Frequently Asked Questions

We manufacture wooden pallets for a range of shipping and material-handling applications, including two-way, four-way, block, reversible, single-use and custom pallet designs.

The best choice depends on your product’s weight, dimensions, storage requirements and handling equipment. Our team can help identify the appropriate pallet design for your application.

Learn more about our wooden pallets.

A wooden pallet typically has a top deck and a supporting bottom structure, while a skid has a simpler base without a full bottom deck.

Pallets are commonly used for storage, transportation, and handling with forklifts or pallet jacks. Skids may be suitable for equipment support, industrial applications, or shipments with different handling requirements.

The right choice depends on how your product will be transported, stored, and moved.

A two-way pallet is designed for forklift entry from two opposite sides. A four-way pallet provides access from all four sides, although the available clearance and handling method depend on its construction.

Four-way pallets can offer greater flexibility in busy warehouses and distribution facilities, while two-way pallets may suit applications with consistent handling directions.

Review our pallet manufacturing options to explore available designs.

Yes. Custom wooden pallets can be designed around the dimensions, weight distribution, and handling requirements of the items you plan to ship.

Important considerations include total load weight, centre of gravity, lifting points, transportation conditions and how the product will be secured.

204 Pallet & Packaging manufactures custom wooden packaging solutions for applications where standard pallet dimensions or configurations may not meet the customer’s requirements.

To request a custom wooden pallet quote, it helps to provide the product’s dimensions, total weight, required pallet size, intended use, and expected order quantity.

Details about forklift access, storage conditions, shipping destinations, and export requirements may also influence the design.

Providing accurate specifications helps our team evaluate your requirements and prepare an appropriate manufacturing quotation.

Contact 204 Pallet & Packaging to discuss your project.

Open wooden crates use a framed or slatted construction, with boards for sheathing and some openings for ventilation. Closed wooden crates have no openings. Skeleton crates use a structural framework designed around the shipment, without any sheathing.

Each design serves different packaging needs. The appropriate choice depends on product sensitivity, weight, transportation conditions, and the level of protection required.

Explore our custom wooden shipping crates.

A pallet primarily supports a shipment from below, while a crate adds a structure around the product for greater protection or containment.

Custom wooden crates are ideal for shipments with vulnerable components, unusual dimensions, or transportation requirements that make pallet-only packaging unsuitable.

The decision should account for the product’s size, weight, fragility, handling requirements, and shipping destination.

Yes. Custom wooden shipping crates are an excellent shipping solution for items that require specialized support, protection, or handling.

Crates can be designed to account for challenges like uneven weight distribution, sensitive surfaces, protruding components, and potential movement during transportation.

204 Pallet & Packaging works with customers to develop wooden packaging appropriate for their products and shipping requirements.

Wooden shipping crates can be designed for single-use or repeated transportation, depending on their construction, expected handling conditions, and intended application.

A reusable crate may require additional consideration for access, opening and closing, handling durability, and future storage.

If your business requires packaging for repeated shipments, discuss those requirements during the design and quotation process.

ISPM 15 is an international standard covering the treatment and marking of certain wood packaging materials used in international trade.

Heat treatment is one approved method of meeting the standard. Compliant wood packaging is processed according to prescribed requirements and identified with an appropriate IPPC mark.

204 Pallet & Packaging operates an ISPM 15-certified facility that manufactures heat-treated wooden packaging for export applications.

Learn more through our ISPM 15 technical information.

The IPPC mark identifies wood packaging material produced under an approved ISPM 15 program.

The mark typically includes the IPPC symbol, a country code, a producer or treatment-provider identifier, and a treatment code such as HT for heat treatment.

The mark helps demonstrate compliance with applicable phytosanitary treatment and marking requirements. It’s not related to the pallet’s weight capacity or structural performance.

Many international shipments require solid wood packaging materials, including wooden crates and pallets, to comply with ISPM 15.

Requirements depend on the destination, the materials used and applicable import regulations. Some processed wood products, like OSB, may be exempt from the standard.

When planning an export shipment, confirm the destination country’s requirements and identify any applicable treatment and marking needs before ordering your packaging.

When requesting a custom wooden crate quote, provide the product’s dimensions, weight, destination and transportation method whenever possible.

Information about fragile components, lifting points, handling requirements, weather exposure and export needs can also help determine the appropriate design.

Drawings, photographs or product specifications may be useful when discussing complex equipment.

Visit our Custom Crates page to learn more.

Wooden crates can be designed with handling requirements in mind, including forklift and pallet-jack access.

The final design depends on load weight, crate dimensions, supporting structure and the equipment used to move the shipment. Not every crate design is suitable for every handling method.

Providing handling specifications early allows those requirements to be evaluated during the packaging design process.