Service · Custom build
Crates and skids built to the thing, not to a catalogue
If it is heavy, awkward, expensive or all three, a standard pallet is the wrong answer. Send us a drawing — or a photograph and a tape measure.
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RePallet Co. designs and builds custom wooden crates, skids, bases and shipping boxes at its Denver yard, in any footprint, from reclaimed or new timber. Export crating is built to ISPM 15 and stamped accordingly.
Prototypes are typically ready in three to five working days and production runs in one to three weeks depending on size. We build from a drawing, a 3D file, a sketch, or a visit to look at the machine.
What we build
Heavy-duty skids
Three- and four-runner bases for machinery from 1,000 lb to 18,000 lb. Notched for forks and strapping, with load spreaders where the point loads demand it.
Closed crates
Fully sheathed plywood or solid-board crates with internal bracing, foam or block-and-brace packing, and lift-off or screw-down lids.
Open frame crates
Where the contents need to breathe or be inspected. Lighter, cheaper and often sufficient for domestic freight.
Slip sheets and bases
Low-profile bases for automated handling, and custom-sized load bases for products that do not fit a standard footprint.
Display and retail bases
Half and quarter footprints, sanded tops, branded stencilling for retail end caps.
Repeat production runs
Once a design is proven we hold the jig, so the tenth order is identical to the first and arrives faster.
Design and engineering input
Most crating failures are not material failures. They are design failures: a lifting point in the wrong place, a base that flexes across a fork spread, a lid that cannot be removed in the receiving bay. We will happily build exactly what you draw, but we will tell you first if we think it will fail.
- Point-load analysis against fork spread and floor loading
- Centre-of-gravity marking and lifting-point specification
- Block-and-brace layout for shock-sensitive contents
- Stacking and racking capability where storage is planned
- Moisture and shrinkage allowance for long sea transits
- Tare weight optimisation where freight is charged by weight
Reclaimed or new timber
A surprising amount of custom crating can be built from reclaimed stock, and where it can be, it is cheaper and carries a far lower footprint. Where it cannot — because the load demands graded structural timber or the customer requires new material — we say so and price it as new.
| Application | Recommended material | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic skids under 4,000 lb | Reclaimed hardwood | Ample strength; roughly 30% cheaper |
| Machinery over 8,000 lb | New graded structural | Predictable grain and known load rating |
| Sea freight, 6+ weeks | New, kiln-dried, heat-treated | Moisture control and ISPM 15 compliance |
| Retail display bases | Reclaimed, sanded | Appearance is a feature, not a defect |
| Repeat production runs | Mixed, jig-built | Consistency matters more than origin |
| Anything food-adjacent | New, heat-treated | No history to worry about |
For export work, see heat treating & ISPM 15 — the stamp has to be on the wood, not on the paperwork.
How a crate is engineered
Most crating failures are design failures rather than material failures. These are the calculations and decisions behind any build we quote, in the order they get made.
- 1
Weight and centre of gravity
Measured rather than calculated where we can — two slings and a crane scale. Drawings are frequently 50 to 100 mm out on CoG height.
- 2
Bearing points
Where the load actually contacts the base. Four feet at 5" square carrying 16,000 lb is 200 psi, and that crushes a deck rather than bending it.
- 3
Load spreaders
Steel plate or hardwood blocking transferring point loads directly into the runners.
- 4
Fork spread and pockets
Sized for the largest truck that will handle it, not the smallest.
- 5
Sling and crane points
Marked, protected with steel angle, and positioned for the actual lift plan.
- 6
Bracing
Block-and-brace, foam, or suspension depending on shock sensitivity.
- 7
Moisture strategy
Kiln-dried timber, desiccant sized to void volume, VCI wrap, filtered breather vents.
- 8
Compliance
Heat treatment after construction, marked on two opposite faces.
Materials, and when reclaimed will not do
| Application | Material | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic skids under 4,000 lb | Reclaimed hardwood | Ample strength; roughly 30% cheaper |
| Machinery over 8,000 lb | New graded structural | Documented load rating and predictable grain |
| Sea freight, 6+ weeks | New kiln-dried, heat treated | Moisture control and ISPM 15 compliance |
| Shock-sensitive instruments | New, with engineered bracing | Performance has to be repeatable |
| Retail display bases | Reclaimed, sanded | Appearance is a feature |
| Repeat production runs | Mixed, jig-built | Consistency matters more than origin |
| Anything food-adjacent | New, heat treated | No history to worry about |
| Crates for regulated products | New only | Documented provenance required |
Plywood versus solid board
Plywood, OSB and particleboard fall entirely outside ISPM 15, which occasionally makes engineered board the simplest compliance route for an export job. It is also more dimensionally stable and better at resisting racking forces, at the cost of weight and price. For crates that will be opened and re-closed several times, plywood wins comfortably.
Prototyping, jigs and repeat orders
The first unit of any design is the expensive one. After that, the economics change sharply, which is why a prototype is almost always worth building even when the customer is in a hurry.
| Quantity | Per unit | Lead time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (prototype) | $720 | 3 – 5 working days | Includes design time |
| 2 – 9 | $540 | 1 – 2 weeks | Design amortised |
| 10 – 24 | $395 | 2 weeks | Jig built; repeatable |
| 25 – 99 | $340 | 2 – 3 weeks | Batch cutting |
| 100+ | $295 | 3 – 4 weeks | Scheduled production |
| Repeat order, jig held | $285 | 1 week | No setup |
We hold the jig for any design we have built more than twice, at no charge and indefinitely. It means the tenth order is identical to the first and arrives faster, and it means you are not re-buying a design you already paid for.
Test it before you ship it
For anything going on a long transit, build one and put a real load in it. Drive it round your yard on a forklift. Try to open it the way the receiving team will. We would far rather a design fails in Denver than in Rotterdam, and a prototype costs a fraction of a damaged machine.
Questions people actually ask
What is the minimum order for custom work?
How fast can you build a prototype?
Do you need a CAD drawing?
Can you crate on site?
Do you handle the export documentation?
Can you work from a 3D model?
Do you do export documentation?
How heavy can you go?
Can you crate on site?
Do you supply spare treated timber with export crates?
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.