Cram Your Crate Creatively: Innovative Packing Materials for Shipping

Crates have been used for centuries to ship valuables from shore to shore, doorstep to doorstep. They have remained the steadfast choice when shipping items of value because of their durability, and the protection they offer. Crates protect their contents from damage during travel due to the crate box’s framework. The wood composition provides strength in conjunction with the strength of the fasteners that hold it together. All that is for nothing though if the contents inside are able to move and shift during delivery, causing potential damage in transport.

It’s important to choose the best fitting crate for your valuables, as well as the correct packing material to protect them. The materials that probably come to mind most commonly for packing are styrofoam peanuts and inflated plastic air pads. However, with the shipping industry’s desire to be more eco-friendly, many of these materials have been redesigned to offer a more environmentally-friendly alternative. Producers have now created 100% biodegradable and recyclable paper wrapping to protect goods during shipping, as well as redesigned air pads made with 98% air and 2% recyclable plastic.

Other innovative solutions include paper and cardboard-based fillers, and corn starch-based packing peanuts, both of which are biodegradable and recyclable. Additionally, new advances in plastics and polymers have led to the development of plastic packing materials and bubble wrap that are biodegradable and will decompose in sunlight.

In keeping with the desire to be as eco-friendly as possible, being able to reuse the crate itself is important. That’s where using great hardware comes into play. SCRAIL® FASTENERS for crating applications can seal crates quickly and effectively, while greatly impacting the engineered strength and durability of a crate. When driven in with a nail gun, these crate fasteners can be used to build or seal crates two times faster than collated screws, and up to eight times faster than traditional bulk screws driven in with an ordinary power drill or screwdriver. Crating SCRAIL® FASTENERS® feature course threads and plastic rope that ensures easier and more consistent removal for dismantling, making their removal almost as easy as their installation.

When used with a well-constructed crate, all of these packing options should have your valuables arriving at their destination in perfect condition!