Crates Key Terms

Some key terms for shipping crates

Crates are a great resource for keeping shipped materials in good shape. Businesses use many different kinds of shipping crates for the smallest  to the largest items. Reading up on some design terms, as well as more on materials commonly used for crates, will help business planners brainstorm possible solutions for shipping anything that your business requires.

 

A frames

One aspect of crating is selecting a type of structure. For wooden crates, this means choosing from several options, including an A frame. An A frame is a simple vertical structure held in place by side trusses.
Try: Find visual and text representation of an A frame type as well as a lot of other crate vocabulary at Caseworks.

Open and closed crates

An open crate is a crate that has been built to have space between planks. A closed crate is one that has no such gaps. Open and closed crates are some of the most common types of crate structures.
Try: Read up on crate types as well as distinctions between a crate and a box at India-Crafts.

Cleats

Cleats are boards that are added to any given panel of a crate to help provide more support.
Try: See more on cleats and other handy crate terms at Siegmann.org.

Triwall crate

A triwall crate is designed to be lightweight for long moves. The triwall is an alternative to a basic wooden crate.
Try: See more on triwall crates, basic wooden crate designs, and crate safety at Six Steps to Safe Shipment.

Oriented Strand Board (OSB)

Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is a processed wood product that has become another option for building crates, an alternative to plywood or other basic wood options.
Try: Find more about OSB at the OSB Guide. BuildingProducts.com also has information about OSB crates.

Consolidation crate

This type of specialized crate contains different sections for specific freight components.
Try: Read up on consolidation crates, cushioned crates and other specialized crate types from CDC Packaging.

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