Timber constructions for packaging and transportation

         There are many needs for stacking, storage and transportation equipment in manufacturing. The items (raw, semi-finished and finished) could be raw materials, parts, large assemblies, and large, heavy or awkward items. During manufacturing are required for the different operations pallets, stillages, load boards, box pallets, and post pallets with different stacking devices. The materials which are used for these constructions are timber, plastic and steel sheet metal. There are a lot of standards describing the specifications for these timber constructions. The DIN standards have documented many of them:

DIN 15141 Stacking pallets
DIN 15142     Load boards, box pallets, post pallets
DIN 15144 Pallets and stillages
DIN 15145 Pallets and stillages, terms, relating to pallets
DIN 15146-1 Load boards, timber four-way pallets 800 mm x 1000 mm
DIN 15146-2 Load boards, timber four-way pallets 800 mm x 1200 mm
DIN 15146-3 Load boards, timber four-way pallets 1000 mm x 1200 mm
DIN 15147 Timber flat pallets, quality requirements
DIN 15148 Load boards, timber box pallets
DIN 15150 Deck extension boards for flat pallets
DIN 15155 Load Boards, box pallet with mesh side panels
DIN 15156 Load boards, box pallets with mesh side panels, technical specs. 

Although there is a lot of documentation for the standard sizes, there are not many things for items larger in size, heavier and complicated in form. Such items are transported with the crate. A crate is a large container, often made of wood, often used for the transportation of large, heavy or awkward items. A crate is a container that has a self supporting structure.

 
For a container to be a crate it requires that all six panels be put in place to result in the rated strength of the container. Boxes and Crates are often confused with one-another; mostly when they are made of wood. Contrary to a crate, the strength of a wooden box is rated based on the weight it can carry before the cap (top, ends and sides) is installed. The agricultural handbook No 252 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture: WOOD CRATE- design manual by L. O. Anderson, and T. B. Heebink is very comprehensive, well written and provides all the details and specifications for  designing wood crates. The wood crate design manual is freely downloadable from the web site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/ah252.pdf ).