Glossary

• Wooden Crates: made with a strong timber frame and timber slats, leaving small gaps between the slats to allow airflow, usually made of pine or hardwood. Wooden crates are used for transporting and storing goods that require inspection access, airflow, or used as a lightweight transport packaging solution.

• Wooden Boxes: usually fully enclosed, leaving no gaps between the wood panels. They are typically made with plywood, MDF, or pine.

• Wooden Cases: cases are similar to boxes in that the panels are built against each other with no gaps. They typically use softwood or plywood and are fully enclosed with a lid or cover. Cases are available with steel frames for extra support.

• Wooden Pallets: A pallet is a flat structure, typically square and made of wood, on which goods are stored for transport so that they can be lifted and moved using a forklift. The classic wooden pallet is made with a top and bottom deck, with three or four stringers that connect the parallel deck boards. The usual size is 48” x 48”. However, Aussie Crates can customise the size.

• Plywood: A strong, thin wooden board consisting of two or more layers glued and pressed together with the direction of the piece alternating that are a lighter and often more affordable transport option.

• MDF: Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is an engineered wood product.

• Plastic Pallets: made with strong plastic with gaps for ventilation. Plastic pallets are easily stackable, lightweight, and ideal for storing perishable products.

• Skids: a slightly different version of a wooden pallet. Skids typically have four feet underneath, whereas pallets have four stringer boards running along the length. Skids usually have no bottom desk and are generally used for storing heavy objects, whereas pallets are used for transport. A skid uses less material than a pallet, is generally higher, and can transport lighter loads.

• Two-way pallet: allows entry for a pallet jack or a forklift on two sides.

• Four-way pallet: allows entry for a pallet jack or a forklift on four sides. Ultimately, these are easier to use for storage than two-way pallets.

• Flatpack: a timber pallet, crate, or box that you assemble yourself.

• Livestock Crates: Customised timber crates for the safe transport of sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, ostriches, horses, dogs, and other livestock via air, sea, and land transportation.

• LAR: LAR stands for Live Animal Regulations, which outlines the rules and regulations for transporting live animals.

• Display Boxes: Smaller wooden boxes with my lid, used to enhance the presentation of your products or provide easy care storage with the natural, rustic look of pure pine.

• Heat shrink wrapping: A plastic material that is heated to shrink tightly over items as a cost-effective way to prevent damage caused by the elements such as dust or humidity for storage or shipping. It can also be used to secure an item to a deck or pallet during shipping.

• Pallet wrap is also known as stretch film, a highly stretchable plastic film wrapped around multiple items, allowing the elastic to keep the things tightly bound.

• Cradles: Rounded wooden arcs to support material for shipping that fit the outside diameter of the tubular cargo being shipped.

• Gluts: Made of timber, they are used for packaging, spacing, ensuring even weight distribution, and allowing forklift access for large or bulky items.

• Saddles are usually used to support and secure curved items such as heavy pipes during transport.

• Blocking and bracing: Used to ensure heavy items don’t shift or move in their container during transport, such as immobilising a wood crate or wood pallet with blocks or cradles screwed together to make a protective framework.

•  Strapping and Lashing: Used to tie down and secure goods inside the crates or boxes. Strapping prevents items from moving or falling off transport equipment.

Certification Terminology

To operate as timber and wooden packaging supplier in Australia, specific certifications are required. Here’s a quick explanation of the certifications we hold:

• ISPM-15: ISPM-15 refers to the ‘International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures Publication No. 15 (2019): Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade’. It was introduced to reduce the global spread of timber pests by regulating the movement of timber packaging and dunnage in global trade.

• AWPCS: The Australian Wood Packaging Certification Scheme (AWPCS). This is a certification scheme developed to enable Australian treatment providers and wood packaging manufacturers to produce wood packaging material to meet ISPM-15 requirements.

• CR-82: CR-82 stands for the Particular Container Requirement rule in the manual for transporting potentially dangerous animals.

Please do not hesitate to call our expert team for further clarification on any of these terms.