Fumigation
Chemical treatment of wooden packaging to kill pests, required under the ISPM 15 standard for international shipments.
Customs & complianceTL;DR: This term is one of 28 definitions in the China–GCC freight glossary, so the signal is the number it changes — not the acronym. It sits in the Customs & compliance category and links to 3 related terms for adjacent freight math. Use the example below to turn the definition into a before/after calculation before you quote or clear cargo.
What it means
Fumigation is the treatment of wooden packaging — pallets, crates, dunnage — to kill pests, required under the ISPM 15 international standard. Wood packaging moving between countries must be either heat-treated or fumigated and stamped with the ISPM 15 mark, otherwise it can be rejected at the destination and the shipment quarantined or returned at the importer’s cost. For China-to-GCC shipments this matters because so much Chinese cargo moves on wooden pallets: an unmarked pallet at Jeddah or Jebel Ali can hold up clearance. The practical rule is to confirm your supplier uses ISPM 15-stamped wood, or switch to plastic pallets, which are exempt from the requirement entirely.
Why it matters on the China–GCC route
Unmarked wooden packaging can be quarantined at a GCC port — confirm ISPM 15-stamped pallets or use plastic to avoid a fumigation hold on your China cargo.
Example
A Bahrain-bound shipment on unstamped wooden pallets is flagged at Khalifa bin Salman; the importer pays for destination fumigation or re-export, while an ISPM 15-stamped pallet would have cleared cleanly.
Related terms
Packing List
A document detailing how the goods are packed — cartons, weights, dimensions and volumes — used for handling and verification.
Learn more →Certificate of Origin
A document certifying the country where goods were manufactured, used to claim preferential duty rates and satisfy import requirements.
Learn more →Customs Broker
A licensed intermediary that prepares documentation and clears goods through customs on behalf of importers and exporters.
Learn more →