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Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Biosecurity and trade
  3. Import
  4. Importing goods
  5. Timber, bamboo and wood products
  6. Approved treatments for timber and wooden related products

Sidebar first - Import

  • Importing goods
    • Biological products
      • Application to change the end use of imported biological goods (repurposing)
      • Biological products forms
      • Biological Consultative Group
      • Checklist for importing biological materials
        • Animal Feed (including pet food, stockfeed, aquaculture feed and bait) checklist
        • Importing laboratory materials for use in non-laboratory animals
      • How to import animal derivatives and microbial goods into Australia - general information for importers
        • Application for transfer of biosecurity risk material
        • How to complete an Application to Import Biological Materials
      • Questions and Answers
    • Cats and dogs
    • External Territories
      • Indian Ocean Territories (IOT)
        • Import conditions for solanaceous produce
      • Norfolk Island produce
        • Risk assessment-fresh apples and pears
        • Risk assessment-fresh asparagus
        • Risk assessment-fresh beans and snowpeas
        • Risk assessment-fresh blueberries
        • Risk assessment-fresh broccoli and cauliflower
        • Risk assessment-fresh citrus fruits
        • Risk assessment-fresh fleshy vegetables
        • Risk assessment-fresh kiwifruit
        • Risk assessment-fresh leafy vegetables
        • Risk assessment-fresh mangoes
        • Risk assessment-fresh melons
        • List of permitted species of mushrooms and truffles
        • Risk assessment-fresh pineapples
        • Risk assessment-fresh root crops
        • Risk assessment-fresh stone fruits
        • Risk assessment-fresh strawberries and raspberries
        • Risk assessment-fresh table grapes
      • Application for permit: External territories
      • Import conditions for public consultation
    • Fertiliser
      • Chemical and mined fertiliser
      • Level 1 gold supply chains
      • Organic fertiliser
    • Food
      • How to import food
        • Food Import Compliance Agreements
          • FICA audits
      • Import requirements by food type
        • Importing food from New Zealand
        • Pure and highly concentrated caffeine products
        • Cereal grains and cereal products
        • Coconut and coconut meat
        • Coconut milk drinks
        • Cheese
        • Dried milk
        • Raw milk cheese
        • Fruits and vegetables
        • Berries
        • Pomegranate arils
        • Hemp seeds and oil
        • Dried herbs
        • Paprika and pepper
        • Honey
        • Human milk and human milk products
        • Powdered infant formula
        • Kava
        • Beef and beef products
        • Processed meat - cooked
        • Meat and edible offal
        • Cooked poultry meat
        • Cooked poultry pate, paste and liver
        • Raw beef and beef products
        • Processed meat - uncooked
        • Uncooked slow dry cured ham
        • Peanuts and pistachios
        • Sesame seeds and sesame seed products
        • Edible plant oil
        • Cassava chips
        • Tofu, soy bean curd, soy milk curd
        • Mini jelly cups containing konjac
        • Prohibited plants and fungi
        • Bivalve molluscs
        • Cooked crustaceans
        • Fish and crustaceans - aquaculture
        • Histamine susceptible fish
        • Processed finfish
        • Brown seaweed
        • Supplementary sports food
      • Documents and declarations
        • Full Import Declarations
        • Declaring the producer of imported food
        • IFIS importer declarations
        • Food safety management certificates
      • Inspection and testing
        • Imported Food Inspection Scheme
        • Book a laboratory
        • Food sampling
        • Failing food reports
        • Reconsideration and review of decisions
        • Holding orders
        • Surveys and data
      • Appointed analysts
        • Testing imported food samples
        • Conditions for appointment as an analyst
      • Foreign government certification
        • Mandatory government certification
        • Voluntary government certification
        • Applying for a certification arrangement
      • Notices
      • Legislation
    • Live animals and reproductive material
      • Animals on vessels
      • Application to import
      • Cats and dogs
      • Fees and charges
      • Fertile hatching eggs (poultry)
      • Horses
        • Importing horses - Notices to Industry and Forms
      • Invertebrates
      • Laboratory animals
      • Live aquarium (ornamental) fish
        • Approved Aquarium Chemicals, Treatments and Antibiotics
      • Livestock
      • Pet birds
      • Pigeons
      • Rabbits
      • Reproductive material (semen and embryos)
      • Transit and transhipment of animals through Australia
      • Unique or exotic pets
      • Zoo animals
    • Major resources and energy sector
      • Biosecurity Management Plan Template
      • Industry Cargo Inspection Report template
      • Industry Vessel Cleanliness Inspection Report Template
      • Sail-Away Report template
    • Motor vehicles, motorcycles and machinery
    • Movement advice animal transport equipment
    • Plants and plant products
      • Bulk grain
        • Bulk grain guidance and templates
        • Managing the biosecurity risks of imported bulk grain
      • Compliance-Based Intervention Scheme
        • Compliance-based intervention scheme (CBIS) for animal commodities
      • Cut flowers and foliage
        • Managing pests
        • Supply chain management system requirements
        • Importing cut flowers for commercial use guide
      • Food, drink and supplements
      • Fresh produce
      • Live plants
        • Approved sources of Phalaenopsis
        • Approved sources of tissue cultures free of media
        • Changes to import requirements to protect against Xylella
        • Live plant forms
      • Managing plant imports biosecurity risk
      • Plant-based animal feed
        • Guide to engaging and undertaking third party audits of processed plant-based stockfeed facilities
        • Infographic - importing processed plant-based animal feed
        • Plant-based animal feed and fertiliser forms
        • Requirements for facilities manufacturing and exporting processed plant-based stockfeed and their ingredients to Australia
      • Plant products applied to soils and plants
      • Seeds for planting
        • Coversheet for seed for planting consignments
        • Department approved seed purity testing laboratories
        • Emergency measures: Tomato brown rugose fruit virus
        • Emergency measures for tomato and capsicum seed: Tomato mottle mosaic virus Questions and Answers
        • International Clean Seed Pathway Workshop
        • Pathogen test request form
        • Reviewing laboratory test reports checklists
        • Seed contaminants and tolerance tables
        • Vegetable seeds policy review
      • Plant research material
      • Processing imported plant material in Australia
      • Timber, bamboo and wood products
        • Approved treatments for timber and wooden related products
          • Timber permanent preservative treatment requirements
            • Approved timber permanent preservative formulations
            • Timber preservation standards
        • Canadian Sawn Wood Certification Program (CSWCP)
        • Imports for non-commercial (personal) use
        • Types of timber, bamboo, and related products
        • Wooden articles import permit
    • Timber and bamboo packaging
      • Bark on timber packaging and dunnage
      • ISPM 15 for solid wood packaging
    • Uncooked prawns
      • Par-cooking BBC prawns
      • Uncooked prawn consignments

Approved treatments for timber and wooden related products

Treatment options, dosage rates, temperatures and durations can be found in the department's Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON). To establish which BICON case is relevant to your product you can refer to the types of timber and wood related products page.

Treatment providers

Some treatments (including methyl bromide or ethylene oxide fumigations, heat treatment, irradiation and cold storage) can only be carried out by offshore approved treatment providers or endorsed on an official government phytosanitary certificate. Other treatments (such as sulphuryl fluoride fumigation, kiln drying, immersion in boiling water and preservative treatments) may be performed by any commercial providers* who comply with the treatment and documentation requirements set out in BICON.

Post-entry biosecurity treatments must be performed at an Approved Arrangement site. Approved Arrangements are categorised according to the type of commercial operations being undertake​n and the various biosecurity activities or treatments that are authorised to take place at these facilities.

The department maintains a list of sites that have an arrangement with the department.

*For timber goods treated with sulphuryl fluoride in Italy, the department will only accept evidence of treatment on treatment certificates issued by providers on the offshore Brown marmorated Stink bug (BMSB) Treatment Providers Scheme or on a Phytosanitary Certificate.

Timber treatment options

Depending on the product and treatment options set out in BICON, some or all of the following treatment options may apply.

Type of TreatmentTreatment Description
Methyl bromide fumigation

Fumigants are pesticides in a gaseous state. The gas is exerted within the container in which the goods are being shipped (which must be fully sealed) or under an acceptable fumigation sheet.

Dosages (treatment x time) are based on the anticipated minimum ambient temperature that the commodities inside the fumigation enclosure will experience during the fumigation period.

These fumigants cannot be used on painted, varnished or glazed timber products as the finishes inhibit the penetration of the fumigant. For further details see the Biosecurity Methyl Bromide Fumigation Methodology and Guide.

Sulphuryl fluoride fumigation

Ethylene oxide fumigation

The product is placed in a chamber under vacuum (all air removed) and gas is exerted in controlled amounts.

Heat treatment

Dry or moist heat is applied to a product in a temperature controlled chamber or oven.

For biosecurity purposes timber and wooden related products must achieve a minimum core temperature in order to address biosecurity pest and pathogen concerns. For more information, see the department’s heat treatment standard.

Kiln drying

Timber is placed in a chamber where the temperature and humidity is controlled to reduce the moisture content of the timber, making it more durable.

Kiln drying is also known to be an effective treatment for insect, fungal and nematode timber pests.

For biosecurity purposes an approved temperature must reach the core of the timber and the duration of the treatment is proportional to the thickness of the timber.

Immerse in boiling waterThis treatment is only applicable to bamboo products. Raw material is immersed boiling water for an approved minimum duration.
Cold storage

Wooden articles are stored at an approved negative temperature for a number of consecutive days.

Cold storage cannot be used on consignments exported from cold environments. It is only an effective treatment for consignments exported out of countries with warm climates (tropical zones).

Ionising radiation (irradiation)

Certain rays (eg. gamma, x-ray) generate electromagnetic radiation that destroys living cells found in bacteria and pests.

This treatment does not require the use of chemicals or pressure. It does not change the temperature of the product and can be applied to goods that are packaged.

Permanent timber preservative

Permanent timber preservatives are applied to sawn, round or veneered timber through pressure impregnation or glueline treatments.

The department has strict requirements for permanent timber preservative treatments which specify acceptable application methods, chemical formulations, preservative penetration depths and preservative retention measurements to ensure that preservative treatments are capable of sufficiently addressing biosecurity concerns.

Documentary evidence of treatment

Check BICON for the specific documentary requirements for the chosen treatment. Documentation that you will need depends on the treatment, but can include:

  • acceptable treatment certificate
  • official government phytosanitary certificate
  • manufacturer’s declaration.


General enquiries

Call 1800 900 090

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Last updated: 04 November 2019

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.