Wooden crate size guide

The most common mistake with crates isn't quality — it's size. A hamper crate an inch too big looks half-empty no matter what you put in it; a display crate an inch too small hides the stock it's meant to sell. Here's how to size a crate properly, with the real dimensions we supply every week.

The three jobs a crate does

Before choosing dimensions, decide which of three jobs your crate is doing, because each one sizes differently. A hamper crate should be filled to slightly overflowing — abundance is the whole psychology of a hamper. A display crate should sit at a comfortable browsing angle and hold one product category at eye-catching depth. A storage crate is sized to its shelf or stack, and to what a person can actually lift when it's full.

Common sizes and what they suit

Sizing a hamper crate: work backwards from the contents

Lay the products out in the footprint you're considering before you order anything. The rule that never fails: the tallest item (usually a bottle) should stand no more than a third above the crate rim once seated in wood wool, and the crate should look full with two fewer items than you plan to include — the last two are your insurance for a generous look. For a standard wine bottle laid at an angle, you need at least 31 cm of internal diagonal; upright presentation needs a deep crate or a tall back row.

Sizing display crates: eye-line and reach

For counter displays, keep the total height (counter + crate) below customer eye-line so staff can see over it and customers can see in. For floor displays, stack two or three crate sizes stepped like stairs — small at top, large at base — so every product faces slightly upward at the shopper. Leave a hand's width of clearance around products; if customers fear knocking things over, they don't pick anything up.

Stacking and weight: what a crate can take

A pine crate happily carries 15–20 kg of goods, but the practical limit is the human one — a full 46 cm crate of jars is already a two-hand lift. For storage walls, stack like-sized crates only, heaviest at the bottom, and face the grain of the base boards along the longer span. If a crate lives outdoors or in a cold room, let it acclimatise for a day before loading; timber moves with moisture, and a crate that's allowed to settle stays square.

Branding: where a logo works on a crate

The long face is the natural billboard — engraving there stays visible when crates are stacked or shelved. For hampers, the short face works better because hampers are usually presented end-on. Engraved marks are burned into the timber, so they survive years of handling, stacking and washing that would destroy any label or sticker.