Crate spec ticket
| Your industry | Pick the nearest of the twelve below |
|---|---|
| Load | What goes in the crate, and how many |
| Inside dimensions | L x W x H in inches |
| Gross weight | Load plus crate, in pounds |
| Destination | Country, and whether by truck, sea or air |
| Paperwork | Any standard or specification the crate must meet |
| Date needed | When the crate must be on your dock |
Industries: every page
| Page | What it is for | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Machine builders | Typical loads: CNC, presses, lines, skids | Quote this |
| Aerospace | Typical loads: Engines, tooling, GSE, racks | Quote this |
| Automotive | Typical loads: Engines, dies, fixtures, panels | Quote this |
| Defense contractors | Typical loads: Electronics, spares, ground gear | Quote this |
| Oil and gas | Typical loads: Pumps, valves, wellhead, skids | Quote this |
| Power and utilities | Typical loads: Transformers, switchgear, gensets | Quote this |
| Medical equipment | Typical loads: Imaging, analyzers, tables | Quote this |
| Electronics and semiconductors | Typical loads: Racks, process tools, testers | Quote this |
| Museums and galleries | Typical loads: Paintings, sculpture, glass, stone | Quote this |
| Trade show exhibitors | Typical loads: Booths, demo units, counters | Quote this |
| Third-party logistics | Typical loads: Client freight of every kind | Quote this |
| Agricultural equipment | Typical loads: Implements, engines, pumps | Quote this |
How industry changes the crate
A crate is drawn from the load, and loads cluster by industry. A machine builder sends heavy steel on skids and worries about rust. An aerospace supplier sends light but costly parts and worries about shock and paperwork. A museum sends one object and worries about vibration, humidity and being able to open the crate again. The wood is the same; the spec is not.
This page runs through the twelve industries we build for, what each tends to put in a crate, and where to go next. Every quote starts from the same three numbers: inside dimensions L x W x H in inches, gross weight in pounds, and the destination country. We add quantity and the date you need it, write the spec down and keep it on file so a repeat order ships the same way.
The twelve industries
Machine builders crate lathes, presses, packaging lines and test rigs, usually in skid-base or sheathed crates for export, with VCI and desiccant against rust. Aerospace shippers send engine components, airframe parts and ground support equipment, where marking, traceability and cushioning are written into the purchase order. Automotive plants send tooling, dies, robot cells and powertrain parts, often in repeat patterns, so the crate spec is reused.
Defense contractors work to customer packaging specifications, and MIL-STD-2073 covers military packaging. We build to the drawing you supply. Oil and gas shippers send pumps, valves, wellhead parts and instrumentation to remote sites, sometimes by sea in deck cargo, so weather tightness and tough skids matter. Power and utilities ship transformers, switchgear, generators and turbines, where tip risk and moisture are the main enemies.
Typical crated loads by industry
The table is a starting point, not a rule. Your load may sit between two rows. The crate that suits it is the one that holds the load by its strong points, stops it moving, keeps weather off and carries the right marks.
| Industry | Typical crated loads | Common crate |
|---|---|---|
| Machine builders | Machine tools, presses, packaging lines | Skid-base, sheathed |
| Aerospace | Engine parts, airframe sections, ground equipment | Cleated plywood, sheathed |
| Automotive | Dies, robot cells, powertrain components | Skid-base, returnable |
| Defense contractors | Electronics, vehicles parts, spares kits | Sheathed, to specification |
| Oil and gas | Pumps, valves, wellhead parts, skids | Skid-base, solid-lumber |
| Power and utilities | Transformers, switchgear, generators | Skid-base, sheathed |
| Medical equipment | Imaging gantries, lab analysers, instruments | Sheathed, foam-lined |
| Electronics and semiconductors | Process tools, server racks, cleanroom units | Sheathed, barrier-bagged |
| Museums and galleries | Paintings, sculpture, artefacts, display cases | Sheathed, padded, returnable |
| Trade show exhibitors | Display panels, counters, product cases | Returnable, caster-mounted |
| Third-party logistics | Mixed customer freight, consolidated loads | Knockdown, slatted, cleated plywood |
| Agricultural equipment | Tractor parts, implements, irrigation pumps | Slatted, long, skid-base |
Medical, electronics and cleanroom shippers
Medical equipment is high in value and sensitive to shock and humidity. Imaging gantries and lab analysers need sheathed crates with foam-lined compartments, tip and shock indicators, and a barrier bag with desiccant. Some devices have calibration that a hard knock can ruin, so impact recorders are common.
Electronics and semiconductor tools add contamination to the list. Process modules go in bags that can be stripped at the cleanroom door, with the outer layer coming off in the dock area. Server racks are heavy, tall and shock-sensitive; see [server racks](/crating/server-racks). A control cabinet raises a tip risk, which is covered under [control panels](/crating/control-panels).
Museums, exhibitors and logistics firms
Museums and galleries ship one-off objects that cannot be replaced, so the crate is built around the object, with the opening sequence drawn up for a registrar. See [artwork](/crating/artwork) and [sculpture](/crating/sculpture). Many are used again, which makes reuse a design question from the start.
Trade show exhibitors move the same displays from city to city. A returnable crate with casters, strong lid hardware and foam compartments repays its cost over many trips; read [trade show exhibits](/crating/trade-show-exhibits). Third-party logistics providers pack other people's freight, so they usually want stock sizes in volume, knockdown crates that store flat and a spec that survives staff changes.
Agriculture and heavy equipment
Agricultural equipment is long, awkward and made of mixed steel and castings: tractor parts, implements, irrigation pumps and harvester components. A [slatted crate](/crates/types/slatted) or a [long crate](/crates/types/long) keeps cost down, while the pump and engine parts inside follow the rules on [pumps](/crating/pumps) and [engines](/crating/engines).
Seasonal timing matters here. A planter that misses its shipping window can cost a whole season, so tell us the date the crate must be on your dock and we will say whether it can be built in time.
Rules that follow the cargo, not the industry
Whatever your industry, a few rules recur. Wood packaging going abroad usually needs an ISPM 15 mark, and the destination country's plant-protection authority has the final word; APHIS and NELMA explain the program. Fuel-containing equipment falls under 49 CFR for hazardous materials, and IATA rules apply by air. Plywood is exempt from ISPM 15 treatment, but lumber skids and frames are not.
Start with [custom crates](/crates/custom), the [crate types](/crates/types) index or the [loads index](/crating) to find your cargo. When you are ready, send the three numbers on the [quote form](/quote).
Questions buyers ask
Do you build to a customer packaging specification?
Yes. Send the drawing or standard, such as a defense contractor's packaging requirement, and the crate is built and marked to match it.
Can you supply the same crate every month for a production line?
Yes. We write the spec down and keep it on file, so repeat orders ship the same way, with the same marks and the same interior layout.
My industry is not on the list. Can you still help?
Probably. Crates follow the load, not the industry. Send the inside dimensions, gross weight and destination country and we will quote it.
Which industries usually need export crating?
Any that sell abroad. Check the destination country's rules with its plant-protection authority and with APHIS before the crate is built.