Product · Containers
Crates, boxes and bins for the things that do not stack
Standard sizes off the rack, custom sizes off a drawing, and bulk bins for everything that pours rather than stacks.
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RePallet Co. stocks and builds wooden crates, shipping boxes and bulk bins in Denver. Standard collapsible crates and bulk bins are held in stock; anything else is built to drawing, typically in one to three weeks.
Export crating is built to ISPM 15 and stamped. Bulk bins are available in wood and reconditioned plastic for produce, hemp, hardware and bulk components.
Standard range
| Item | Typical size | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collapsible crate | 48" x 40" x 34" | 1,600 lb | Folds to 9" for return freight |
| Bulk bin, wood | 48" x 40" x 36" | 2,000 lb | Four-way base, drop-gate option |
| Bulk bin, plastic (recon.) | 48" x 40" x 34" | 1,800 lb | Washable; produce and hemp |
| Produce bin | 47" x 47" x 30" | 1,200 lb | Vented sides, orchard standard |
| Shipping box, plywood | To drawing | To spec | Screw-down or lift-off lid |
| Open frame crate | To drawing | To spec | Lighter, inspection-friendly |
| Machine skid | To drawing | Up to 18,000 lb | Load spreaders and lifting points |
| Cable and reel cradle | 48" x 48" | 3,000 lb | Chocked for round loads |
If your item is heavy, tall or fragile enough that this table makes you nervous, go straight to custom crating — that is what the shop is for.
Bulk bins in practice
Bulk bins are the least glamorous and most quietly useful thing in the yard. Colorado's produce, hemp and hardware operations run on them, and the failure modes are consistent enough to be worth listing.
- Specify the fill weight, not the volume. A bin rated for 2,000 lb of apples is not rated for 2,000 lb of bolts concentrated in one corner.
- Check the base entry. Four-way bases cost more and save a great deal of manoeuvring in a packing shed.
- Decide on a drop gate early. Retro-fitting one is more expensive than specifying it.
- Think about nesting. Wooden bins do not nest; plastic bins often do. Over a season, return-freight volume can outweigh unit price.
- Mind moisture. Wet produce in a wooden bin is fine; wet produce in a bin stored outdoors all winter is a mould problem.
Choosing between a crate, a box and a skid
The three words get used interchangeably and they describe genuinely different things. Picking the wrong one is the most common cause of both over-spend and transit damage.
Skid
A base only — runners and a deck, no sides. For heavy rigid items that need lifting and spreading but no protection. Cheapest, lightest, and no help at all against impact or weather.
Open frame crate
A skid with a braced frame. Protects against crushing and side impact while letting the contents breathe and be inspected. Usually sufficient for domestic freight.
Closed crate
Fully sheathed in plywood or solid board. Adds weather, dust and pilferage protection and considerable rigidity. The default for export.
Shipping box
A smaller closed crate with a lift-off or screw-down lid, generally under about 500 lb. Handled by two people rather than a forklift.
Bulk bin
A reusable open-topped container on an integral base, for material that pours rather than stacks.
Cradle
A shaped base for round or irregular loads — reels, drums, castings — that would otherwise roll.
Bulk bins: specification in detail
| Option | Choices | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Base entry | 2-way, 4-way | 4-way in tight packing sheds; worth the premium |
| Wall style | Solid, vented, slatted | Vented for anything with moisture; solid for fines |
| Drop gate | None, single, double | Specify up front — retrofitting costs more |
| Height | 24" – 48" | Fill weight, not volume, sets this |
| Liner | None, poly, food-grade | Anything that stains or sifts |
| Stacking | Non-stack, 2-high, 3-high | Changes the base and corner-post spec |
| Nesting | Wood: no; plastic: often | Return-freight volume over a season |
| Lid | None, flat, domed | Outdoor storage and weather |
Specify fill weight, not volume
Low-density material — hemp biomass, packing foam, empty containers — will fill a bin long before it reaches the weight rating. That means you can specify a lighter, cheaper bin than the catalogue suggests. Dense material — bolts, castings, wet produce — does the opposite, and a bin rated for 2,000 lb of apples is not rated for 2,000 lb of fasteners concentrated in one corner.
Buyback, repair and reuse
Crates and bins are worth considerably more second-hand than pallets are, which surprises people who think of them as packaging rather than as assets.
| Item | Buyback | Resale | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collapsible crate, standard | $28 – $46 | $60 – $95 | Strong demand |
| Bulk bin, wood, 4-way | $22 – $38 | $55 – $85 | Repairable indefinitely |
| Bulk bin, plastic | $30 – $70 | $70 – $140 | Resin and style dependent |
| Produce bin | $18 – $30 | $45 – $70 | Seasonal demand |
| Custom crate, one-off | Lumber value | — | No resale market; honest answer |
| Machine skid, heavy | $15 – $40 | Occasionally | Usually dismantled for timber |
The one to note is custom crating. A crate built to a specific machine is worth its timber to anybody else, so if you ship the same item repeatedly, a returnable crate on a tracked loop is worth far more than repeatedly building and scrapping one-way boxes.
Repair rather than replace
A wooden crate or bin is almost infinitely repairable: replace a board, replace a corner post, re-hinge a gate. We repair returned containers as standard and typically get four to six full cycles out of a bin before the base needs rebuilding, and then we rebuild the base.
Questions people actually ask
Do you stock crates or build them to order?
Can crates be heat treated for export?
Do you buy used crates and bins back?
What is the heaviest thing you have crated?
Can crates be stacked in a container?
What is the lead time on bulk bins?
Do you supply liners?
How do I work out the right fill weight?
Can you build to a customer's drawing?
Let's keep your pallets in the loop
Whether you have 40 broken cores behind the dock or need 4,000 Grade A pallets a month, the conversation starts the same way.