Corrugated Crates vs. Wood Crates

Wooden crates have long been the go-to choice for companies shipping items globally. But much like horse-drawn carriages, telegrams, and outdoor plumbing, wooden crates are now facing competition from a new, innovative alternative: corrugated crates.

Put simply, corrugated crates offer several advantages over wooden ones:

• They’re lighter than wooden crates and thus easier to move and safer to handle
• The fluted, corrugated cardboard makes them more durable than wooden crates and less likely to break in transit
• They’re environmentally friendly and use easily recyclable materials

If your company still relies on wooden shipping options, there are plenty of reasons why corrugated crates provide significant benefits over their wooden counterparts— including reducing your shipping costs and increasing the safety of your products. Here’s why your company should make the switch to corrugated today.

What is corrugated crating?

A corrugated crate is a biodegradable, paper-based shipping product known for its exceptional strength and durability. These crates consist of several layers of bonded and fluted paper, known as corrugated paper, which gives them enhanced flexibility and superior strength compared to traditional wooden crates.

The corrugated paper is created by feeding flat card through a roller, where heat and pressure form the card into a wave-like fluted structure. Then, a starch-based, eco-friendly adhesive is applied to flutes to create a more robust, bonded material that provides better protection and support for items during shipping and handling.

Corrugated crates provide numerous benefits vs. traditional wooden crates

Lighter weight than wooden crates

Wooden crates often require lifting equipment to move, while corrugated shipping crates weigh nearly half as much.

Corrugated crates are made using fluted layers of recycled material, resembling undulating waves between linerboards, providing an optimal balance of lightness and strength. This design, similar to common cardboard boxes, offers a clever solution that enhances handling while making the product lighter and more durable.

What’s the advantage of using this lightweight type of crating? It's faster to move and store, and a lot easier to lift for your customers and employees.

More durable than wooden crates

Sure, corrugated is lighter than wood, but while you might not believe it, the science actually shows that corrugated crates are actually more durable than wooden ones. Corrugated crates and boxes consist of multiple thin layers of paper, greatly increasing the flexibility and cushioning of the crate and making them significantly more robust.

Corrugated crating’s fluted structure also provides strong impact protection, giving you confidence that your valuable items will arrive undamaged and ready for use. It also reduces vibration-related damage that’s normally transmitted via wood crating. This can reduce or even eliminate recalibration time and effort at the destination.

Savings on shipping costs

Another great benefit of coorguated shipping crates is that they significantly reduce shipping costs. Because they have lower raw material costs and reduced weight compared to wooden options, corrugated crating costs less to ship than wood crating, making it a highly effective way to save you money—and that's important no matter what size business you run.

Improved safety for your customers and employees

If you’ve packed or unpacked enough wooden crates, you’ve probably been poked, scratched, or bruised by hardware that can cause injuries. Corrugated crates eliminate these risks by having smooth surfaces and no protruding hardware, making your workplace safer for employees and your products.

Eco-friendly and easy disposal

Not only are corrugated crates lighter, stronger, and easier to maneuver than wooden crates, but they're also a more sustainable option for environmentally conscious companies. Corrugated materials are made from renewable, biodegradable resources.

As such, corrugated materials are amongst the most recycled of all paper and packaging materials, with corrugated paper achieving an impressive 91.4% recycling rate, according to the American Forest & Paper Association.

In contrast, wooden crates are often treated with pesticides to prevent infestation during shipping, potentially exposing your employees and customers to harmful chemicals.

As regulations against single-use packaging ramp up in the US and Europe, choosing corrugated crates not only demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability but also positions businesses for success in the event of environmental legislative changes.

Why choose HexcelPack for your corrugated shipping needs?

If you’re looking to shift from outdated wooden crates to the more environmentally friendly and reliable corrugated option, partnering with the right packaging manufacturer is critical to ensure you’re getting something extraordinary—and not just ordinary.

HexcelPack’s success lies in our patented technology. HexcelPack’s slit paper design flexes to create volume, leveraging paper fibers for strength and resilience, outperforming traditional plastic bubbles and other packaging materials, while offering 100% curbside recyclability and biodegradability.

Whether you’re a small business or an enterprise, our team at HexcelPack welcomes the opportunity to help you transition from outdated wood crates to corrugated wood-free crates. Reach out today to get the conversation started.