Crate spec ticket
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | Pounds |
| Shock limits | From the customer's spec |
| Route | Truck, rail or air |
| Pressure | Sealed-bag venting |
| Quantity | One-off or series |
The Front Range crossroads
Denver sits where I-25 runs north to Cheyenne and south to Colorado Springs and I-70 runs east to Kansas and west into the Rockies. I-76 joins Denver to the Nebraska line, and E-470 loops the eastern edge of the metro. Denver International Airport is among the large cargo airports of the interior, and BNSF and Union Pacific both serve the region. Ocean cargo goes to a coastal port by truck or rail.
Mountain driving shapes some choices. Winter closures on I-70 and chain rules on mountain passes can delay a truck by hours, so a crate meant for a western lane needs a roof and sheathing that withstand snow and road salt.
Space, aerospace and the Front Range's makers
Colorado is known for aerospace and space hardware, with satellite builders and launch-vehicle suppliers from Littleton to Boulder. Beyond aerospace, the metro has mining and oilfield equipment makers, brewing and food-processing equipment, scientific instruments, medical devices and a long tradition of machine shops in Golden and along the Front Range.
The aerospace share is what sets Denver apart. A spacecraft component is built to a documented shock and vibration envelope, and the crate is judged against that envelope. If your customer has a limit, send it with the quote request.
- Satellite parts: cleated plywood crates, foam isolation, shock indicators
- Mining equipment: heavy solid-lumber crates
- Brewing and process equipment: skid-base crates
- Instruments: small sheathed crates with desiccant
Crates for sensitive hardware
A crate for space hardware does more than hold the load. It controls contact, cleanliness and movement. Wood is kept off finished surfaces, loose fasteners are bagged and labelled, and the bag is sealed after inspection. Foam-faced blocking holds the load at its designated lift points and nowhere else.
We cannot qualify a crate for your shock envelope, and we do not claim to. We can build it to the drawing, fit the tip and shock indicators you specify and record the build on file so the next unit goes out the same way.
Altitude and sealed bags
A sealed barrier bag packed in Denver holds air at the pressure of a mile-high city. Carry that bag to sea level or fly it, and the bag swells or collapses against the load. Leave a way for the pressure to equalise, such as a vent in the bag, or use a bag rated for the change. This is a detail the packer decides on the dock, so tell us if your packaging spec already covers it.
Air cargo uses cargo holds that are pressurised to a lower pressure than sea level, and the same logic applies.
Rail and truck to the coast
Most Denver export containers go to ports on the Gulf or the Pacific, loaded at a plant or an intermodal ramp. A forwarder fixes the container type and cut-off; the crate fits inside with blocking at both ends. For rail, the crate should have lashing points on the skid and sit low enough that the stack stays within clearance.
Give us the routing at quote time, and we check the crate against it.
Delivery across the metro
We build crates to order and deliver them to the shipper's dock throughout the Denver metro, from Aurora and Commerce City to Boulder and Golden. No yard or facility of ours is located in the area. A knockdown kit suits a lab or a clean assembly floor where an assembled crate will not fit through the door.
The kit arrives with the base first and the walls following, so your crew can close the crate with the load inside.
Mining and energy gear from the Rockies
Machines that work in mines and oil and gas fields come back to Denver shops for repair and go out again. A rebuilt gearbox, a hydraulic cylinder, a set of wear plates: each is heavy for its size and arrives with grease and grit on it. We wrap the greasy surfaces, set the part on a skid with its mounting face accessible, and frame the crate so a forklift reaches it from two sides.
Remote sites rarely have a loading dock. Tell us whether the receiver unloads with a loader, a crane or a flatbed's own lift gate, and we set the fork pockets or sling points to match.
What a Denver request should list
Give the inside dimensions in inches, the gross weight in pounds and the destination country, plus quantity and date needed. If the contents have a shock, vibration or cleanliness limit, attach the sentence in your specification that states it.
Mention the dock the crate leaves from. A suburban lab with a ramp is different from an industrial dock with a leveller, and the crate's height determines whether it clears the door.
Questions buyers ask
Does Denver have a port?
No. Export cargo moves by truck or rail to coastal ports, or by air from Denver International Airport.
Can a crate meet a spacecraft shock requirement?
We build to the drawing and the indicators you specify. Qualification against a shock envelope is the shipper's job.
Why does altitude matter for packaging?
Sealed bags pack at Denver's pressure and may swell or collapse at sea level or in flight unless they can equalise.
Do you have a Denver shop?
No. We build to order and deliver to your dock.