Crate spec ticket
| Governing document | The OEM's or customer's packaging specification, supplied by you |
|---|---|
| Construction | Sheathed or cleated plywood on a skid, built to the drawing |
| Cushioning | Foam or isolators specified on the packaging drawing |
| Protection | VCI, barrier bag, desiccant, humidity indicator card |
| Monitoring | Shock and tilt indicators where the contract calls for them |
| Lumber | HT-stamped solid wood for export, plywood exempt |
| Quote needs | Inside dimensions, gross weight, destination, packaging document |
What aerospace shippers send in crates
Aerospace shipping is mostly low volume and high value. A single turbine casing, a wing fixture, a landing gear actuator or a rack of avionics test equipment can be worth more than the truck that carries it. Crates are sized one unit at a time, and the packing is often documented on a drawing before the first board is cut.
Typical loads include engine modules and fan cases, airframe assembly tooling and jigs, ground support equipment such as tugs and stands, hydraulic test benches, and avionics racks. Each has its own sensitivity: some are heavy and dense, some are light and fragile, and some are heavy and fragile at once.
Machinery, engines and server rack loads are covered on their own pages, and we point aerospace customers there when the load is one of those types.
The specification comes from your side
In aerospace, the crate is rarely our decision. The OEM, the prime contractor or the end customer issues a packaging specification, and it says how the part is supported, wrapped, cushioned, marked and closed. Our job is to build the crate that specification describes.
We do not claim aerospace quality certifications and we do not offer them as part of the quote. Send the packaging document, the drawing and the part number at the start. We will read the clauses on closure, markings, desiccant and humidity indicators, then confirm the crate member list with you before we build.
If the specification calls for a particular foam, a fastener grade or a stencil format, tell us whether you supply it or we source it. That one line prevents a rework later.
Protecting finished surfaces and precision parts
Engine parts and actuators are machined to tolerances that a single dent can ruin. The part rests on contoured supports or on cradles that bear on the surfaces it was designed to be carried by, never on a sealing face or a bearing journal. Open ports are capped and bagged.
For corrosion, a VCI-impregnated wrap or barrier bag sits inside the crate, with desiccant and a humidity indicator card visible through a window or checked at unpack. Our rust prevention and desiccant guides explain how the volume of the bag decides the quantity of desiccant.
Large assemblies often add a strongback, a rigid timber frame behind the part, so the crate wall carries no load from the part and the lid can come off without disturbing it.
Shock, tilt and handling marks
Contracts often ask for a tilt indicator, a shock indicator, or both, fixed in a position the receiver can see without opening the crate. We mount them on the crate where the packaging drawing says and note the placement on the spec. See our guide on tip and impact indicators for how they work and what they do and do not prove.
Handling marks follow ISO 780 pictograms. Centre-of-gravity, this-side-up, fragile, keep-dry and sling points are painted or stencilled in the places forklift and crane crews look first.
A shipper who must prove condition on arrival should photograph the indicators at loading and at receiving. The indicator tells you an event happened. It does not say how bad it was.
Lanes, modes and export lumber
Aerospace freight moves by air when a part is grounding an aircraft, by ocean when tooling goes to an assembly line abroad, and by truck between suppliers and primes. Air freight is billed on dimensional weight, so the crate should be no larger than the cushioning and the part demand.
Export crates with solid wood need heat-treated, stamped lumber. Plywood panels are exempt from ISPM 15 treatment, so many aerospace crates use plywood walls and lids with an HT-stamped skid. Check APHIS and the destination plant-protection authority for the requirements that apply.
California and Texas both list machinery and related manufacturing among their export categories in the BLS state export profiles, though we make no claim about any one customer's lane.
How crating fits a low-volume program
Because aerospace volume is low, a good crate is reused. Returnable crates, built with fasteners rather than nails and with an interior that is easy to restore, can run between a supplier and a prime for years.
We keep the crate spec and the drawing together on file under the part number. When a repeat order or a replacement crate is needed, the build starts from the stored spec, not from a new conversation.
Tell us the program's release pattern when you request the first quote: a single unit, a quarterly lot, or a build rate that follows the aircraft. We plan stock of skids and plywood around that pattern.
Questions buyers ask
Do you build to our OEM packaging specification?
Yes. Send the packaging document, drawing and part number with the quote request. We confirm the crate member list against the document before building, and we record the finished spec on file.
Can you add shock and tilt indicators?
We mount them on the crate where your packaging drawing places them, so the receiver can read them without opening it. We note the location in the crate spec.
Does an aerospace crate need ISPM 15 stamps?
Solid wood leaving the US generally needs heat treatment and the mark when the destination requires it, while plywood is exempt. APHIS and the destination country's authority decide what applies to your lane.
Can an aerospace crate be reused?
A crate built with bolted joints and a restorable interior can run many round trips. Any board replaced for export reuse needs its own HT mark, and we confirm that at quote.