Custom Wooden Crate Boxes in Los Angeles
When a pallet alone is not enough protection, you need a crate. Bro Pallets LLC builds custom wooden crate boxes to your exact specifications — designed to protect machinery, equipment, fragile goods, artwork, and anything that requires enclosed shipping protection. Available with ISPM-15 heat treatment for international export.
What Are Custom Wooden Crate Boxes?
A wooden crate box is an enclosed shipping container built from lumber, plywood, or a combination of both. Unlike a pallet, which provides a flat platform underneath your cargo, a crate box surrounds the item on all sides — top, bottom, and four walls — providing complete protection from impact, moisture, debris, and handling damage during transit and storage.
Crate boxes are the preferred packaging solution when the contents are too valuable, too fragile, or too irregularly shaped to ship safely on an open pallet. They are custom built to fit the exact dimensions of the item inside, with internal bracing, foam padding, or blocking and bracing as needed to prevent any movement during transport.
At Bro Pallets LLC, every crate box is built to order at our Los Angeles yard. You provide the dimensions and the weight of the contents, and we engineer and construct a crate that keeps your cargo safe from origin to destination — whether that destination is across Los Angeles or across the Pacific Ocean.
Materials & Construction
We use two primary materials in our crate construction, selected based on the weight, fragility, and shipping requirements of your cargo.
Solid Lumber Crates
Built from dimensional lumber (2x4, 2x6, 4x4, and similar), solid lumber crates provide maximum structural strength for heavy and oversized items. The frame is constructed using hardwood or softwood depending on load requirements, with boards nailed or screwed together to create a rigid enclosure. Solid lumber crates are the standard choice for industrial machinery, engines, heavy equipment, and any cargo exceeding 500 pounds.
Plywood Panel Crates
Plywood crates use sheets of plywood (typically 1/2" or 3/4") attached to a lumber frame. This construction method provides excellent protection at a lighter weight and lower cost than solid lumber. Plywood crates are ideal for electronics, medical equipment, laboratory instruments, artwork, and other items where weight savings matter and the load is moderate. The smooth interior walls of plywood also reduce the risk of snagging or scratching the contents.
Combination Crates
For many applications, we use a combination of solid lumber framing with plywood panels. The lumber frame provides the structural skeleton, while plywood panels enclose the walls, floor, and lid. This gives you the strength of lumber at the contact points that bear the most stress, with the coverage and weight efficiency of plywood everywhere else.
Common Uses for Wooden Shipping Crates in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a city that ships everything — from Hollywood set pieces to aerospace components. Our custom crate boxes serve a wide range of industries and applications:
- Industrial Machinery & Equipment: CNC machines, printing presses, compressors, generators, and factory equipment require heavy-duty crates with internal blocking and bracing to prevent movement. We build crates rated for loads from a few hundred to several thousand pounds.
- Fragile & Sensitive Equipment: Medical devices, laboratory instruments, optical equipment, and precision electronics need crates with foam lining, vibration dampening, and moisture barriers. We can incorporate all of these protective measures into the crate design.
- Artwork & Antiques: Galleries, auction houses, and private collectors in the Los Angeles arts community trust wooden crates to protect paintings, sculptures, and antiques during transport. Custom internal mounts ensure the piece does not shift or contact the crate walls.
- Film & Entertainment: Studios, production companies, and rental houses use crates to ship sets, props, costumes, cameras, and lighting equipment to shoots around the world.
- Trade Show & Exhibition: Companies exhibiting at conventions and trade shows in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and beyond need reusable crates that protect booth materials and displays across multiple events.
- Automotive Parts: Engines, transmissions, and large body components that need more protection than a pallet alone can provide.
ISPM-15 Compliant Crates for International Export
Wooden crate boxes fall under the same ISPM-15 regulations as pallets. Any wood packaging material used in international trade must be heat treated to a core temperature of 56°C for 30 minutes and stamped with the official IPPC certification mark. This applies to crates, skids, dunnage, and any other solid wood used in export packaging.
All of our custom crate boxes can be built with ISPM-15 compliant heat treated lumber. If your crate is shipping internationally from the Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, LAX cargo, or any other US departure point, we will ensure it meets all phytosanitary requirements.
Alternatively, crates built entirely from plywood (a processed wood product) are exempt from ISPM-15, since the manufacturing process for plywood eliminates pest concerns. We can advise on the best material choice based on your destination country’s requirements and the weight of your cargo.
Custom Crate Box Features
- ✓ Custom built to your exact dimensions
- ✓ Heavy-duty plywood & lumber construction
- ✓ Internal blocking, bracing, and foam padding available
- ✓ Heat treated (ISPM-15) lumber available for international shipping
- ✓ Reinforced for heavy loads — up to several thousand pounds
- ✓ Forklift-accessible base design
- ✓ Lid options: screwed (reusable) or nailed (one-way)
- ✓ Stenciling and labeling for shipping identification
- ✓ Small and large batch orders welcome
⏰ Custom built to order — Call for lead time and pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do custom wooden crate boxes cost?
Pricing depends on the dimensions, materials, internal protection requirements, and quantity. A small plywood crate for electronics will cost significantly less than a large solid-lumber crate for industrial machinery. Call us at (213) 703-5326 with your specifications and we will provide a detailed quote.
How long does it take to build a custom crate box?
Standard crate boxes can be built within 3 to 5 business days. Larger or more complex crates with internal bracing, foam padding, or ISPM-15 heat treatment may require 5 to 10 business days. We will provide a clear timeline when you place your order and can often accommodate rush requests.
Can you build crates for items I need to ship internationally?
Absolutely. We build export-ready crates using ISPM-15 heat treated lumber, stamped and certified for international shipping. Whether you are sending cargo to Europe, Asia, Latin America, or anywhere else, our crates meet all phytosanitary requirements for customs clearance at the destination.
Where can I get custom shipping crates near me in Los Angeles?
Bro Pallets LLC builds and delivers custom wooden crate boxes from our yard on East 12th Street in Los Angeles (90023). We serve all of LA County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Call (213) 703-5326 or submit a quote request online.
Related Products & Resources
- Custom Size Pallets — Need a platform without walls? We build custom pallets to any dimension.
- Heat Treated Pallets (ISPM-15) — Export-ready pallets with official certification.
- Standard Block Pallets — Standard-size pallets for general warehousing and shipping.
- Pallet Supplier in Los Angeles — Our full range of pallets and services for LA businesses.
Get a Custom Crate Box Built for Your Cargo
Tell us the dimensions, the weight, and the destination. We will build a crate that gets your cargo there safely.
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