Crating and export crates in Savannah

Garden City Terminal and the Savannah River

Garden City Terminal, on the Savannah River upstream of the city, handles containers for a large inland market. Georgia Ports Authority rail connects the terminal to inland yards, and trucks line up along the approach roads from I-16 and I-95.

A crate in Savannah usually goes on to a container within a day or two. The weather is hot and wet for much of the year, so we seal the lid and seams and leave the inside room for desiccant.

Ocean Terminal, ro-ro and breakbulk

The Ocean Terminal and other berths take roll-on, roll-off cargo and breakbulk: machinery, vehicles, large industrial pieces. Those loads are lifted by crane and chained down, not stuffed into a box.

Crates for that route get solid-lumber frames, lift points that match the rigging plan, and tie-down locations on the skid itself, so chain tension never loads the sheathing.

Aircraft and aerospace freight

Savannah is home to a major business-jet manufacturer and its suppliers, and shipments include interior components, tooling, test fixtures and engine parts. These crates must protect finishes and tolerances.

We build sheathed and cleated-plywood crates with strongbacks, soft-contact blocking and VCI wrap, and mark upright faces and centre of gravity. The written spec preserves each choice for repeat orders.

Heavy industry along the river

Paper and pulp, chemicals, and heavy machine fabrication cluster along the river and the Port Wentworth side of the metro. Crates here carry rolls, valves, gearboxes and welded frames.

Gross weight drives lumber size, so please send an honest figure including the skid and fixtures. We design for the weight you give and the lift method you will use.

Inland rail and the I-16 corridor

Rail from the terminal feeds Atlanta and the Midwest, and I-16 links Savannah to Macon and Interstate 75. Some crates built for Georgia plants come back through the port after a long truck trip.

We specify strapping notches and a top that can bear stacked weight, as those crates will be handled by terminals along the way.

Air freight through Savannah/Hilton Head

The airport serves air cargo to a degree, and jet-industry shippers use it for urgent parts, though larger exports often truck to Atlanta. Crates for air shipments are lean.

We keep cube down with plywood panels, check against aircraft contour limits when you name the carrier, and add tip indicators.

Humid ports and what it does to steel

Savannah's summers are long and damp, and a container parked on a terminal apron turns into a warm, humid box by midday. Moisture condenses on cold steel overnight and runs into the crate if the seams are open. Bare steel can show surface rust within days.

We answer with a closed crate, sealed lid joints and an interior barrier: VCI film or a foil barrier bag around the load, plus desiccant sized to the air inside. On long ocean legs, we add a humidity card so the receiving crew can see whether the crate stayed dry.

Paper, packaging and food-line machinery

The coast between Savannah and the Georgia Ports Authority's inland yards hosts paper mills, packaging plants and food-processing lines. Their machinery ships as rolls, drives, cutting heads and stainless frames.

Cutting heads and doctor blades need edge protection, stainless frames need clean wood contact, and drives need upright shipping so oil stays in the sump. Each of those details goes onto the written spec, along with the lift method.

Quote notes for Savannah shippers

Plants and warehouses sit on both sides of the river, from Port Wentworth and Garden City to the Hutchinson Island side and out along I-95. Bridges, rail crossings and port truck traffic can slow the last mile, so plan crate delivery with a window rather than a time.

Tell us whether you have a loading dock, a ground-level door or only a yard. A built crate goes to a dock with a forklift; a knockdown kit suits a yard or a shop with a hand pallet jack and a crew that can bolt panels around the machine.

Send inside dimensions, gross weight, destination, quantity, whether the load goes by container, ro-ro or air, and the date you need the crate.

Crates are built to order and delivered to your dock in the metro. For overseas lanes, solid-wood parts need an IPPC heat-treatment stamp where required; plywood is exempt.