Timber crate options

Dan Wellings
Product Adviser
protective@gwp.co.uk
01722 416 440

Richard Coombes
General Manager
richard.coombes@gwp.co.uk
01722 416 440

Ian Cook
Sales Director
ian.heskins@gwp.co.uk
01793 754 444
Custom wooden shipping crates provide your business with a cost-effective and durable method of handling, storing and transporting your parts and products.
Many businesses use wooden shipping crates and boxes to transport large, heavy or bulky items. Crates are typically manufactured using a combination of plywood and softwoods such as pine and spruce. Available in custom sizes and with integral pallets for improved manoeuvrability, ISPM 15 heat treatment makes timber crates suitable for export.
GWP have extensive wooden shipping crate production facilities. We can design and manufacture your crates and containers to the exact size and strength you require, ensuring the highest levels of protection for your items during transit and storage. All wood used is ISPM15 treated for export and from FSC-certified sources. You can also select from a wide range of options, from adding foam dunnage to full composite packaging solutions.
Timber cases, crates and boxes
Other similar and timber packaging
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What is the difference between a wooden shipping crate and a wooden box?
The terms wooden shipping crate and wooden box often describe the same or very similar products. However, the key difference is that the frame of a wooden crate remains standing if the outer sections are removed (due to the internal structure/frame). A wooden box, in contrast, uses its exterior walls for its structure.
What materials are wooden shipping crates made from?
Wooden shipping crates can use several different materials. Manufacturers commonly use softwoods such as pine and spruce, but manufactured materials such as plywood and even OSB (orientated strand board) are also widely used.
What is plywood?
Plywood is a manufactured material consisting of two or more layers of thin wood glued and pressed together. The grains are alternated during this process to provide excellent strength and durability. The result is a strong, thin board perfect for various applications (including wooden shipping crates).
What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?
The main difference between hardwood and softwood is that, generally, hardwood comes from deciduous trees (i.e. shed leaves in winter), and softwood comes from evergreen trees (such as conifers). Softwood is typically lower cost and widely used for export packaging applications, including pallets and pallet boxes.
Can cardboard packaging be used instead of wooden shipping crates?
While cardboard packaging is generally cheaper, timber is stronger and more durable. As such, wooden shipping crates are often better for large, heavy or bulky items. However, some heavy-duty corrugated packaging, including triple-wall boxes, Tri-Mite, and even some grades of double-wall boxes, can provide performance levels approaching that of some timber cases.
Are wooden crates eco-friendly?
Wooden crates are fully recyclable at the end of their usable life. Besides this, their durable nature also means businesses can typically reuse them over many journeys. This longevity makes them a sustainable choice for a wide range of heavy-duty packaging requirements.
Who uses wooden shipping crates?
A vast range of businesses in diverse sectors use wooden shipping crates. They are popular in industrial packaging applications, including shipping and exporting large, heavy, bulky items.
Rugged case experts
GWP offers one the most comprehensive ranges of ISPM 15 treated, export-ready timber and wooden shipping cases from a single UK supplier.
Unlike many competitors, GWP manufactures all your wooden boxes, crates and cases in-house. This approach allows us complete control over the quality, including using only wood from FSC or PECE-approved sources. Crucially, it also allows you to specify the exact size that you require.
Using custom-sized wooden shipping crates can have a surprisingly significant, positive impact on your costs. Benefits include reduced material use, lower weight and space requirements during transit, and minimised shipping costs. It can also help your sustainability efforts through reduced CO2 emissions.
However, another noteworthy benefit that we can offer you is the range of additional industrial packaging you can source from us. This range includes heavy-duty corrugated, foam end caps and inserts, Correx® corrugated plastic and specialist materials such as Tri-Mite and solid fibreboard.
Besides being able to source this wide range of products from a single supplier, minimising your admin and costs, a crucial benefit is the ability to source composite packaging that combines several of these materials.
A team of experienced, award-winning designers can combine timber, corrugated, foam and more to create a bespoke pack that provides the optimum level of protection for any expensive, delicate, bulky or business-critical products or parts.
If you feel that a custom wooden shipping crate could be what your business requires, please get in touch for a free quote and advice today.

01722 416 440
Mon – Fri 08.30 – 17.00

protective@gwp.co.uk
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