How to Save Money on Custom Shipping Crates with DuraCrate

U.S. manufacturing companies face enough challenges without having to overpay for custom shipping crates.  Solutions for labor shortages are few and far between, solutions for freight costs are tough to find and even if materials are available, the pricing is usually going up rather than down.  One crating solution many companies find helpful—rigid, thick paperboard, such as Dura-Fibre’s DuraCrate. DuraCrate offers very competitive strength performance at significantly lower costs.

Benefits of DuraCrate Custom Shipping Crates

Engineered solutions in paperboard crating offer multiple benefits, including:

• More cost effective than wood: Wood pricing is up one day, down the next—but mostly up.  Paperboard crating is almost always lower cost.
• Better strength performance than corrugated: Corrugated has its advantages, but strength, durability and beam strength for longer crating are not among them.
• Increased sustainability enhancements versus plastic: Plastic is known for having sustainability drawbacks, many of them drastic compared to paperboard.

Endless Opportunities for Reusable Shipping Crates

Paperboard crating is affordable, strong, and entirely recyclable.  And, the technology has improved so much that paperboard crating is also now customizable.  Using reusable shipping crates, when possible, reduces waste and offers optimum protection, all while optimizing profits.

Paperboard crates have long been used in high-volume crating categories including auto parts, piping and tubing, accessories crating and others. Custom paperboard shipping crates perform exceptionally well when longer crating is required. Additionally, high-strength paperboard packaging by Dura-Fibre has helped many customers deal with pricing and cost pressures by allowing them to better adapt their crating solutions. This customization helps keep costs in check. 

Paperboard also offers many customized attributes other than size:

• Various coatings (e.g.: water-resistance) available
• Multiple printing options
• One-piece or two-piece options for simplicity or extra strength
• Easy to re-use or recycle

Custom Paperboard Shipping Crates vs. Wood Crates

Physical sizing of a wood crate locks in length, width, and height. By contrast, DuraCrates are uniquely suited for customized lengths.  This allows longer runs of “Mother Crates” to become smaller quantities of finished crates.  The ease of sawing paperboard into required lengths adds a whole new dimension to efficient shipping, which lowers crate and freight costs while also reducing wait times.  

Custom Shipping Crates to Meet the Needs of Today’s World

Dura-Fibre’s packaging engineers are partners in the design process and available to discuss how DuraCrate can meet your custom shipping crate needs.  Please contact us for further information.