Knockdown crates

What knockdown means in crating

A knockdown crate is designed to come apart. Each face is its own panel with its own frame, and a base panel carries the skid. The joints are mechanical: screws into pre-drilled cleats, carriage bolts through the corners, or metal clips that tie one panel to the next.

Nothing is glued or clenched. That is the difference from a nailed crate, where a pry bar destroys boards on the way out. A knockdown box can be built up, opened, flattened and built again.

Why shippers choose it

Flat panels stack. A pallet of panels takes a small share of the floor that a built crate would, and it rides on a truck for much less money per crate. A plant that packs machines at several sites gets the kits delivered once, then assembles around each unit as it is ready.

The same logic suits export agents packing at the customer's dock, field service teams returning equipment, and any programme where a crate is needed at a place we cannot reach with a built box. A numbered panel set and a one-page assembly sheet mean a trained packer builds it in the right order.

• Remote or multi-site packing
• Low storage footprint before use
• Repeat programmes with identical loads
• Crates that return flat after delivery

How the panels are built

Each panel is a rectangular frame of cleats with plywood or boards fixed to it. Frame size is held to a tight tolerance, because a panel that is a quarter of an inch out will not close. Corner joints use overlapping cleats so a bolt passes through two or three layers instead of one.

The base panel is the heavy one. It carries a skid or runners and the fork entries, and the load is lagged to it. Side and end panels are lighter. The lid sits on a perimeter rail, locked down with screws that go through the lid cleats into the walls.

Where a knockdown crate gives ground

Joints are the weak point. A built crate is a rigid box; a knockdown crate is a set of panels held by fasteners, and a corner can open under a hard side impact. For very heavy loads, a permanent skid-base crate is a stronger answer.

Reassembly is a second risk. Panels used the wrong way round, a missed screw or a stripped hole all reduce strength. We counter this with numbered panels, a hardware count in each kit and a fastener schedule on the sheet. For loads with a shock rating or a long sea voyage, tell us and we will recommend whether to knock down or build.

Tare, cube and export

Once assembled, a knockdown crate has a little more tare than a nailed crate of the same size, because of the extra cleats and hardware at each joint. Cube is the same as a built crate, but the cube saved in transit before use is large.

Lumber members take heat treatment and the IPPC stamp. NELMA asks for stamps on a minimum of two opposite sides of the finished crate, so we mark panels so that the stamp lands on opposite faces when the box is up. Plywood panels are exempt. If a panel is replaced later with new boards, those boards need their own mark.

Knockdown versus returnable

A returnable crate also bolts together, but it is built for dozens of trips and fitted with plant-grade hardware. A knockdown crate is built to go flat once or a few times and keep the cost of storage low. If you plan a loop between two plants, read the returnable page. If you want flat freight to a packing site, stay here.

Packing day: what the crew needs

Plan the packing day before the kit arrives. Clear a floor area at least as large as the base panel, bring a cordless driver with the right bits, a socket set for carriage bolts, a tape measure and a level. Lay out the hardware bag and check its count against the sheet before touching a panel.

Build the base first, set and lag the load, install blocking, then raise the walls in the order the numbers say. The lid goes on last. If a hole strips, move one fastener over rather than forcing the screw. Save the sheet, because the next crew will want it, and tally any parts left over before the crate is sealed.

Ordering a kit

Give us the inside dimensions in inches, the gross weight in pounds, the destination and how many kits you want per release. We prepare the assembly sheet, number the panels and record the specification so every later kit matches the first.