Crate spec ticket
| Load size | Inside dimensions, length x width x height in inches |
|---|---|
| Load weight | Gross weight in pounds |
| Destination | Country, plus port or airport for export |
| Quantity | One-off or repeat run |
| Date needed | When the crate must be at your dock |
| Extras | Photo of the load, fixtures, mounting points |
Can I send a used crate overseas?
Sometimes, but the wood has to meet the destination's rule, and a used crate is the hard case. If the lumber carries a legible ISPM 15 stamp and has not been altered, it may be fine. If boards have been replaced or cut, the repaired crate is a remanufactured one, and the new boards need their own marks.
We never promise a treatment mark on a used crate before we have seen it. Send us photos, the stamp, and the dimensions with the quote request, and we tell you what can stay, what must be replaced, and whether a new crate is the cheaper route. Our used crates for export guide covers the checks.
Do you re-stamp crates?
A stamp cannot be added by anyone. It comes from a producer supervised by an accredited agency. NELMA states that a remanufacturer must re-stamp each component with its own agency-issued HT stamp, and that is why a patched crate with one old mark is not the same as a fully marked one.
In practice, we replace failed or unmarked members with new HT-marked lumber, and the finished crate is marked on a minimum of two opposite sides. We do not stamp wood we cannot trace, and we do not paint over or copy another producer's mark.
Should I choose an open crate or a sheathed one?
Choose open when the load is robust, the lane is dry and the crate must be cheap and quick to inspect. Slatted and open frames let a receiving crew see the load and let air move through. They suit castings, steel fabrications and palletised parts.
Choose sheathed when the load must be kept dry or clean, when it will go by sea, or when it is fragile enough to need a stiff wall. A sheathed crate has plywood or OSB over a cleated frame and keeps out rain, spray and dust. For sea freight, add a barrier bag and desiccant inside.
How do you crate machinery?
We start with the base. The machine is bolted or blocked to a skid with runners sized for the gross weight, so it does not shift on the forklift or in transit. Walls and lid follow, then blocking and bracing at the machine's mounting points, and a strongback if a crane lift is likely.
Bare steel and machined surfaces get VCI film or a barrier bag with desiccant. Controls, glass and gauges are padded or removed and packed in the same crate with their own marking. Give us the machine's inside dimensions, gross weight and any lifting points the maker specifies.
How do I stop rust on a crated machine?
Rust needs oxygen, moisture and bare metal. You remove the moisture. Clean and dry the machine, coat or wrap bare steel with VCI, seal the load in a barrier bag with desiccant, and keep the crate off the ground and drained.
The amount of desiccant depends on the volume of the bag and the time in transit, not on the crate. Our rust prevention and desiccant guides give the method, and we confirm the quantities when we write the spec for a sea lane.
What markings go on a crate?
Three kinds. Handling marks use ISO 780 pictograms: this side up, fragile, keep dry, centre-of-gravity mark, sling here. Shipping marks give the consignee, destination and case number. Where the wood rule applies, the IPPC stamp goes on a minimum of two opposite sides.
Keep each mark on a clean face, away from strapping and cleat edges, in a size the forklift driver can read from a few feet away. Our crate markings guide has the layout.
What freight class does a crated load ship under?
NMFC freight class for many commodities is based on density: the weight of the shipment against the cube it fills. Crating adds both weight and cube, so a crate can move a load into a different class. The class itself depends on what is inside, and your carrier or forwarder assigns it.
We give you the outside dimensions and tare weight of the finished crate so the class can be worked out on the real figures. Read our freight class guide before you book less-than-truckload space.
How do I measure my load for a crate?
Measure the load at its longest, widest and tallest points, including anything that sticks out: handles, pipes, mounting feet, antennas. Record length x width x height in inches. Add any fixture or skid the load already sits on.
Weigh it with those items included and give us gross weight in pounds. We add the clearance and blocking space. Do not add clearance yourself, since we size the walls to the load, not to a rounded number.
How long does it take and what does it cost?
Timing and price both depend on the crate type, the size, the quantity, the lumber and whether the build is export-rated. We do not quote either before we have the numbers, because a general figure would be wrong for most loads.
Send the date you need the crate at your dock when you request the quote, and we tell you if it can be met. Our pricing page explains what moves the cost up or down.
Questions buyers ask
What do you need to quote a crate?
Three numbers: the load's inside dimensions as length x width x height in inches, its gross weight in pounds, and the destination country. Add the quantity and the date you need it.
Do you build standard crate sizes?
Yes. We build standard sizes in quantity and custom crates to the load. Standard sizes make sense for repeated parts; custom crates are cut to the dimensions you give us.
Does my export crate need an ISPM 15 stamp?
That depends on the destination. Check with APHIS and the plant-protection authority of the receiving country, then tell us. We do not publish a list of countries.
Is plywood exempt from ISPM 15?
Yes. Plywood, OSB, particleboard and veneer are exempt, but the lumber skid, runners and cleats are not.
Do you sell decorative crates?
No. We sell industrial wood shipping crates only: custom, heavy-duty, standard sizes, ISPM 15 export and used crates. We do not stock decor crates, storage boxes or craft crates.