Industrial Wood Crates & Packaging, Built to Measure

Specifications

Manufacturing process: from rough timber to finished crate

Every order starts with the piece that needs protecting: exact dimensions, weight, centre of gravity, lifting or anchor points, and the transport method planned for it. From there we design the structure — closed panel crate, open slatted crate, ventilated cage or reinforced skid — and work out the board thickness, batten count and joint type that particular load calls for.

Cutting and squaring happen at our own sawmill using Galician pine, and eucalyptus where the weight or strength of the load requires it. Panels and battens are cut to size rather than trimmed from offcuts of other jobs, which gives cleaner joints and a crate that fits without play. Assembly is reinforced at the corners and at the points where the load rests or is secured, nailed or screwed depending on the expected weight and the handling method — crane, forklift or manual.

Before closing the crate we check that the internal dimensions match the actual piece, with enough margin for blocking, film or foam protection, but no slack that would let the cargo shift in transit. Build time depends on volume and design complexity; for routine orders we typically work to lead times of a few working days up to a couple of weeks, confirmed when we quote each job. Every crate ships with a packing list and, where the customer asks for it, handling marks stencilled on the outside — this way up, fragile, sling points — so whoever receives the load on the other end knows how to move it correctly without opening the crate first to work that out.

Materials and wood species: Galician pine and eucalyptus by load

Most of our crates are built from Galician pine (Pinus pinaster and Pinus radiata), a straight-grained timber with a good strength-to-weight ratio that holds nails and screws well — important in a structure that takes knocks and vibration in transit. For very heavy loads, or crates that need extra rigidity in the skid base, we also use eucalyptus, which is denser and handles compression better. We select boards with sound knots and no through-cracks in the highest-stress areas, and reject timber with excessive bow or twist that could open up during assembly or transit.

Moisture content is matched to the job: for crates that will sit in storage or go through a long sea transit, we work with more tightly controlled moisture boards, similar to the stock we use for our kiln-dried (KD) timber, to reduce the risk of the wood warping or opening up and affecting how the crate fits around the load. For more standard crates, air-dried timber is enough and keeps the cost down. For crates heading into humid environments or long sea crossings, we can also line the interior with polyethylene film as an extra barrier against condensation.

Fixings — nails, screws, corner brackets at the highest-stress points — are chosen according to the weight of the load and the handling method it will see, and on crates built for sea export we reinforce the fork-entry and sling points in particular. We also watch grain orientation when cutting load-bearing skids, since timber loaded along the grain resists crushing far better than timber loaded across it, and that detail matters most on the heaviest machinery bases.

Dimensional and quality standards

Every crate is built to a measurement drawing specific to the piece it carries, not a generic size. We take the outer dimensions of the load as the starting point, add the margin needed for internal blocking and protection, then work out board and batten thickness from the total weight and how the crate will be handled and stacked. On orders with several different pieces, we also plan how the finished crates will nest or stack together in the truck or container, rather than sizing each one in isolation.

Where the project calls for it, we align the crate base with the EPAL/EUR palletising specifications used across Europe, so the crate can be moved with a standard forklift or pallet truck and fits into a truck or container's space planning without extra adaptation. This matters most when the crate is travelling alongside other palletised cargo in the same shipment.

Before delivery we check squareness, panel flatness, joint firmness, and that the fork-entry points are clear and correctly sized. On multi-unit orders we build from the same cutting templates so every crate in the run keeps the same internal and external dimensions. On very heavy crates we spread the weight across several skid runners instead of concentrating it on two support points, and we check whether the crate will be stacked with others in transit so the top corners get reinforced accordingly; when a customer asks for it, we also mark the centre of gravity on the outside to make handling easier at the destination.

Uses by industry: what our crates protect

Industrial wood packaging serves very different sectors, but the underlying challenge is always the same: a heavy, bulky or fragile load has to arrive in the same condition it left the workshop in. Sectors we work with regularly include:

• Industrial machinery and capital equipment manufacturers and importers
• Automotive workshops and parts suppliers (engines, tooling, components)
• Flat glass businesses and aluminium/PVC joinery firms
• Quarries and distributors of marble, granite and natural stone
• Electronics and precision instrument manufacturers
• Industrial relocation firms moving complete production lines
• Freight forwarders and logistics operators subcontracting packaging

Whatever the sector, the design takes the route into account: a load travelling in a sea container needs a different approach to vibration and humidity than one making a short road trip, and we adjust the internal blocking and the level of restraint accordingly rather than applying the same specification to every crate. On shipments that combine machinery with smaller parts or spares, many customers pair the main crate with custom-made wood pallets for the rest of the load, so the whole order moves through the same handling equipment at origin and destination and makes the best use of truck or container space.

Sustainability and forestry sourcing

The timber we use comes from Galician forests, mostly pine, in a region with a long tradition of forest management and pine and eucalyptus timber use. Working close to the forest means real traceability of origin and less transport before the wood even reaches our sawmill, which also cuts the logistics footprint of the finished product.

We design crates to make the most of every board and batten: offcuts and residues from crate production are reused in smaller components or diverted to our biomass by-products line rather than discarded. In design and timber selection we take into account the sustainable forest management principles promoted by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), though we don't offer certified chain-of-custody on every order; if your project needs specific certified traceability, mention it when you request a quote and we'll look at how we can accommodate it. Beyond supplying timber, the business also runs its own forestry services in the area — felling, transport and land clearing — which gives us first-hand knowledge of Galician woodland and of how freshly cut timber behaves even before it reaches the sawmill.

Export and logistics across Europe

A large share of our industrial crates travel outside Galicia: to other parts of Spain, to Portugal, and increasingly to machinery and equipment buyers in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Ireland. We prepare origin documentation and, where the destination requires it, arrange heat treatment of the timber in line with the ISPM 15 international phytosanitary standard, which is mandatory for solid wood packaging leaving the EU for destinations such as the UK or Switzerland.

Within the EU, ISPM 15 treatment isn't required, but volume and packaging type are still worth planning carefully: when a shipment combines machinery crates with transport pallets, we coordinate both products — including, where it fits, our one-way lightweight export pallets — so the whole order leaves the yard with the same space and weight planning. Supporting paperwork — delivery note, packing list and, where it applies, the phytosanitary treatment certificate — is prepared in Spanish and English, and in French or Portuguese on request, so customs clearance isn't held up by a language gap.

We work to the standard international trade terms — EXW, FOB or delivered, depending on what the buyer needs — and coordinate collection with the carrier or forwarder the customer already uses, or suggest options if they'd rather we did. For multi-crate or high-volume orders, we fit production scheduling around the collection date set by the contracted sea or road transport.

Why choose Maderas Caamaño for your industrial packaging

Ordering industrial packaging from a supplier that is also a working sawmill has a practical advantage: we control the whole process, from selecting the timber to final assembly, without depending on a third party for board or batten supply. That gives us the room to adjust design, lead time and cost crate by crate, instead of forcing the customer's load into a catalogue size. It also means one point of contact for the whole job, from the first phone call about dimensions through to the finished crate leaving the yard.

We're a family-run business with decades of forestry tradition in the region, and that hands-on knowledge of how Galician timber behaves — how it cuts, how it dries, how it holds up to nailing and load — goes into crates built for the actual journey they'll make, not just to look tidy leaving the workshop. If you need a made-to-measure crate, cage or skid for machinery, parts or delicate cargo, send us the dimensions and destination and we'll put together a quote built around that specific load. You can write or call us directly to talk through your project; there's no sales layer in between, just the same team that will go on to cut and build your crate.

Applications & uses

• Exporting industrial machinery and capital equipment
• Transporting automotive parts and engines
• Packaging flat glass and aluminium joinery
• Shipping marble, granite and natural stone
• Protecting electronics and precision equipment
• Relocating complete production lines
• Made-to-order packaging for freight forwarders

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Frequently asked questions