Crate spec ticket
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | Pounds, as loaded |
| Destination | Country, and ro-ro, breakbulk or box |
| Base | Skid with tie-down points |
| Export | HT lumber when stamped solid wood is used |
| Delivery | Built or knockdown to your dock |
Baltimore is a breakbulk and ro-ro port
Baltimore handles containers at Seagirt, yet it is better known for cargo that does not fit a box: farm and construction machinery, autos, trucks, boats and heavy project pieces moved ro-ro or breakbulk. The Dundalk terminal and other berths take that freight.
For crate buyers that means two lanes with two sets of rules. A container crate must fit the door and stacking plan; a breakbulk crate must survive a crane hook, a lashing chain and weeks on a pier.
Crates that meet a crane
Breakbulk crates are lifted by sling, chain or spreader and then lashed on deck or in a hold. The skid needs lift points that match the rigging plan, runners that do not crush under tie-down tension, and diagonal bracing on the walls.
We build with solid-lumber frames and heavy skids for these moves, lag bolts through the machine feet, and external tie-down points that carry chain loads on the frame rather than the sheathing.
Farm, construction and mining equipment
Equipment manufacturers in the mid-Atlantic and farther inland send attachments, implements, engines and parts to Baltimore for export. Implements are wide and awkward, often shipped with tines or blades that stick out past the frame.
We crate the unit on a heavy skid with sheathing around sharp edges and open slats where air flow helps, and we label the centre of gravity. If the buyer accepts partial disassembly, a knockdown crate cuts cube and freight.
I-95, I-70 and Baltimore's tunnels
I-95 and I-895 pass under the harbor through tunnels, and hazardous-materials restrictions send some trucks onto the beltway. Heights, widths and routes decide whether a built crate can reach the berth at all.
We note the finished crate height and width on the spec so your trucker can route correctly. For loads close to a limit, we recommend a lower crate profile or a knockdown design assembled at the terminal.
Rail and inland connections
Rail reaches the port, and westbound lines carry containers inland. The metro also feeds Pennsylvania and the Ohio valley by interstate. Shippers often truck a crate to Baltimore from a plant a few hundred miles away.
A long drive on an open-deck trailer means weather exposure. We seal the crate edges, add a water-shedding lid and spec a tarp-ready top frame so the load does not hold rain.
Air freight from BWI
BWI Thurgood Marshall handles air cargo for replacement parts, test gear and urgent shipments. Smaller crates leave the metro this way, usually within hours of a call.
Air carriers rate on dimensional weight, so the crate stays lean: cleated plywood, a light skid and a tight interior. We check the height against aircraft contour limits.
Protecting steel and iron through a coastal stay
Machinery that waits on a Baltimore pier sits in salt air, summer humidity and winter wet. Bare machined surfaces such as shafts, ways and flange faces will flash-rust long before the vessel leaves. A coating of rust preventive, a wrap of VCI film and a measured bag of desiccant do most of the work, with the crate sealed closed around them.
We write the protection method onto the crate spec along with the expected dwell, which you tell us when you know the vessel schedule. Longer stays get heavier wrap and a sheathed outer skin; short hops by truck to a berth can ride in a slatted crate that lets the load breathe.
Used equipment and reconditioned crates
Baltimore is a common exit point for used equipment sold overseas, from excavators' attachments to shop machines. A reused crate may be fine for the first leg, but replaced boards on an export crate need their own heat-treatment stamp under NELMA's rules, and we do not promise a mark on a used crate before we see it.
If you hold a crate from an earlier shipment, send photos and the original dimensions with the quote request. We tell you whether to rebuild, repair or start over, and what the receiving country will expect to see.
Quote notes for Baltimore shippers
Provide inside dimensions in inches, gross weight in pounds, destination country, whether the cargo moves ro-ro, breakbulk or container, quantity and your dock date.
Crates are built to order and delivered to your dock in the metro. We record the lift points and lash points on the spec, so a repeat order is rigged the same way.
Questions buyers ask
Can you crate machinery for a ro-ro vessel?
Many ro-ro loads travel uncrated, but parts, attachments and wheeled units sometimes need protection. Tell us the carrier's requirement.
Do breakbulk crates need special lifting points?
Yes. We build skid lift points and external tie-downs to the rigging plan you supply.
Do you keep crate stock in Baltimore?
No. Crates are built to order and delivered to your dock in the metro.