Crate spec ticket
| Tool | Injection mold, stamping die, forging die or fixture |
|---|---|
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H, closed, with lifting eyes |
| Gross weight | Tool plus crate; often dense for its size |
| Base | Heavy skid with bearers under the tool plates |
| Surface care | Rust preventive, VCI paper and bag |
| Closing | Shipping clamps, closing blocks, straps |
| Destination | Country, for lumber stamping |
A small crate for a very heavy tool
Hardened tool steel is dense. A mold that fits on a desk can outweigh a car engine, and the weight sits in a compact block with no soft spots to take a fork. The skid has to be built for that: heavy bearers close under the base plate, and a deck thick enough that it does not flex.
Because the cube is small and the weight is high, tooling is often charged by weight and not size. That is why we ask for gross weight before inside dimensions on a quote for a mold.
Large stamping dies for automotive panels, multi-stage progressive dies and small precision inserts each need a different base. A die set for body panels can run long and low, with a footprint wider than the skid, so overhangs are supported by outriggers. Tell us the die's footprint and how many stations or cavities it carries.
Protecting cavities, cores and faces
The polished cavity and core are the whole value of a mold. We clean them, coat them with a rust preventive recommended for the steel and wrap the working faces in VCI paper. Nothing hard touches a cavity: no timber, no strap, no loose bolt. Lifting eyes are the only things that need to stay free.
Dies carry sharp edges and punches. Punches are covered with guards or removed, die faces are oiled and shielded with a rigid board so it cannot rub, and any exposed spring or guide pin gets a rubber boot.
- Cavity and core faces cleaned and coated
- VCI paper on every polished surface
- Water lines drained, blown out and plugged
- Hot-runner manifolds and wiring boxed separately
- Lifting eyes visible and tested
Closed, clamped and bolted
A mold ships closed. Shipping clamps or straps lock the halves together so they cannot swing, and closing blocks keep the faces off each other. Where the mold has moving components, such as slides, lifters or ejector plates, they are retracted and secured per the tool maker's notes.
The base plate is then lag bolted to the skid through its clamping slots, or the tool is held with steel angle brackets bolted down. Timber blocking against the sides of the tool takes the sideways shock.
Rust control on a long journey
Tool steel rusts quickly once the film breaks. We seal the whole tool in a barrier bag with desiccant sized to the air inside, and place VCI emitters near the cavity. The [VCI guide](/guides/rust-prevention-vci) explains why a bag with a small hole can be worse than no bag.
A sheathed lid is often added for sea freight, because deck cargo meets salt spray. The [skid-base crate](/crates/types/skid-base) with a closed lid is the standard build, and a [solid-lumber crate](/crates/types/solid-lumber) is chosen when the tool is exceptionally heavy.
Lifting and marking
Molds are lifted by overhead crane and eyebolts, so the crate has a removable lid or a roof frame with a gap for the hook. Sling points are marked, the centre of gravity is shown on two sides and a do-not-stack mark goes on the lid. ISO 780 pictograms complete the set, as the [crate markings guide](/guides/crate-markings) explains.
Tell us the tool's shipping orientation. A die that must stay flat is marked this-way-up and never tilted on a forklift.
Inserts, spare cores and loose parts
A mold rarely ships alone. There are inserts, spare cores, ejector pins, hot-runner controllers, water manifolds, sprue bushings and a set of paperwork. Each goes in its own labelled box, padded and fixed inside the crate, so nothing drifts into the tool face. Spare parts are tagged with the mold number, and the inventory list goes in a pouch on the wall.
If the mold travels to a molder for a trial run and then comes home, say so. We can build the crate for the round trip, with lid hardware that survives opening and closing, and keep the interior layout on file so the return packing is identical.
Ask also about humidity cards: a card inside the bag lets the toolroom confirm the atmosphere stayed dry, and a missing card is a reason to inspect the cavity before any press time is booked.
- Inserts and spare cores boxed with VCI paper
- Ejector pins and sprue bushings counted and bagged
- Water fittings capped
- Hot-runner controller and cabling in a separate box
- Mold number on every loose part
Questions buyers ask
Why do molds ship closed?
Closing protects the cavity and core faces from damage and keeps loose parts from swinging, provided the halves are clamped.
What rust preventive do you use?
We use a product suited to the steel and ask what your tool maker recommends. It goes on after the faces are cleaned.
Can you crate a mold and its hot runner together?
The tool and the manifold are packed in the same crate but in separate compartments.
What do you need for a quote?
Inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, gross weight in pounds, destination country, quantity and date needed.