An export crate is a timber box with a product inside, and every place where the product touches the timber is a place where a finish gets marked. A U channel clips over a panel or frame edge and gives the timber something soft to bear on, without the ISPM 15 obligation that comes with adding more wood inside the crate.
The interfaces inside a crate
Product to crate wall: the product is usually held off the wall by blocking, but a panel edge can still touch. A channel over that edge protects both faces and the edge in one part.
Product to base: the base is where the weight goes. A channel on the bottom edge spreads the load and keeps the timber from printing through.
Product to lid: less obvious, and it matters when crates are stacked. A channel on the top edge stops the lid bearing on a finished corner.
Specification at a glance
Crate work uses the heavier end of the range, because the product is heavy and the crate is handled by forklift. Wall follows handling, legs follow the contact area.
| Contact point | Channel | Leg | Note |
|---|
| Panel edge to crate wall | Over the panel edge | 40-50 mm | Both faces covered |
| Bottom edge to base | Over the bottom edge | 50-60 mm | Load spreading |
| Top edge to lid | Over the top edge | 40 mm | Stops lid bearing on a corner |
| Frame to frame | Over the frame edge | 40 mm | Where timber meets finish |
| Bare steel contact | Dry channel | 40 mm | No rust risk from a dry board |
Why paper instead of more timber
Internal timber blocking needs its own ISPM 15 treatment, adds weight, and becomes waste at destination. A paper channel is not regulated wood packaging, goes into the paper stream, and does the same job where the load is not structural.
The limit is the same as everywhere: where a block has to stop the product moving under its own mass, timber or steel stays. The channel is a liner at contact points.
Moisture, ventilation and the sea leg
A crate is a closed humid box. Paper channels take on moisture, so keep them wrapped until fitting and do not lay them on a wet crate base.
Where the board sits against bare steel, a damp channel is a rust risk. Dry boards and the crate ventilation do most of the work; a coated facing is a further option on a long route.
Questions buyers ask before ordering
Does a paper channel change the crate ISPM 15 position?
No. The crate still needs its own mark; the paper channel is not regulated wood packaging.
Can it replace internal timber blocking?
Only where the block is non-structural. A block that stops the product moving needs timber or steel.
What wall for a heavy machine part?
4-5 mm with a 50-60 mm leg at the base, and the crate blocking does the structural work.
Is a coated board needed?
For a long sea leg it slows moisture take-up. Ask for it to be quoted alongside the standard board.
How is it fitted?
Pushed onto the edge by hand before the product goes into the crate, and it stays by fit alone.
Share the drawing or the four key numbers with mona@hengnicepacking.com and we will confirm feasibility before quoting.
