Plastic Crates

Plastic Crates

Plastic crates are light-weight containers made in a grid-pattern that are not air tight or waterproof, and are used when the free flow of air is needed. They are mostly used within the food industries to house products like fruits, meat, vegetables, fish and other seafood. Plastic crates are often found in general storage and warehousing facilities to organize, store and transport many different goods. They are often made with handles and generally do not have any covers or lids, although they are stackable and nestable. The plastic used to make crates comes in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes and is able to withstand very low temperatures and are therefore used in freezers.

Crates made of plastic are manufactured through plastic injection molding and often use HDPE, or high density polyethylene, which is a thermoplastic and can be molded when heated. The plastic injection molding process involves heating plastic resin until it becomes molten, then, under very high pressure, injecting it into a metal mold. The plastic will dry in the shape of the mold, in this case, a ventilated plastic container with grid-like walls and a solid bottom. In-mold labeling is often used to imprint a company logo onto each crate. The crates are usually sized according to pallet size, and a single pallet is able to hold up to 54 plastic crates at one time (if they are small enough).