[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":113},["ShallowReactive",2],{"copy:\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsheathed":3},{"path":4,"h1":5,"metaDescription":6,"kicker":7,"lede":8,"panel":9,"spec":22,"drawing":42,"photo":43,"sections":44,"faqs":89,"related":102,"sources":109},"\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsheathed","Sheathed plywood crates","Sheathed plywood crates: a lumber frame skinned in plywood or OSB for a closed, weather-shedding box. Members, loads, export marking and how to spec one.","Crate construction","A sheathed plywood crate is a lumber frame, skid and runners covered in plywood or OSB on all six faces, so the load sits in a closed box. It is the usual choice for machinery and equipment that must stay clean and dry on a long trip.",[10,13,16,19],[11,12],"Best for","Machinery, controls, finished goods",[14,15],"Walls","Plywood or OSB on a frame",[17,18],"Strength","Frame carries, sheathing closes",[20,21],"Export","Frame stamped, sheathing exempt",{"rows":23},[24,27,30,33,36,39],[25,26],"Members","Skid, runners, studs, rails, cleats, sheathing",[28,29],"Sheathing","Plywood or OSB, thickness set by load",[31,32],"Fasteners","Nails, screws, lag bolts to the skid",[34,35],"Seals","Barrier paper or film inside the walls",[37,38],"Closes with","Sheathed lid on a rail frame",[40,41],"Quote needs","Inside dimensions, gross weight, destination","sheathed",null,[45,50,60,65,70,75,80,85],{"h2":46,"paragraphs":47},"Frame first, skin second",[48,49],"The strength of a sheathed crate comes from the frame, not the panels. Runners and skid boards form the base. Studs stand on the end and side walls, tied by top and bottom rails, and diagonal members stiffen any wall that will carry racking loads. Only then does the sheathing go on.","Plywood or OSB is nailed or screwed to that frame on every face. The sheet adds shear stiffness, keeps weather out and gives a clean surface for markings. A good sheathed crate is a frame that happens to wear a skin, and a poor one is thin panels trying to behave as a frame.",{"h2":51,"paragraphs":52,"list":55},"What it carries well",[53,54],"Machine tools, CNC cabinets, press components, injection-moulding tooling, packaged pumps, switchgear and finished assemblies are the typical contents. The load is usually bolted to the skid, wrapped in VCI film or a barrier bag, and braced to the frame before the walls go on.","Because the walls are solid, you can seal the inside. Add desiccant, a humidity card and a tip indicator, and the crate becomes a small controlled environment. That is why sheathed construction is the default for anything with bare steel, a ground surface or electronics.",[56,57,58,59],"Fits: machinery with machined faces","Fits: electrical gear and control cabinets","Fits: ocean freight where condensation is a threat","Wrong: very light loads where tare drives cost",{"h2":61,"paragraphs":62},"Tare, cube and the cost of a closed box",[63,64],"Sheets add weight. Every face carries a panel, and heavier loads call for thicker sheet and a closer stud pattern. A sheathed crate has more tare than slatted or wirebound builds with the same inside dimensions, and it shows on a weight-based freight bill.","Wall thickness also eats cube. Add frame, sheet and cleats around the load's inside dimensions and the outside footprint grows on every axis. On air freight that adds to dimensional weight, so the estimator trims clearances before anything else: a snug fit with proper blocking beats a roomy crate with filler.",{"h2":66,"paragraphs":67},"Export marking when part of the crate is exempt",[68,69],"NELMA lists plywood, particleboard, OSB, flakeboard and veneer as exempt from ISPM 15. The sheathing therefore needs no treatment mark. The frame, runners and skid are solid lumber and do not share that exemption, so they must be heat-treated and carry the IPPC stamp.","That stamp goes on a minimum of two opposite sides of the finished crate, per NELMA. We place it on frame members that stay visible through any cleats. Because sheathing is exempt and lumber is not, a customs inspector may look at the skid first. Our page on the plywood exemption covers the rule in more detail.",{"h2":71,"paragraphs":72},"Weak points to check on the drawing",[73,74],"Sheets fail at the fasteners and at the corners. Nails pulled through thin plywood let a wall bow. A lid with no rail under its edge will dish when a fork catches it. A skid that lacks fork pockets on the long side forces drivers to lift from the end and strain the base.","We place a fastener schedule on the spec, add cleats at panel seams where load travels, and set lag bolts into the skid through the load's own feet. If you need a view of the contents at the destination, a sheathed crate can still have a removable panel or a marked access side.",{"h2":76,"paragraphs":77},"Sheathed versus cleated plywood",[78,79],"The close neighbour is the cleated plywood crate, where panels are framed in cleats and then assembled into a box. Cleated panels use less framing and are lighter for a given strength, and they suit smaller, lighter loads. A sheathed crate has a continuous load-bearing frame and is the stronger answer for a heavy item that must stand its own weight.","In practice the breakpoint is the load: a modest, shock-sensitive instrument may be fine in a cleated box, while a machine that weighs as much as a small car belongs on a framed skid with studs and rails.",{"h2":81,"paragraphs":82},"Opening, inspecting and resealing",[83,84],"A sheathed crate hides its contents, so receiving staff rely on the markings: arrow, fragile warnings, tip indicator status and the stencilled centre-of-gravity mark. A tripped indicator is worth a photograph before the lid comes off. Unscrew rather than pry, so panels survive for resealing.","Inside, expect a bagged load, a desiccant pouch and a humidity card. If the card has changed colour, note it and keep the bag intact for the claim. Resealing a used crate calls for fresh barrier paper, new screws and a replacement desiccant, because spent desiccant protects nothing on the next voyage.",{"h2":86,"paragraphs":87},"What we ask for",[88],"Give us the inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, the gross weight in pounds and the destination country, plus quantity and date. Tell us if the load needs a vapour barrier, a centre-of-gravity mark or tie-down points through the base. We record the full spec so a repeat order matches the first.",[90,93,96,99],{"q":91,"a":92},"Is the plywood treated for export?","Plywood and OSB are exempt from ISPM 15 under NELMA's list, so they carry no treatment stamp. The frame and skid are lumber and are stamped.",{"q":94,"a":95},"Can a sheathed crate be made airtight?","It can be sealed against weather with barrier film and a lined lid, but a wood crate is not a pressure vessel. For corrosion control use VCI and desiccant inside.",{"q":97,"a":98},"How thick is the sheet?","Thickness follows load and unsupported span, and goes on the written spec. Heavier loads get a thicker sheet and a closer stud pattern.",{"q":100,"a":101},"Can it be reused?","Often, if panels are screwed rather than nailed. Tell us at quote time so we choose fasteners that come apart without tearing the sheet.",[103,104,105,106,107,108],"\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fcleated-plywood","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fslatted","\u002Fexport\u002Fplywood-exemption","\u002Fexport\u002Fispm-15-crates","\u002Fcrates\u002Fheavy-duty",[110],{"label":111,"url":112},"NELMA: wood packaging inspection program","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelma.org\u002Finspection-programs\u002Fwood-packaging\u002F",1794178337064]