[FR] The wooden crate: a key ally for your shipments

In most cases, you pack your goods in cardboard boxes. And that’s generally an excellent choice! But of course there are exceptions to every rule… What if your goods need more robust protection, or if you’re exporting to the other side of the world? Then the solution would be to use wooden crates. RAJA has put together all the expert advice you need to use these transport crates like a real pro!

1. When should I use wooden crates?

A wooden crate is particularly useful for packing and protecting your goods in a number of cases. In the situations below, it is best to consider using this packaging material.

• Situation 1: Transport of heavy goods.

  Wooden crates are much sturdier than cardboard crates, even if you opt for triple-flute cardboard. They are therefore ideal for packing very heavy goods (such as machinery) or more fragile objects (such as electronic equipment and works of art).
• Situation 2: exporting goods.

  For international transport by train, sea or air, it is safest to choose very strong packaging. Such packaging should preferably be more resistant to temperature variations, weather conditions and shocks. The good news is that wooden transport crates have all these characteristics

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• Situation 3: Palletising the goods.

  To do this, you can use a pallet box. This is basically a transport crate with a pallet built into the bottom (we’ll discuss this later). They guarantee optimum stability and securing of the load. Thanks to the pallet in the base, the box can be moved easily and safely using a pallet truck.
• Situation 4: long-term sustainable storage.

  Wooden crates are the ideal packaging for long-term storage, even in difficult conditions such as high humidity or extreme temperature variations.

Does one of these situations apply to your business? Then find out below how to choose the ideal wooden shipping crate for your shipments.

2. How to choose the right wooden crate?

There is certainly no shortage of wooden packaging solutions on the transport market. The following features will help you make the right choice.

► 2.1 Check that the body is ISPM 15 compliant

If you ship your goods outside the EU’s borders, you’ve probably heard of ISPM 15. This is the “International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures”. This standard applies to packaging materials made from raw wood thicker than 6 mm. The wood is treated at very high temperatures to prevent harmful organisms and parasites from spreading from one continent to another.

Packaging that complies with the standard is indelibly marked with a herringbone symbol (as you can see in the image below). For more information on the composition and meaning of this symbol, see the article on this blog dedicated to the ISPM 15 standard for wooden pallets. ISPM 15 is mandatory in a number of countries outside the EU, including Canada, China, India, South Africa, Turkey and the United States.

► 2.2 Choosing the plywood

Not all wooden transport packaging is made from the same basic material. Want to combine robustness and lightness? Opt for plywood rather than solid wood.

Thanks to its composition, this type of wood is highly resistant to shocks during transport. What’s more, you’re assured of a low weight, which reduces your transport costs. You’ll also be using packaging that’s easier to handle and offers optimum protection. Plywood boxes are very popular when transported in sea containers, on trains or in lorries.

RAJA transport crates are generally made of plywood with five criss-cross layers. Each layer is glued with phenol, a highly moisture-resistant adhesive.

► 2.3 Check that your packaging is environmentally friendly

On the one hand, we are seeing increasingly strict environmental standards for packaging. On the other hand, customers’ expectations of sustainable packaging are also increasing. So it’s in your interest to choose packaging made from environmentally-friendly materials.

For example, most of RAJA’s wooden packaging is made from FSC-certified materials. This means that the wood comes from sustainably managed forests. You can therefore be sure that the felled trees have been replaced by new ones. The same packaging can easily be recycled after use to form the basis of new products in wood, cardboard or paper.

► 2.4 Choose the right height for the rafters on your pallet

Packing and shipping your wooden crates isn’t just about what’s inside the crate, it’s also about what’s underneath. This mainly involves the skids at the bottom of a pallet. As a general rule, these rafters are between 2 and 5 cm high. However, there are also some with a height of 10 cm. This height is ideal to facilitate handling with a pallet truck. The forks of the pallet truck can then be slid more easily under the box.

3. How do you assemble a transport box?

The steps below make it easy to assemble wooden transport crates. The crates are generally foldable and delivered flat. At RAJA, we deliver our crates in three distinct parts: the bottom, the wall and the lid.

• Step 1: Create a base.

  The base of your shipping crate is easily formed by placing the loose bottom or a separate pallet on the floor and attaching the walls. These walls are easy to erect and connect around the base

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• Step 2: Reinforce the walls.

  Use a hammer to bend the closing tabs on the walls. This way, the walls will always keep their shape and form a solid unit with the base. Are you using a pallet box? If so, it’s best to screw the sides into the base using a screwdriver

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• Step 3: Close with a lid or strap.

  Once you’ve placed your goods in the crate, you can close the top with a lid. With some crates, you can bend the tabs on the sides with a hammer to secure everything. With other crates that do not have tabs, it is advisable to wrap the crate with strapping. This will create a solid unit.

4. RAJA’s most popular wooden crates