[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":115},["ShallowReactive",2],{"copy:\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsolid-lumber":3},{"path":4,"h1":5,"metaDescription":6,"kicker":7,"lede":8,"panel":9,"spec":22,"drawing":42,"photo":43,"sections":44,"faqs":88,"related":101,"sources":108},"\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fsolid-lumber","Solid-lumber crates","Solid-lumber crates are built from boards and timbers, not panels. See the members, the loads they carry, how they ship export and how to spec one.","Crate construction","A solid-lumber crate is built wholly from sawn boards and timbers, with no plywood panels in the walls. It is the toughest wood construction we build for rough handling, and every part of it must be treated and stamped for export.",[10,13,16,19],[11,12],"Best for","Rough handling, point loads",[14,15],"Built from","Boards and timbers only",[17,18],"Strength","High; thick members",[20,21],"Export","All parts HT, stamped",{"rows":23},[24,27,30,33,36,39],[25,26],"Members","Skid, runners, timbers, boards, braces",[28,29],"Walls","Closed or spaced boards, set by load",[31,32],"Fasteners","Nails, lag bolts, through-bolts",[34,35],"Board grade","Chosen for knots and splits",[37,38],"Stamp","IPPC mark on two opposite sides",[40,41],"Quote needs","Inside dimensions, gross weight, destination","solid-lumber",null,[45,50,60,65,70,75,79,84],{"h2":46,"paragraphs":47},"What counts as solid lumber",[48,49],"In this construction the frame and the walls are the same material: sawn wood. Timbers form the skid and runners. Studs and rails make the box. Boards, laid tight or with small gaps, close the faces. No sheet goods are used for structure.","The advantage is mass. Thick boards absorb a rap that would crack a plywood skin, and a nail driven into a board holds much better than one near the edge of a sheet. ASTM D6039 on open and covered wood crates describes the neighbouring family, and its approach to members and fasteners carries over.",{"h2":51,"paragraphs":52,"list":55},"Loads that need the extra wood",[53,54],"Dense, hard-to-damage cargo with sharp edges belongs here: castings, forgings, large fabricated steel, rail components, mining parts, heavy tooling and anything that will ride in an open yard or be moved by crane and chain. Point loads, where a small part of the load bears hard on the floor, are well handled by thick timbers.","The finish of the load matters less than its weight and edges. For goods that need a weather barrier, line the box with barrier paper or film and add desiccant. Boards are not a seal; gaps open as the wood dries.",[56,57,58,59],"Castings and forgings","Heavy fabricated steel","Rail and mining parts","Crane-handled loads in yards",{"h2":61,"paragraphs":62},"How the boxes are put together",[63,64],"A heavy skid sits at the base. Studs rise at the corners and at intervals along each wall, joined by rails at the top and bottom. Diagonal braces take racking loads. Boards run horizontally or vertically over the frame, fixed with nails, and with lag bolts or through-bolts at the highest-load joints.","Board grade matters. We reject boards with large knots at joints and splits near fastener lines. A knot at a nail line leaves a gap, and a split becomes a crack the first time the crate is dropped.",{"h2":66,"paragraphs":67},"Tare, cube and cost trade-offs",[68,69],"Solid lumber is heavy. Wall thickness is more than a sheet of plywood, and a full frame adds more again. Tare is the highest of the closed constructions we build, and the outside dimensions grow by the full depth of frame and board. If weight and cube are a pressure, ask whether a sheathed crate would do the job.","What you gain is durability and repairability. A broken board can be replaced in the field with a board and nails, a job no one does well on a damaged plywood sheet.",{"h2":71,"paragraphs":72},"Export: everything gets stamped",[73,74],"A solid-lumber crate has nothing exempt. The plywood and OSB exemption on NELMA's list does not help, because there is none in the build. Every member must be heat-treated and the finished crate must carry the IPPC stamp on a minimum of two opposite sides.","USDA APHIS defines heat treatment as a wood core temperature of at least 56 °C held for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you plan to reuse the crate and replace boards, new boards need their own HT mark. Used crates are a quote matter, not a promise on a web page.",{"h2":76,"paragraphs":77},"Solid lumber versus cleated plywood",[78],"Cleated plywood is lighter and tidier. It is the right call for instruments and moderate loads and costs less to ship. Solid lumber is for the load that fights back. If you wonder which side of the line your item sits on, a simple test works: if a fall of the crate from fork height would damage a panel, build in boards.",{"h2":80,"paragraphs":81},"Repair, reuse and board selection",[82,83],"Because the structure is plain boards and timbers, a solid-lumber crate can be inspected, repaired and reused more readily than many other builds. A split board is visible. A loose rail is easy to re-nail. A cracked runner shows daylight. Return programmes that put such crates through repair cycles can keep the same box in service for many shipments.","Board selection makes the difference. We favour straight-grained stock with small, tight knots, and we avoid wane at fastener lines, bark pockets and boards with end checks. Moisture content matters too: very wet boards shrink and open gaps, and very dry ones split when nailed. Mention the climate at the destination and we will take it into account.",{"h2":85,"paragraphs":86},"Ordering",[87],"Send inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, gross weight in pounds, destination country, quantity and the date needed. Tell us how it will be lifted and whether it will sit in the open. We keep the spec, board grade and fastener schedule on file for repeat orders.",[89,92,95,98],{"q":90,"a":91},"Is a solid-lumber crate stronger than a sheathed one?","For impact and point loads, usually yes. It is also heavier and has a larger footprint.",{"q":93,"a":94},"Does it need an IPPC stamp for export?","Where treated wood is required, yes. Every part is lumber and the finished crate is stamped on two opposite sides.",{"q":96,"a":97},"Can a damaged board be replaced?","Yes, but a replacement board needs its own HT mark for export. Ask at quote time.",{"q":99,"a":100},"Will gaps between boards matter?","For weather, yes. Add an inner barrier and desiccant if the contents must stay dry.",[102,103,104,105,106,107],"\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fcleated-plywood","\u002Fcrates\u002Ftypes\u002Fskid-base","\u002Fcrates\u002Fheavy-duty","\u002Fexport\u002Fheat-treated-crates","\u002Fguides\u002Fheat-treated-wood",[109,112],{"label":110,"url":111},"USDA APHIS: wood packaging treatment programs","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.aphis.usda.gov\u002Fplant-exports\u002Fwood-packaging-material\u002Ftreatment-programs",{"label":113,"url":114},"NELMA: wood packaging inspection program","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nelma.org\u002Finspection-programs\u002Fwood-packaging\u002F",1794178337175]