Shipping Glass

[roderick]

Hello to everyone, Thanks for yet another great forum !
I have a small company in San Diego that creates custom glass signs and custom mirrors. All flat glass. I have been building my own crates to what I think is a logical spec. for about to years. In that time I have only had two instances of breckage. Both with UPS. Both times I have been hasseled by them about crating and packing. The first time I was able to prove my packing was good and won the claim. This week I was denied a claim due to the fact that I used a woden crate instead of a cardboard box. First I need to find out what the industry standards are and then be able to build crates to above and beyound general specifications so when I do have a breackage issue a claim will be honored.
I am looking for information on how to build and pack wooden crates to ship my products around the country. I looked at the program offered but it looks like it's only for PC. It looks like a very cool program.


Please HELP !!!

Thanks again for the forum
PS I tried to go on www. woodencrates.org but it just crashes everytime.

Roderick Treece
www.customglasssigns.com

[Marcel]

Hello Roderick,
A very happy Holiday to you!
If you could explain how many pieces you put in the crate?
What type of protection are you using during shipment.

[roderick]

Hi Marcel,
Thanks for asking.
I all ways work on flat glass. Mostly 1/4" . It wieghs 3.3 lbs per sqft. Normally this is how I wrap a project.

1 Clear streach wrap
2. 3/16" soft foam wrap all the way around trying very hard not to bunch it up anywhere to cause any breaking points.
3. 2" of ridgit foam sheeting all the way around that with 3" on top.
4. I build the crate with 1" x 8" clear pine sides , 1/2 plywood top and bottom. Nail together sides and bottom. Nail or screw on lid.
5. For any thing smaller under 150 it's just the crate. and gos UPS. For larger pieces the crate get attached to a skid/pallet and go Fedx frieght.

I was trying to find information about the box strength as far as bursting and edge crush for wooden crates.
I found in one document that 1" pine has basic stress of 1,425 lbs per sq in. I don't know how to extrapalate that into usable info on the total crate.

Thanks
Roderick

[Marcel]

Thank you for the response to my questions. I would also like to know what damage you have experienced from this type of packaging in the past.
From what you explained it sounds like you have a very good crate design. That is what makes me wonder what type of damage it is receiving.
How many pieces of glass go in the box normally or at least how many pieces of glass were in the boxes that were damaged?
Were all the pieces damaged?
Did you say you wrap each glass with 3/16 foam individually?
What is the glass? Is it a mirror or what is type? Tempered? Stained Glass?
Answers to these questions will definitely help me to understand your process so we can come up with a solution or at least how the damage is occuring.

[roderick]

All most allways it is one piece of 1/4" glass that is first wraped in streach wrap them 3/16" foam wrap. Both times the piece was smashed into small shards.
Funny thing is both pieces were broken by UPS withing 1 week of each other.

[Marcel]

My suggestion to you as far as packing 1 pc of glass is this
Use the stretch wrap but just one wrap around. Do not use the 3/16 foam at all. It is likely the culprit. It would be best if you could buy 1" High Density Foam It is not rigid but it does come in a sheet. It is compressable but it holds its form. Put your glass with the stretch wrap in between 2 - 1" sheets.
Rip your pine to 2 1/8" wide & make your box. Then screw your 3/8" plywood to both sides. If your glass is say: 24" x 24" then make the box 26" x 26" leaving 1" all around & cut your 1" high density foam to 26" x 26". Due to the stretch wrap the glass will not move in between and it will be almost impossible to break even if dropped. The glass is too sensitive to the 3/16" foam as it will crease with movement & cause pressure points which will break the glass. Once it breaks in one place it breaks all over. Also this may sound funny but do not exaggerate the fact that it is "Fragile". Just put Fragile in 2 places and in plain view. With too many warnings it for some reason entices people to see just how "fragile" it really is.