Breakage claims on stone imports cluster around a handful of causes and almost none of them are heavy weather. Slabs packed flat rather than on edge take bending loads through the stack. Crates built oversize for the payload allow lateral movement. Missing foam separation lets faces abrade in transit.
Our crates are built to a fixed internal geometry of 1180 by 780 by 950 mm and loaded on edge against a braced back panel, with 5 mm closed cell foam between faces and corner protection on every external edge. Gross crate weight is held between 1,690 and 1,830 kg depending on stone and thickness so that a standard forklift handles the unit without a special attachment.
Load distribution matters as much as crate design. A 20 ft container is loaded fourteen to sixteen crates in two rows with dunnage between rows and against the doors. Axle loading is calculated before stuffing so that the unit is legal on a UK road leg without repacking.
Timber is heat treated and ISPM 15 stamped. Stencilling carries the batch identifier, stone name, finish, thickness, nominal area and net weight on two faces, so a crate can be identified on a yard without opening it.
Reported breakage on shipments through the last twelve months has run at 0.7 per cent by area. The allowance built into supply figures is 3 per cent on calibrated material and 5 to 7 per cent on random riven, which covers cutting waste as well as transit loss.