Crating services: how custom crates are priced and how to choose a builder

If you are shopping for crating services, you are usually working against a deadline: something oversized, heavy, or fragile has to ship, and the box it came in is long gone. Here is how the pricing works and what to look for in whoever builds it.

What crating companies price on. Dimensions and weight first, because they set the lumber, the skid design, and the runner spacing. Then fragility and value, which drive the interior: foam density, blocking and bracing, edge protection, moisture barrier, desiccant, and anti-static wrap for anything with a circuit board. Then the destination, since export shipments generally require heat-treated ISPM 15 lumber and a stamp to clear customs. Finally access, because a crate built on site around an item that cannot be moved takes different labor than one built in a shop.

Where the crate is built matters. On-site crating means the item is handled once, measured as it actually sits, and never trucked loose to a facility to be packed. For heavy machinery, artwork already on a wall, lab equipment, and trade show displays, that single difference is often what prevents the damage.

Specs your carrier will care about. Forklift entry marked on the outside, weight and orientation labeled, a skid rated for the actual load, and a crate that can be stacked or clearly marked that it cannot. Ask your freight carrier what they require before the crate is built, because retrofitting a finished crate to meet a carrier spec costs more than building to it the first time.

Questions to ask a crating company. Do you build on site? What is the skid rated for? How is the item secured inside, and is it blocked in all directions? Do you offer heat-treated lumber for export? How does the receiver open it without prying the contents apart? Can you photograph the pack-out for my records?

The claim math. Carriers deny freight claims routinely when packaging is judged inadequate, and the loss is rarely just the repair bill. It is the downtime, the second shipment, and the negotiation. Against that, the crate is the cheap line item.

What we take on. Machinery and equipment, artwork, glass and stone, electronics and lab instruments, displays, and one-off oversized pieces. One item is a job. We build to your carrier's requirements, mark the crate properly, and coordinate on pickup day so the item is ready when the truck arrives.

Serving Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and the surrounding North Central Florida area.