Wood crates built to your load, marked for the trip.
Wood shipping crates and ISPM 15 export crates, built to order
Send us three numbers: the load's inside dimensions, its gross weight and the destination country. We spec the crate, build it, heat-treat and stamp it for export, and ship it to your dock anywhere in the US.
- HT lumber with the IPPC mark for export
- Skid-base crates for machinery
- One crate or a truckload
Four ways we supply crates
Most orders fit one of these programs. Each starts from the same spec ticket, so a crate you bought once can be bought again without re-measuring.
Custom-built crates
One crate for one load. We size it from the inside dimensions, pick the skid and runners for the gross weight, and design the blocking and bracing around the parts that must not move.
ISPM 15 export crates
Heat-treated lumber with the IPPC stamp on two opposite sides, plywood where it suits the walls, and markings for the port and the consignee. Built so the cargo clears the foreign border.
Standard sizes by the truckload
Repeat sizes for parts, kits and spares, quoted per crate and per load. Knockdown panels ship flat when floor space at your dock is tight.
Used and reconditioned crates
Sound crates for domestic moves, plant-to-plant transfers and returns at a lower cost. We tell you plainly when a lane needs new treated wood instead.
Crate constructions, drawn to the load
The construction follows the cargo: how heavy it is, where it can bear weight, whether it must stay dry and how it will be lifted. These are the builds we quote most.
How an order runs
Six steps from your tape measure to the truck. Your part is the first one and a quick check at the second.
- 01Measure
You send the inside dimensions, gross weight and where the centre of gravity sits. Photos of the lifting points help.
- 02Spec ticket
We write the crate down: skid size, runners, wall type, fasteners, marks. You check it before anything is cut.
- 03Build
The base goes first, the load is blocked and braced to it, then walls, cleats and the lid.
- 04Heat-treat and stamp
For export lanes the lumber is HT and carries the IPPC stamp. Plywood parts are exempt from the treatment rule.
- 05Mark the side panel
Gross weight, tare, centre-of-gravity mark, sling points, handling pictograms and any tip indicator you asked for.
- 06Ship
The crate goes to your dock or straight to the forwarder. The spec stays on file, so the next one matches.
Export without holds at the border
ISPM 15 is the international standard for wood packaging. USDA APHIS states the heat treatment as a minimum wood core temperature of 56 °C held for at least 30 minutes, and treated packaging carries the ISPM 15 mark with an accredited agency's quality mark.
The stamp shows the wheat-ear symbol, the country code, the facility number and the treatment code, such as HT. Plywood, OSB and other manufactured board are exempt, which is why many export crates use plywood walls on a stamped lumber skid.
Which countries enforce the rule, and how, is set by each destination. Confirm it with APHIS and the importing country before you book.
What we crate
Each load has its own weak points, lifting points and paperwork. Pick yours for the build we use and the questions we will ask.
- MachineryBest for: CNC, presses, packaging lines
- EnginesBest for: Diesel, gasoline, gas engines
- Marine engines and outboardsBest for: Outboards, inboards, sterndrives
- MotorcyclesBest for: Road, touring and off-road bikes
- Paintings and framed artBest for: Paintings, prints, framed works
- SculptureBest for: Bronze, stone, wood, steel works
- Server racksBest for: Populated and empty racks
- Glass and glazingBest for: Sheet glass, IGUs, windows
- Stone slabsBest for: Granite, marble, quartz slabs
- GeneratorsBest crate: Skid-base, open or sheathed
- TransformersBest crate: Skid-base with top frame
- Trade show exhibitsBest crate: Returnable, caster-mounted
- PianosBest crate: Sheathed, padded interior
- PumpsBest crate: Skid-base, open or sheathed
- Control panels and switchgearBest crate: Sheathed, tall and braced
- Molds and diesBest crate: Skid-base, heavy bearers
- Castings and forgingsBest crate: Slatted, heavy skid
- Industrial robotsBest crate: Sheathed, padded interior
Industries we build for
Shipping managers at machine builders, exporters booking containers, forwarders, 3PLs and plant buyers. The crate changes with the trade, and so do the marks and records it needs.
Where we ship crates
Crates are built to order and delivered to your dock, from Gulf and Pacific ports to inland manufacturing metros. Each area page names the gateways and loads we see there.
- Houston, TX
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Laredo, TX
- Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Seattle-Tacoma, WA
- Portland, OR
- Phoenix, AZ
- Denver, CO
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
- Chicago, IL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Detroit, MI
- Cleveland, OH
- Cincinnati, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Philadelphia, PA
- New York and New Jersey
- Boston, MA
- Baltimore, MD
- Hampton Roads, VA
- Charlotte, NC
- Charleston, SC
- Savannah, GA
- Atlanta, GA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Miami, FL
- New Orleans, LA
- Memphis, TN
- Louisville, KY
- Kansas City, MO
- St. Louis, MO
Guides for shippers
- How to measure a load for a shipping crateMeasure the load, not the crate: inside dimensions, clearances, gross weight and the centre of gravity, in the order a crate estimator asks for them.
- What a crated shipment costs to moveWhy a crated shipment costs what it does: dimensional weight, freight class, crate tare, accessorials and lanes, and how to keep each one down.
- Freight class for wooden cratesHow LTL freight class applies to crated goods: density, the NMFC, why a crate changes density, and what to put on the bill of lading.
- Stopping rust in an export crateHow VCI film and paper, barrier bags and heat sealing keep bare steel free of rust on a sea voyage, and what a crate builder needs to know.
- ISPM 15 requirements for wood cratesWhat ISPM 15 asks of wood packaging: approved treatments, debarked wood, the official mark, and what is exempt, with APHIS and NELMA as sources.
- What goes on the side of a shipping crateGross weight in lb and kg, centre of gravity, this-way-up, keep dry, sling points and the consignee panel: what to stencil on a shipping crate.
Short answers
What do you need to price a crate?
The inside dimensions of the load in inches, its gross weight in pounds and the destination country. Quantity and the date you need it finish the request.
Do export crates need to be heat-treated?
Solid wood packaging sent to a country that applies ISPM 15 has to be treated and marked; check the rule for your destination with APHIS and that country's plant-protection office.
Can you build one crate, or only volume?
Both. A single crate for one machine is written up the same way as a monthly run of standard sizes.
Are used crates any good for export?
Only if every board carries a valid mark. Any replaced component needs its own HT stamp, so tell us the lane and we will say whether a used crate can go.
Crate spec ticket
Send the numbers
Inside dimensions, gross weight, destination country, treatment mark, quantity and the date you need it. One request covers one crate or a full run.