatments does Australia accept for stink bugs?
Heat, methyl bromide and sulfuryl fluoride by approved providers; heat holds 56 °C at the coldest surface for 30 minutes.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]USDA APHIS, Export ISPM 15-compliant wood packaging material, checked October 18, 2026
- [2]Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Seasonal measures for brown marmorated stink bug, checked October 18, 2026
- [3]Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Cleanliness requirements for imported machinery, checked October 18, 2026
Send us the machine and the destination
Give us the model or the measured dimensions and weight. We come back with the method, the sailing and a price, and the figures behind them.