Crate spec ticket
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
|---|---|
| Gross weight | Pounds |
| Destination | Mexico, Gulf port or air |
| Wood | HT, stamped, for overseas |
| Pack | VCI, desiccant, or none |
| Quantity | Single or repeat run |
Where San Antonio freight goes
San Antonio sits where I-35 and I-10 meet, and almost all of its freight is trucked. South on I-35 is Laredo, 150-odd miles away, and the gateway to Mexico's industrial north; east on I-10 is Houston and its port; north on I-35 are Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. San Antonio International Airport handles air cargo, and Union Pacific serves the metro by rail.
Because the port is far, crates built here typically see more trucking than most. Plan on a crate that stands up to being lifted with a forklift several times between the shipper's dock and the final consignee.
Automotive and aerospace work
The metro has a large automotive assembly presence and a supply chain around it, along with aircraft maintenance and aerospace component work, and a broad base of machinery, metal fabrication and electronics. These are the loads crated: axle and drivetrain components in returnable crates, fabricated brackets in bulk, engine assemblies on skids, tooling and fixtures that cross the border.
Auto parts are usually crated in volume, to the same inside dimensions each time. That is where standard sizes and repeat specs pay off: we write the spec down, and a reorder is built the same way.
- Returnable crates with hinged sides for plant-to-plant moves
- Skid-base crates for engines and gear cases
- Cleated plywood crates for fixtures and tooling
- Bulk standard sizes for fabricated parts
Crating problems on the I-35 corridor
The I-35 run to Laredo is a heavy-truck lane, and crates on it get tipped, strapped hard and double-stacked. A crate for a flatbed needs a bottom that can take forklift forks from all four sides, or a clearly marked fork direction when it cannot. Top loads should be avoided by stencilling, with a tip indicator for loads that cannot tolerate lean.
Humidity and Texas heat both work against steel parts. Pack machined faces in VCI wrap or a barrier bag and calculate desiccant for the volume. Open trailers see sun and rain, so we sheath the roof.
Mexico and the maquiladora supply chain
Many San Antonio shippers send parts to plants in northern Mexico. Cross-border shipments carry customs paperwork, so we put the crate's gross weight, its contents description and its marks where the broker can read them. Pictograms from ISO 780 let a receiver who does not read English know which way is up.
Whether your wood needs treatment for Mexico is a question for APHIS and the destination plant-protection authority. If you want HT lumber and an IPPC stamp regardless, say so in the quote request and we will build with it.
Delivery to your dock in San Antonio
We build to order and deliver crates, assembled or in knockdown kits, to the shipper's dock in San Antonio and the surrounding area. We hold no yard or facility in the metro. If your dock is tight, a kit with numbered panels and a hardware bag goes in easily and your own crew closes it around the load.
For short-run needs, tell us the date needed with the quantity, and we confirm what can be built to meet it.
Air cargo from San Antonio International
San Antonio International is not a hub on the scale of DFW or IAH, so many air shipments are trucked to those airports. Whichever way you go, air freight is priced by dimensional weight and the crate should follow the load closely. A sheathed crate with close blocking inside, instead of an oversize box with fill, is both cheaper to fly and safer.
Tell us the airline or forwarder's size limits at quote time and we design to them.
Reconditioned and used crates in the metro
Plants in San Antonio that receive equipment in crates often have the crates left over. A sound crate can be reused for the next outbound shipment, but only when the lumber, cleats and skid are still true and the joints hold. We inspect the member list before we quote a reuse: runners with split ends, cleats with pulled nails and sheathing with holes come out.
For export, a reworked crate raises a stamping question. Boards that replace old ones need their own heat-treatment stamp, which NELMA treats as a remanufacturer's responsibility, so we route that question through the quote and not through a promise on the web page.
What to send us for a San Antonio quote
Three numbers start every estimate: the load's inside dimensions in inches, its gross weight in pounds, and the destination country. Add the quantity and the date needed. If the load has a protruding handle, lifting eye or overhang, mention it, because the crate cap has to clear it.
A photograph of the load on its pallet helps when the shape is odd, but it never replaces the measurements. A tape across the widest points of the load, taken before it is wrapped, saves a second round of questions.
Questions buyers ask
How far is San Antonio from Laredo?
About 150 miles by road on I-35, which is why many San Antonio shippers build crates for a truck run across the border.
Do you ship returnable crates for auto parts?
We build them to order, with hinged or removable sides. The spec is kept on file for repeat runs.
Where do your San Antonio crates come from?
They are built to order and delivered to your dock; we do not run a facility in the metro.
What heat-treated wood do I need for Mexico?
Check APHIS and the Mexican plant-protection authority. We can supply HT lumber with IPPC stamps whatever the rule.