Crate spec ticket
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | Pounds, as loaded |
| Destination | Country, and port, airport or truck |
| Construction | Cleated plywood, sheathed or solid lumber |
| Export | HT stamp on solid wood, plywood exempt |
| Delivery | Built or knockdown to your dock |
One harbor, many terminals
The harbor takes container traffic at the Newark and Elizabeth terminals, with additional container work at Bayonne and a smaller Brooklyn footprint. Shippers in New Jersey are often minutes from the gate, while shippers in Manhattan, Long Island or the Hudson Valley face a bridge or tunnel first.
That difference decides crate delivery. A New Jersey plant can take a fully built crate on a straight truck; a Long Island loft needs a knockdown kit sized for a freight elevator.
Dense dock streets and freight elevators
Many New York loading docks are curb-height, shared or reached by lift. Trucks cannot always get a lift gate to the door, and building rules often limit delivery windows.
We ask early about the dock, the door width and whether the crate has to ride an elevator. If it does, we build with panels that fit the cab, a skid that can be pallet-jacked, and hardware in a labelled bag so the crew finishes the assembly beside the machine.
Pharmaceutical and chemical equipment
New Jersey is known for pharmaceutical, specialty chemical and flavor-and-fragrance manufacturing, and for the process equipment that supports them. These loads include stainless vessels, mixers, reactors and sealed instrument skids.
We crate them upright on skid bases with sheathed walls, put a strongback under the frame, and close the crate with a lid cut to shed water. VCI wrap and barrier bags protect polished surfaces from the humid air at the pier.
JFK and Newark Liberty air cargo
Both airports carry large volumes of belly and freighter cargo, and export air shipments from the metro include art-handling equipment, medical devices, test gear and urgent production parts. Air carriers rate on dimensional weight, so a bulky crate costs real money.
We keep cube down with cleated plywood and a light cleat frame, add tip indicators and a clear centre-of-gravity mark, and check the crate height against aircraft contour limits when you tell us the carrier.
The Turnpike corridor and rail
The New Jersey Turnpike, I-78, I-80 and I-95 hold the warehouse belt behind the port, and on-dock rail links the container terminals to inland markets. Crates move through cross-docks and transload sheds before they ever reach a ship.
Strapping notches, four-way fork entry and a closed lid on top let a crate take that treatment. When a lane needs stacked loads, we spec the top frame so it takes weight without crushing the load.
Export crates and the stamp
Solid wood in an export crate headed for most overseas destinations needs an IPPC stamp showing heat treatment, and plywood panels are exempt under the international standard. Check APHIS and the destination plant-protection authority for the country you ship to.
The stamp has to be on the crate before it reaches the terminal. We build with heat-treated lumber from the start, so a Newark gate-in or a container stuff at a New Jersey warehouse does not stop for paperwork.
Humidity, salt and the pier wait
Cargo that leaves through Newark, Elizabeth or Bayonne often sits in a container yard through a damp week. Salt-laden air blows off the harbor, and a crate that is not sealed will carry that moisture into the machine. We seal seams, close lids tight and place desiccant sized to the enclosed air.
For high-value equipment we add a barrier bag around the load before it goes in, so the moisture barrier is continuous even if the crate wall is breached. The details go onto the written spec for the next order.
Trade show gear and exhibits leaving the metro
New York hosts many exhibitions and fairs, and exhibitors ship display cases, kiosks, scale models and demo machines out afterward. Those crates are often returnable, with latches and fork pockets so they come back empty and ship again.
We build exhibit crates with a skid, plywood walls and interior blocking sized to the display, and put the order of unpacking on a label. If the load goes overseas, solid wood needs a heat-treatment stamp and plywood does not.
What to send for a quote
Give us inside dimensions, gross weight, destination, quantity and the date you need the crate. Include whether your dock has a lift gate, a ramp or a ground-level door.
Crates are built to order and delivered to your dock in the metro. For repeat shipments we keep the written spec on file so the next crate matches the last one.
Questions buyers ask
Can you deliver a knockdown crate to a Manhattan building?
Yes. Tell us the door width and elevator size and we cut panels to fit.
Which terminals do your crates go to?
Crates go to your dock; your forwarder or carrier then takes them to Newark, Elizabeth, JFK or another gateway.
Do plywood crates need an IPPC stamp?
Plywood is exempt under the international standard, but solid-wood skids and cleats are not. Confirm the destination's rules.