Wooden packaging covers far more than the pallet under the load. Choosing the right box, crate or collar is what decides whether goods arrive intact and whether they clear customs without an argument. This is a practical guide to the options and how to specify them.
Types of wooden packaging
- Pallet — a load-bearing platform for mechanised handling. It carries the goods; it does not protect them.
- Crate (slatted case) — boards with gaps between them. Lighter and cheaper, lets you see in and lets air through, which is why it suits fruit, vegetables and bulky parts.
- Solid case — closed on all sides, for machinery, tooling and sensitive products.
- Framed case — a load-bearing frame of beams clad with panels, for heavy and oversized loads.
- Pallet collar — a folding wall that sits on a pallet and turns it into a box, then folds flat when empty.
- Lid and slip sheet — placed over the load to protect it and to allow a second pallet to be stacked on top.
How to choose packaging for a particular load
Four criteria settle it:
- Weight and centre of gravity. A load that is heavy at one end needs a frame, not a crate.
- Sensitivity — to impact, vibration, moisture and dust. Each points to a different level of enclosure.
- Mode of transport — road, sea or air. Sea freight adds humidity and long handling chains; air freight punishes weight.
- Destination. Anything leaving the EU brings ISPM 15 into play, and the wood must be heat treated and marked.
Pallets for the food industry
Food work has its own list, and it is not negotiable:
- clean, light-coloured wood with no staining and no smell;
- no traces of oil, chemicals or paint;
- low moisture content;
- no protruding nails and no splinters;
- traceability of origin.
This is the one application where buying used to save money is usually a false economy.
Custom packaging made to order
To quote a bespoke crate or case accurately, a maker needs:
- the overall dimensions and weight of the load;
- where the centre of gravity is and where it can be gripped;
- how it will be loaded;
- the mode of transport and the destination;
- the quantity — a one-off or a production run;
- whether the packaging comes back to be re-used.
Send those six and you will have a firm price instead of an estimate.
Ask us for a quote
G-PAL makes pallets, crates, cases and collars to order in Plovdiv, heat treated and ISPM 15 marked where needed. Call +359 877 166 555 or email [email protected].
