Crate spec ticket
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | Pounds |
| Route | Canada by truck, rail, air or lake |
| Returnable | Yes or no |
| Pack | VCI, desiccant |
| Quantity | Series, with repeat |
The Detroit-Windsor corridor
Detroit faces Canada across the Detroit River. The Ambassador Bridge carries a large share of the commercial trucks that cross; the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel serves smaller vehicles, and the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, to the north, is a second heavy-truck crossing. I-75, I-94, I-96 and I-696 feed them, and rail tunnels under the river connect Detroit to Ontario's railways.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is the metro's air cargo gateway, and the Port of Detroit on the Detroit River handles lake and Seaway shipping in season. CN, CSX and Norfolk Southern are the rail carriers.
Automotive tooling, dies and parts
Detroit is known for automotive manufacturing, from vehicle assembly through stamping, powertrain and the tool and die shops that equip them. Stamping dies weigh many tons and travel between plants for repair and tryout. Powertrain components, fixtures, gauges and prototype parts fill the rest of the freight.
Crating for this sector is a repeat discipline. The same die goes out and comes back many times, and the same part ships daily. That favours specs written down and kept on file.
- Stamping dies: heavy solid-lumber crates with full-length runners
- Powertrain parts: returnable crates, stackable
- Gauges and fixtures: foam-lined cleated plywood crates
- Prototype parts: small cleated crates, one-off
Dies weigh more than the crate looks
A stamping die can weigh many tons while looking like a modest block of steel. We ask for gross weight first, then for the lifting provisions on the die itself: eyebolts, lift pockets, or none. The crate's skid is lag-bolted through to the die shoe where the design allows, and the runners are sized for the full weight at the die's centre of gravity.
Greasy surfaces get a coat of rust preventive and a wrap before blocking goes on. Rust on a die face is a rework job, and a good crate prevents it.
Returnable crates and just-in-time lines
Plants that feed assembly lines expect parts to arrive in an order and in a container that goes back. Returnable crates have hinged or removable sides, latches, reinforced corners and stencilled inventory. They stack, so the base and top are designed to nest.
Whether a returnable crate is worth building depends on how many trips it makes. Tell us the expected round trips and we will say whether a one-way crate would cost less overall.
Crossing into Canada
Crates going to Canadian plants cross with commercial invoices and customs paperwork, and Canada has its own rules on wood packaging for goods arriving from overseas. For US-origin goods shipped to Canada, check with APHIS and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Whatever the rule, marks should be plain: contents, gross weight, a centre-of-gravity mark and a tip indicator where needed.
Delivery across metro Detroit
Crates are built to order and delivered to the shipper's dock throughout metro Detroit, from Warren and Sterling Heights to Dearborn and Ann Arbor. There is no yard or facility of ours in Michigan. A knockdown kit works when a tool shop's door is smaller than the finished crate.
Tell us the pickup slot at the bridge or the airport and we work back from it.
Prototype and low-volume parts
Between production runs, Detroit engineering centres and prototype shops ship one-off parts: a hand-built manifold, a clay-to-metal casting, a test rig. These get small cleated plywood crates built to the part, with foam beds cut to hold it. The crate is a one-time job and so is its spec, which we still write down in case the part comes back.
Speed matters more than repeatability here. Send the inside dimensions and gross weight early and we plan the build around your ship date.
What a Detroit quote needs
Give the inside dimensions of the load in inches, its gross weight in pounds and where it goes. Add the quantity, the date and whether the crate returns. For Canada, include the carrier's pickup window at the bridge.
If a customer's packaging standard applies, attach it. A supplier manual often dictates the base, the closure and the label position.
Questions buyers ask
Which crossings does Detroit freight use?
The Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron are the main routes, plus rail tunnels.
Can you build returnable crates for plant-to-plant moves?
Yes, with hinged sides, latches, reinforced corners and a stencilled inventory.
What goes into a die crate?
A full-length runner skid, bolting through to the die shoe, rust preventive and wood kept off the die faces.
Do you have a Detroit yard?
No. We build to order and deliver to your dock.