Crating and Palletizing

Crating: What should be crated?

High value items that are sensitive or fragile in nature, or which might be large and/or heavy, and which require an extra level of protection should be crated. Probably a gun safe would not be a good candidate for crating, but a large or heavy sculpture that is expensive would definitely benefit from a good crate. The requirements for insurance against damages are pretty stringent and rigidly adhered to (perhaps more so now than ever before), so it’s important that things such as art objects, high value motorcycles, sensitive medical or electronic equipment, and like items be properly packaged. Otherwise, if your item is damaged during shipment, you will not receive any or extremely little compensation.

So what goes into crating? Since insurance regulations require at least a two inch cushion between the object and the interior wall of the crate – and this cushion must NOT be loose fill, such as Styrofoam peanuts – then Styrofoam sheets must be cut to fit the dimensions of the object being shipped. Since these are typically produced in one inch thick sheets, two layers are needed, so the first must fit the dimensions of the object being shipped, while the second layer has to fit the dimensions of the first layer of protection around the object. This is a straightforward matter for items with predictable geometric shapes, such as rectangles, ovals, circles, and squares. But what if you have a statue of Venus arising out of the sea, or a dragon, etc.?

Irregularly shaped items such as these will require special construction of cross braces and shoring, and a system of straps fastened to eyebolts that will immobilize the item. Where the item is stabilized against a shoring brace or other surface, there must be sufficient padding to protect the item against damage, including the finish. Motorcycles and statues usually require such treatment.

Items with glass also require specialized handling. For instance, a painting with a frame and glass will typically have painter’s tape put over every centimeter of exposed glass, then possibly have a layer or two of cardboard or bubble wrap to fill the empty space between the glass and the forward dimension of the frame. Then one can place the layers of Styrofoam to provide the further required protection against damage for the item.

Of course, each particular item can pose its own problems and solutions, but the above should help to explain how the items are crated, and why crating can be so expensive. A plus for crating is that the crate and its packing and shoring, etc., can be used over and over again to ship the item. Just be certain that the item is stable and has the required amount of padding inside if you ever do re-ship it.

Palletizing: what is it?

Palletizing is simply the act of arranging items for shipping on a pallet. Pallets are typically made of wood and are 40” x 48”. However, they can be different shapes and sizes according to the needs of the person shipping the item and the requirements of the shipping company.

Palletizing is usually reserved for small shipments that are too expensive to send as separate items by the small package services (up to 150 lbs., such as FedEx and UPS), but which would also be too expensive to send by moving companies. So palletizing the items (consolidating the shipment onto one or more pallets) and using a freight company is the most economical choice. Before the items are put on the pallet, the pallet and each item must be weighed separately and these numbers must be added to get the total weight of the shipment. After items are arranged on the pallet, they must be wrapped tightly with multiple layers of stretch wrap to stabilize the load.

The pallet is now ready to be shipped either by truck or by air. The air rates (for 2-3 day delivery) can be very reasonable ($1 per pound or thereabouts, so check them out). If you have a studio apartment or a small apartment with very few items and no large furniture, this might be your best choice. If you have a bed or couch that might prevent this solution, consider having a garage sale or posting the item on the web for local sale.

Before deciding to go this route, however, make certain that you’re getting door to door service, particularly if you’re moving from or to a town that is far away from a large urban center. Freight companies usually hire cartage agents (independent truckers) to transport these shipments to small towns and must pass the cost onto you or have you come and pick up the items promptly at their own location in a major city. So when you get a quote from the shipping company, make certain that the cost includes any cartage fees and that door to door service is included in the cost