How to measure a load for a shipping crate

Measure the load, not the pallet under it

A crate is sized around what goes in it. If the machine sits on a shipping pallet or on its own feet, measure the load together with whatever stays under or on it for the trip. Do not measure the old pallet and assume the machine matches; pallets overhang, and machines overhang pallets.

Take each dimension at the furthest point. A control cabinet with a door that swings out measures to the door's closed position. A pump with a motor bolted to one end measures to the motor's end cap. Write the numbers as length, width, height, in inches, and note which face of the load each one came from so the builder can match your orientation.

The measuring order

Use a steel tape that reads in inches and fractions, a straight edge and a second person on anything over a few feet. Work in the same order every time so no dimension is skipped when you are chasing a deadline.

1. 01
   Clear the load

   Remove loose parts that will ship separately, and decide now what comes off. A boom, an antenna or a guard that is detached before shipping shrinks the crate, but it also becomes its own piece to pack and label.

2. 02
   Measure length and width

   Run the tape along the longest and widest points, using the straight edge to carry the line past any overhang. Record to the nearest quarter inch and round up, never down.

3. 03
   Measure height

   Measure from the floor, or from the bottom of the shipping base, to the highest point. If the height is critical, tell the builder, since a tall load may be carried lying down on a different base.

4. 04
   Record the projections

   List every handle, fitting, eyebolt and pipe stub that sticks out. These set where blocking can and cannot press.

5. 05
   Weigh and balance

   Get the gross weight from a scale if you can, or from the plate and the options list if you cannot, and mark the centre of gravity as height above the base and distance from each end.

6. 06
   Photograph and send

   Take one photo from each side with the tape in view. Photos catch what numbers miss, such as a tapered shoulder or an uneven base.

Inside dimensions and clearance

Inside dimensions are the load's measured size. The crate's inside space is larger, because the load needs room for blocking, bracing, cushioning and, on an export crate, a barrier bag. How much room depends on the weight, how fragile the load is, which faces can take pressure and whether the crate will be lifted by a forklift, a crane or a sling.

We do not give a single allowance for every load. The builder sets it from the load, writes it into the crate spec and keeps that on file. A cast iron housing that can be blocked hard against its feet needs very little. A load with an exposed gauge, a glass panel or a precision spindle needs more room and softer contact.

Gross weight and centre of gravity

Gross weight is the load as it ships: the machine, its bolt-on options, fluids that stay in it, fasteners, any tooling in the same crate. Do not give net weight from a catalogue when the unit ships with a loaded accessory kit. The builder uses weight to size the skid and to place the runners, and the carrier uses it on the bill of lading.

The centre of gravity matters because a crate tips about it. A lathe has its mass low and near the middle. A press with a tall head has its mass high. Give height above the base and offset from the centre in each direction. The builder places the centre-of-gravity mark on the outside of the crate so a driver or rigger knows where to expect the weight.

Lift points and how the crate will be moved

Tell the builder how the load comes off the floor at your end and at the destination. A load with fork pockets is lifted differently from a load with a top eye, and the crate has to allow the same path. The skid is built with clear forklift entry on the sides the carrier will use, and a heavy crate gets sling points that are marked on the outside.

If the load will be loaded into a container, mention it. Dock height, door size and floor loading all matter for the crate's outside dimensions, and a container load plan may drive a smaller height than the machine wants. The forwarder's load plan is useful input at this stage, not after the crate is built.

A worked example

Take a vertical machining head measuring 72 x 48 x 60 in as shipped, with a gross weight of 3,400 lb. Those figures are an example, not a typical crate. The load has a heavy base casting and a tall column, so the centre of gravity sits above the middle height, and the head projects past the base on one side.

From those numbers the builder would decide the crate's inside space with room around each face, choose a skid and runner arrangement for a weight in that range, add blocking at the base casting and bracing for the column, and mark the centre of gravity and sling points on the outside. The final outside dimensions would be quoted back so that you can check them against the container or truck. Different loads of the same outside size will get different crates.