Tips for Choosing Shipping Crates for Your Needs
Posted on: 23 September 2020
Shopping around for crates for your cargo transportation needs? Crates come in different materials, shapes, sizes, and designs to suit virtually every shipping application. Choosing the right shipping crates for your goods is essential to ensure each shipment arrives at its intended destination in a safe and undamaged condition.
So, what types of crates are right for your transport needs? Here's what to look at when selecting your shipping crates.
Crate Size
Shipping crates come in different dimensions to suit different applications. Larger items will require larger crates while smaller ones can fit into smaller crates. When picking a crate size, it's also important to consider the number of products you will want to put into each crate. The more the items you need to pack, the larger your crates should be and vice versa.
You may also need to choose your crate sizes depending on the dimensions of the truck bed, trailer, or shipping container in which the crates are to be transported, as specific crate sizes may be desirable to make the most of the available space.
Crate Material
Shipping crates are made from a variety of materials, but wood, plastic, and metal are the most common. Each crate construction material has unique qualities that make it suitable for certain shipping applications and not others.
Different types of crates offer varying levels of strength, but none is constructed to endure overloading. However, different crate materials require varying levels of care and upkeep to remain structurally reliable and safe to use.
Crate Design
Crates come in various designs. They can be open or closed, or stackable or non-stackable. Open crates are ideal for lightweight use and where the packed items require natural ventilation. Closed crates come in handy when shipping items that require maximum protection and need to be kept hidden.
Whenever possible, shipping crates should be stackable to avoid surcharges from transporting crates side by side. However, non-stackable crates may come in handy where the goods being shipped are fragile and could easily break when stacked up.
Crate Cost
The cost of shipping crates varies from crate to crate depending on a variety of factors, including the shape, size, design, and material used in their construction.
Sturdier, more durable crates are costlier to purchase but they may prove to be a cost-effective choice over the long term. If you require crates for long-term use, it may be financially wise to pay more upfront to avoid future costs of replacement.
Contact a shipping crate distributor to discuss your needs and choose the best crates.
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