A crate is a handling instruction as much as a container. Build one and you have told every carrier that the load is heavy, rigid, forklift-handled and not going through a package sorter. The first question is whether it still fits inside the parcel envelope, because the answer changes the price by an order of magnitude. This page draws that line with live quotes and with the length charges the freight carriers publish.
The wall thickness is part of the shipment as far as any carrier is concerned.
UPS publishes the ceiling for its package network on ups.com, read 2026-07-28: 150 lb, 108 in on the longest side, and 165 in for length plus girth combined. Girth is twice the width plus twice the height. We built two crates around those numbers and quoted both on 2026-07-28.
| Crate | Outside size and weight | Length plus girth | What came back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gearbox in plywood | 32 x 24 x 24 in, 120 lb | 128 in | $188.54 UPS Ground, 2-3 business days |
| Same crate, three-day air | 32 x 24 x 24 in, 120 lb | 128 in | $242.93 UPS 3 Day Select |
| Same crate, other network | 32 x 24 x 24 in, 120 lb | 128 in | $538.87 FedEx Ground, 5-6 business days |
| Lathe bed in a long crate | 96 x 20 x 20 in, 90 lb | 176 in | No parcel rates, commercial freight review |
| Machine accessory at the ceiling | 30 x 24 x 20 in, 150 lb | 118 in | No parcel rates, commercial freight review |
The long crate weighs 30 lb less than the gearbox and cannot be sold a parcel label at any price, because 176 in of length plus girth is past the ceiling. Note also the spread between the two parcel carriers on the identical crate: on that lane and that day, one network wanted nearly three times what the other did, which is an argument for quoting both rather than defaulting to the one you have an account with.
Freight carriers do not refuse long crates, they surcharge them, and the bands start at eight feet. A crate built an inch over that line is a different price from one built an inch under it, which is worth knowing before the saw comes out.
| Longest dimension | FedEx Freight | Estes | Old Dominion | XPO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft to under 12 ft | $375.00 | $300.00 | $495.00 | $387.00 to under 11 ft |
| 12 ft to under 16 ft | $775.00 to under 15 ft | $600.00 | $1,000.00 to under 20 ft | $850.00 from 11 ft |
| 16 ft to under 20 ft | $982.00 to under 18 ft | $850.00 | $1,000.00 | $1,426.00 |
| 20 ft and over | $1,234.00 from 18 ft to under 20 ft | $1,000.00 | $1,300.00 | $4,925.00 |
The bands do not line up between carriers, and neither do the amounts, so a crate that is cheap to move on one network is punitive on another. Every one of these charges is added to the transport charge rather than replacing any part of it. If a piece can be cut, folded or split so the longest dimension lands under eight feet, that decision is usually worth more than any rate negotiation.
A crate’s tare weight travels on the freight bill with the contents. That cuts both ways: it raises the weight the carrier bills, and it raises density, which on most freight pulls the class down and the rate per pound with it. Weigh the finished crate rather than the contents, and write that figure on the paperwork.
Two inches of wall on each side adds four inches to every outside dimension, and carriers rate the outside. On a small crate that is a large percentage. On a large one it can push the shipment across a cube threshold and into a rule that rates it on space rather than weight.
Freight is counted in handling units, and a crate is one no matter how many parts are inside. That simplifies the piece count on the document, and it means a shortage claim is all or nothing. Anything loose inside that can shift will arrive as damage rather than as a shortage.
R+L Carriers publishes the working envelope of its own liftgates in item 520 of its rules tariff: a maximum of 2,000 lb, and a skid no larger than 60 in long by 48 in wide. A crate outside that has to come off with a forklift, or be collected from the carrier’s terminal.
The cheapest crate is often the one you do not build. Put the packed outside dimensions and the finished weight into the calculator first: if parcel rates come back, a strong double-walled carton with internal bracing usually beats plywood on total cost. If they do not, send the same figures to a person and get the crate priced as freight with the handling equipment named at both ends.
Quote the packed outside size Price a crated shipment with a person When a crate is worth building
Only if it fits the package envelope. UPS publishes limits of 150 lb, 108 in on the longest side and 165 in for length plus girth. On 2026-07-28 a 32 x 24 x 24 in crate at 120 lb returned $188.54 as its cheapest rate from Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303, while a 96 x 20 x 20 in crate at 90 lb returned no parcel rates at all.
It depends where the longest dimension falls. For a crate of eight feet or more FedEx Freight adds $375.00, Estes $300.00, Old Dominion $495.00 and XPO $387.00, each on top of the transport charge, and every carrier has higher bands above that.
Yes. The tare weight of the wood is part of the shipment weight on the bill of lading. It also raises the density of the load, which for most freight moves the class downward, so a heavy crate is not purely a penalty.
Not always. R+L Carriers states in item 520 of its rules tariff that its tailgate service tops out at 2,000 lb and that the skid must fit within 60 in by 48 in, with heavier skids broken down and the charge doubled. A large crate normally needs a forklift at the delivery point or a collection from the terminal.