Plastic crates are essential to efficient operations across many industries, yet the vast array of options can make it challenging to find the right solution. Unsuitable choices often lead to storage inefficiencies and operational bottlenecks. Our team has compiled this handy guide to outline the key considerations for various industries and align them with our range of solutions. Whether you are sourcing crates for the first time or re-evaluating your current equipment, this guide will help you select the ideal bin for your business.
What to Think About Before You Order
Before you get into specific products, it helps to nail down a few basics about how your crates will be used day-to-day. The right crate for a grower packing stone fruit in Queensland looks nothing like the right crate for a Sydney pharmaceutical distributor.
Ask yourself:
- What are you loading into the crate? Bulk produce, pharmaceutical goods, bakery items, and industrial parts all have very different requirements for materials, cleaning, and structural strength.
- How will it be transported? Forklifts, pallet jacks, hand trucks, and conveyor systems all interact differently with crates. Forklift-compatible bulk bins require a solid base. Picking lines in a warehouse often favours smaller, lighter stackable storage crates that can be carried by hand.
- Do you need to stack them when full, or nest them when empty? Stack-and-nest crates (which stack when in use and nest when empty) save significant storage space when they’re empty. Rigid bins that don’t nest can take up a lot of room when empty.
- What are your cleaning requirements? Smooth internal surfaces are easier to sanitise. Vented bins allow airflow but can trap residue if not cleaned properly. Closed rigid bins are generally easier to keep clean in food-handling environments.
- How much space do you have? Foldable plastic and collapsible crates fold flat when not in use, dramatically reducing the footprint of your empty inventory. That matters a lot in tight warehousing operations.
Food, Agriculture, and Fresh Produce
Food and agriculture are where the crate or bin choice really matters. You’re dealing with perishable goods, strict hygiene requirements, and in many cases, produce that can be bruised or damaged if it’s not handled properly.
What the Australian Food Standards Code Requires
Under Standard 3.2.2 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, food businesses
must use packaging and containers that are fit for their intended purpose and not likely to cause food contamination. The NSW Food Authority also specifies that any container used for food storage should be smooth and free of cracks, chips, or crevices that could harbour bacteria and hinder cleaning.
This is why polypropylene and food-grade plastics are the materials of choice for food handling environments. They don’t absorb moisture, won’t harbour bacteria as porous materials can, and can be thoroughly washed and sanitised between uses. Wooden
Storage boxes and fibre containers can’t match this for repeated use in food handling.
Picking, Packing, Delis, and Grocers
For operations involving hand-picking, order fulfilment, deli counters, or grocery distribution, smaller, manageable plastic storage crates that stack neatly and are easy to carry between work areas are recommended. These stackable crates need to be lightweight enough for manual handling but sturdy enough to hold a full load without flexing.
Palleco’s Plastic Tote 102 is a 24L rigid small crate (540 x 365 x 165mm) that nestles together when empty, meaning a stack of empty totes will take up much less room than a stack of full ones. It comes with an optional lid for sealed storage and distribution, which is useful when goods need to be moved between your facility and a retail or food-service customer. Our Plastic Tote 103 offers the same nesting crate design with a taller profile (545 x 365 x 265mm) for slightly deeper loads, while the Plastic Tote 1034 steps up again in volume at 610 x 430 x 320mm. For flat items, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and anything that benefits from a low-profile format, our Plastic Tote 1228H has a shallow tray profile at 605 x 355 x 98mm and stacks cleanly for transport.
Bulk Produce, Dairy, and Agricultural Operations
Farms, dairies, bakeries, and processing facilities moving large volumes of product in a single load need bulk bins rather than totes. These are the large-format plastic bins and foldable plastic crates that sit on pallets and are moved by forklifts or pallet jacks.
Palleco’s Plastic Bin 580 and Plastic Bin 440 are rigid bulk containers in the 1165 x 1165mm footprint, available Australia-wide. The 580 is the taller of the two at 580mm, while the 440 is 440mm. Both suit bulk storage of produce, dairy, and agricultural goods, where load capacity and cleanability are priorities.
For high-volume operations with a heavy focus on storage efficiency, the Plastic Nesting Bin 780 combines the bulk capacity of a 1162 x 1162 x 780mm rigid bin with the ability to nest bins when empty, significantly reducing the storage space required when the bins are out of rotation.
Where freshness and airflow matter (think fresh produce in cool rooms), the Plastic Bin 780 V (Vented) allows air circulation through the sides of the bin while providing solid support for the load. This is a common requirement for fruit and vegetable storage, where sealed containers would trap moisture and accelerate spoilage.
Logistics, Warehousing, and Retail
For general warehousing operations, retail distribution, and third-party logistics providers, the deciding factors are usually a combination of load capacity, stackability, ease of handling, and performance in automated or semi-automated warehouse environments.
Stackable Storage Bins and Stackable Utility Crates for Warehouse Operations
In a typical warehousing operation, plastic bins and crates are constantly moving. They’re being picked, consolidated, loaded onto conveyors, shifted by forklifts, and restacked. The crate needs to handle that movement reliably over many cycles without cracking or warping.
Heavy-duty plastic crates and stackable storage bins that maintain their shape and load capacity under repeated use are the baseline requirement in warehouse environments. Palleco’s rigid bulk bin range, including the Plastic Bin 780 NV, Plastic Bin 580, and Plastic Bin 440, are built for this kind of heavy-duty use.
The collapsible storage bins and foldable plastic crates in the range offer something especially useful for logistics and supply chain operations that need to manage the return leg. Sending full crates out and getting empty ones back takes up space and costs money in transport. Collapsible crates and collapsible plastic crates, like the Plastic Ozcrate 3 fold down flat when empty, which means you can fit significantly more empty containers on a return truck or in storage than you could with rigid options.
Palleco’s Plastic Crates, Delivered Anywhere in Australia
Palleco operates nationally, with stock and teams in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Perth. Whether you’re a grocer in Melbourne, a logistics provider in Brisbane, or a pharmaceutical distributor in Adelaide, we can get plastic crates to your loading dock without the wait.
Some products in our range are available Australia-wide, while others are currently available in specific states. Check the product page for current availability, or give our team a call and we’ll sort out exactly what you need. Call our friendly team at 1800 525 018 or get a free quote online. If you’re not sure which crate is right for your business, we’re happy to talk you through it.
