Crating services across the US

How a national crating desk serves a local shipper

We run one desk for the whole country. A shipping manager in Houston and one in Minneapolis send us the same three numbers, the load's inside dimensions, its gross weight and the destination, and get a crate spec back. The crate is built to order and delivered to the shipper's own dock. We do not run a facility, yard or team in any of these metros, and the pages below do not claim one.

What differs from city to city is the freight picture. A Savannah load meets a container terminal, a Laredo load meets a border bridge, a Louisville load meets an air hub, and each of those puts different demands on the crate. Each metro page covers the ports, airports, crossings and industries of one place, so you can see what we plan for when we draw a crate for it.

How a crate reaches your dock

Every order follows the same sequence. You send the numbers, the quantity and the date you need. We write the crate spec down, confirm it with you, build it, and deliver it to the dock you name, either assembled or as a knockdown kit. The spec stays on file, so a repeat order is built the same way.

Assembled crates suit docks with wide doors and a forklift. Knockdown kits suit tight bays, clean rooms and loads that cannot move: the panels are numbered, the hardware is bagged and your crew closes the crate around the load. If you have a cut-off at a terminal or an airline, give us the date as well as the delivery date, and we work back from the earlier one.

1. 01
   Send the load's numbers

   Inside dimensions in inches, gross weight in pounds, destination country, quantity and date needed.

2. 02
   Name the gateway

   The port, airport or border crossing the load uses, and any cut-off.

3. 03
   Approve the spec

   We write down the members, wood, protection and marks, and keep it on file.

4. 04
   Receive at the dock

   The crate arrives built, or as a knockdown kit with numbered panels.

Metros by region and their main gateways

The table lists all 36 metros by region, with the gateways that most often decide how a crate is built. Gateways are named in general terms; your forwarder gives the exact terminal, flight or crossing for a given load.

Gulf and border metros

The Gulf group is built around Texas and Louisiana. Houston and New Orleans are port metros on deep-water channels, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio are inland metros that send freight south by truck and rail, and Laredo is where the I-35 corridor meets Mexico. Machinery, energy equipment and aerospace parts dominate the crates in this group.

Coasts, mountains and the interior

The West Coast group ships to Asia and the Pacific through container ports and cargo airports, with rain and salt air as the weather concerns. The Mountain group is landlocked, with long hauls to the coast and winter conditions to plan for. The Midwest and Great Lakes group is the largest and covers rail hubs, river barge terminals, lake ports and air hubs, along with the Detroit crossings into Canada.

Choosing the right crate for the gateway

The gateway changes the build more than the city does. Ocean freight rewards sealed, vented crates with corrosion protection and lashing points. Air freight rewards tight, light crates on a pallet-friendly base. A border crossing rewards reinforced skids, plain marks and wood that satisfies the receiving country's rule. Rail rewards a low profile and lashing points.

Where overseas rules apply, wood packaging commonly needs heat-treated lumber with the IPPC stamp. Plywood is exempt, according to NELMA. Which countries enforce the rule is a matter for APHIS and the destination's plant-protection authority.

What to include when you request a quote

Send the load's inside dimensions, its gross weight and the destination country, then the quantity, the date needed and the dock where the crate is delivered. If the load has a fragile face, a lifting eye, or a regulated component such as a battery, say so up front.