Timber & Pallet Export · United Kingdom
Timber and Pallet Exporter for the UK Market
ISPM 15 heat-treated export pallets, EPAL pallets and wood pellets supplied from a Galician sawmill to UK buyers, with the customs and marking requirements of a non-EU destination handled as standard.
The United Kingdom left the European Union in 2020 and sits outside the EU single market and customs union. For a sawmill exporting from Galicia, that makes the UK a genuinely different destination from every other market this site covers: shipments to Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium or the Netherlands move as intra-EU trade, but shipments to the UK are exports in the full sense, with customs export declarations and, critically, ISPM 15 heat-treatment marking required on any solid wood packaging that travels with the load.
Maderas Caamaño supplies ISPM 15 heat-treated export pallets, EPAL pallets and wood pellets from its sawmill in Vimianzo, Galicia. This page sets out, specifically, what changes when the destination is the UK rather than an EU member state — so a British importer, pallet distributor or biomass buyer knows what to expect before placing an order.
At a glance
| Primary export product | ISPM 15 heat-treated pallets, marking applied per pallet |
|---|---|
| Also supplied | EPAL/EUR pallets, wood pellets (bulk, 15kg bags, bulk bags) |
| Trade status | Non-EU export — customs export declaration required |
| Wood packaging requirement | ISPM 15 heat-treatment and marking mandatory (non-EU destination) |
| Typical full truckload | ~24-26 tonnes, or up to ~33 EPAL pallet positions |
| Route | Sea crossing from northern Spain, or road via France and a Channel crossing |
| Incoterms | EXW, FOB, or delivered, agreed with the buyer |
Why the UK is a different kind of export
Every other export page on this site — Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands — describes intra-EU trade: goods cross the border without customs duties or checks, and ISPM 15 heat-treatment marking simply doesn't apply, because it's an EU-to-EU movement. The UK is the exception. Since leaving the EU single market and customs union, shipments from Spain to the UK require a customs export declaration, and the reverse-charge VIES mechanism used for intra-EU B2B trade doesn't apply in the same way. This isn't a reason to avoid the UK market — it's simply a different, well-understood set of formalities that apply to any non-EU destination, and worth being upfront about rather than glossing over.
The practical result for wood packaging specifically is that ISPM 15 becomes mandatory rather than irrelevant. Any pallet, crate or piece of dunnage travelling to the UK needs to be heat-treated and carry the official ISPM 15 mark, exactly as it would for a shipment to Switzerland or any other destination outside the EU. This is the one export page on this site where that requirement is central to the product, rather than a footnote.
ISPM 15 export pallets, built for this route
Maderas Caamaño produces ISPM 15 heat-treated pallets specifically for shipments leaving the EU, and the UK is a straightforward example of where that treatment is required rather than optional. Each pallet is heat-treated and marked with the official ISPM 15 stamp before dispatch, so the pallets themselves clear inspection as wood packaging material without holding up the rest of the shipment. For buyers who also need palletised goods built to the standard European footprint, EPAL pallets can be supplied heat-treated and marked to the same requirement when the destination is the UK — the EPAL specification and the ISPM 15 requirement are separate things, and a pallet built to one needs to also meet the other for this route.
For UK importers who have historically sourced pallets domestically or from other EU mills without needing to think about heat-treatment marking, this is worth flagging clearly: any wood packaging entering the UK now needs it, regardless of supplier, so it's a requirement to build into sourcing decisions rather than something specific to any one exporter.
Getting product to the UK: route and truckload economics
From Galicia, freight to the UK typically travels one of two ways: a direct sea crossing from a port in northern Spain, or a road route through France to a Channel crossing by ferry or tunnel. Both involve a sea leg and customs processing at the UK border that simply don't feature on the EU routes described elsewhere on this site, so transit for the UK is typically longer and more variable than equivalent EU distances, given the additional sea crossing and customs processing. We don't quote a fixed number of days for this route — actual timing depends on the crossing used, scheduling, and the specific shipment — but we're upfront that it involves more moving parts than a same-day EU border crossing.
Truckload economics still follow the same general reference used across the rest of the site: a standard European road trailer carries roughly 24-26 tonnes, or up to around 33 EPAL pallet positions, which remains a useful planning figure even though this particular route isn't intra-EU.
Wood pellets for the UK market
Alongside pallets, Maderas Caamaño supplies wood pellets at 6mm or 8mm diameter with moisture content kept below 10%, packed bulk, in 15kg bags, or in bulk bags depending on how the buyer receives and stores the product. Pellets themselves aren't subject to ISPM 15 — that requirement is specific to solid wood packaging materials — but any pallets used to move bagged or bulk-bagged pellets into the UK do need to meet it, which is one more reason pallet and pellet sourcing are worth coordinating on a single order for this route.
Documentation and terms
Because the UK sits outside the EU customs union, shipments require a customs export declaration alongside the usual road-freight documentation, and the choice of incoterm matters more here than on an intra-EU route: EXW, FOB or delivered terms are all used depending on the order, but for a non-EU destination the incoterm also determines who is responsible for arranging export and import customs formalities on each side. We're not a customs broker and don't offer customs advice, so we'd encourage UK buyers to confirm their own import-side arrangements with their usual customs agent — on our side, we handle the export declaration and ISPM 15 marking as a standard part of preparing a UK order, and agree the incoterm with each buyer up front so responsibilities are clear before the shipment moves.
Frequently asked questions
Do pallets shipped to the UK need ISPM 15 heat-treatment marking?
Yes. Because the UK is outside the EU single market, any solid wood packaging — pallets, crates, dunnage — sent there needs to be heat-treated and carry the official ISPM 15 mark, the same requirement that applies to any non-EU destination. This is different from shipments elsewhere in the EU, where ISPM 15 doesn't apply.
Is a UK order handled differently from an EU order?
Yes. UK shipments require a customs export declaration and are not intra-EU reverse-charge transactions the way shipments to Portugal, France, Germany or Italy are. Customs formalities apply, unlike shipments elsewhere in the EU covered on this site. We handle the export side and ISPM 15 marking as standard; UK buyers should confirm their own import-side customs arrangements with their usual agent.
How long does delivery to the UK take?
Transit to the UK typically involves either a direct sea crossing from northern Spain or a road route through France to a Channel crossing, plus customs processing at the border — this makes it longer and more variable than an equivalent EU distance. We don't quote a fixed number of days for this route; contact us with your delivery point and we'll talk through timing for your specific order.
Is there a minimum order for UK shipments?
Pallets and pellets to the UK are typically supplied by the full truckload, in line with standard road-freight economics, though the load itself may combine a sea crossing rather than road throughout. Contact us with your target volume and we'll confirm what's workable for your order.
