Export packing and wooden crates, built in our Dubai workshop
Wooden crates and boxes from our Dubai Cargo Village workshop: export packing, ISPM 15 crates, pallets and skids for machinery, exhibits and fragile cargo.
Export packing and crates
Wooden crates and boxes built in our own workshop, with crating, pallets, skids and shrink wrap for machinery, exhibits and fragile cargo.
Packing is where Solar Base began in 2006. We make our own wooden and carton boxes and pack commercial and industrial cargo for safe transport by air, sea and road.
Every packing job goes through stringent quality checks to meet the required standards. From sample approval to final dispatch, we check the work before it leaves us.
What we do
- Wooden and carton boxes made in-house
- Crate packing
- Palletization
- Skid packing
- Stretch wrapping
- Wooden box packing
- Quality checks from sample approval to final dispatch
Packing services
- Crate packing
- Palletization
- Skid packing
- Stretch wrapping
- Wooden box packing
How it works
- 01
Assess
We look at the cargo's size, weight, fragility and route.
- 02
Design and approve
We propose the packing method and, where needed, agree a sample before production.
- 03
Build
Our workshop makes the boxes and crates.
- 04
Pack and secure
We pack, secure and mark each item for safe handling.
- 05
Check and dispatch
Each job is checked before it leaves for the airport, port or venue.
Questions and answers
Do you make the boxes and crates yourselves?
Yes. We manufacture wooden and carton boxes in-house.
How do you check packing quality?
Every job goes through stringent quality checks, from sample approval to final dispatch.
Should I use a crate, a wooden box, a skid or a pallet?
It depends on the cargo, the mode and the route. Pallets suit cartons, skids suit heavy machinery with a solid base, open crates protect large items while keeping weight down, and closed wooden boxes give full protection for fragile, high-value or sea-bound cargo. Our guide compares them, or we can advise on your shipment.
What markings go on an export crate?
Standard handling symbols such as this way up, fragile, keep dry, center of gravity and sling points (ISO 780), plus case marks showing the consignee, case number, gross and net weight and dimensions.
Crate, wooden box, skid or pallet?
The right export packing depends on the cargo, the mode and the route. A plain comparison of the four most common options.
Last checked October 20, 2026
| Option | What it is | Best for | Protection | Weight and cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pallet | A flat timber platform; cargo is strapped and stretch-wrapped on top | Cartons and uniform goods that a forklift can move | Low: guards against handling, not impact or weather | Lightest and cheapest |
| Skid | Heavy timber runners bolted under one item, with no deck | Machinery and heavy single pieces with a solid base | Low to medium: protects the base and allows forklift access | Light; low cost |
| Crate (open or framed) | A timber frame with gaps between slats, built around the item | Large or heavy items that need structure but not full enclosure | Medium: absorbs knocks; contents stay visible | Lighter than a closed box, so less volumetric weight |
| Wooden box (closed case) | Fully sheathed in plywood or boards, often lined and cushioned | Fragile, high-value or weather-sensitive cargo, long sea voyages, exhibitions | High: full enclosure; can take barrier foil and desiccants inside | Heaviest and most expensive; reusable for return trips |
Air or sea changes the answer
Air freight is charged on volumetric weight, so right-sized, lighter packing saves money. Sea freight is slower and humid, so closed cases with moisture protection often pay for themselves.
Wood packaging rules
ISPM 15 wood packaging rules
Wooden crates and pallets crossing borders must meet ISPM 15. What the standard requires, how to read the mark, which materials are exempt, and what changed for Saudi Arabia.
Last checked October 20, 2026
What ISPM 15 covers
ISPM 15 applies to raw-wood packaging thicker than 6 mm, which must be debarked and treated. Processed wood such as plywood, OSB and particleboard is exempt.
Source: ippc.int (opens in a new tab)Approved treatments are heat treatment (HT: 56 °C at the core for 30 minutes), dielectric heating (DH: 60 °C for 1 minute), methyl bromide (MB) and sulfuryl fluoride (SF).
Source: ippc.int (opens in a new tab)
Reading the mark
The mark shows the IPPC symbol, the country code (AE for the UAE), a producer or treatment-provider code issued by the national plant protection organization, and the treatment code. It must be permanent, on at least two opposite sides, and not red or orange.
Source: ippc.int (opens in a new tab)In the UAE, the national plant protection organization is the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE).
Source: ippc.int (opens in a new tab)
Why shipments get stopped
A 2026 marine insurers' brief found that 82% of notified rejections of non-compliant wood packaging were about marking or paperwork, not pests.
Source: iumi.com (opens in a new tab)
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia notified the WTO in July 2024 that it will apply ISPM 15 to wood packaging (G/SPS/N/SAU/532), which matters for road exports from the UAE.
Source: gtai.de (opens in a new tab)
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