Plastic storage crates

[Restoration73]

With the current debate on plastics, I am trying to find long life crates with or without lids that don't break up as easily as the current types made of PP(polypropylene) that are sold everywhere.
I have some very old ones made of HDPE polythene (Curver, Plysu etc) that have lasted decades but not seen now. There are plenty of crates with attached lids but none are transparent. If HDPE is still used for buckets and petrol containers, why can't it be used for crates ?

[sexton_mallard]

Totally agree. I've even picked up storage boxes on sale in the shop and they have cracked just under the gripping force of my hands! Complete cp! I take the plastic you refer to is what wheelie bins are made of. Some great plastic was made in the past - Tupperware and original Hunter plastic guttering springs to mind. This guttering is still good even after years in the elements. I am on a quest for decent plastic storage boxes too.

[Nickthedentist]

The Ikea ones are better (and cheaper) than average, as are the "Really Useful" ones (though more costly).

I still look out for the old coloured, stackable Curver ones though - there are a lot that crop up at boot sales, on skips etc.

[broadgage]

IME it is worth paying a bit more for "euro crates" that are used in industry.
These have a standard footprint of 600mm by 400mm but come in numerous different depths.
Euro crates have vertical sides and are very strong, different brands should interstack neatly.

Prices vary a great deal.
"Big Dug" and "Solent plastics" are worth considering as suppliers IMHO. Or ebay of course.

[ex seismic]

We use the big 64 litre Really Useful Boxes in the cadets. Have been using them for a few years now, none broken despite being thrown around in the back of Transits. They stack nicely. Recommended.

[PJL]

Not much help, but I bought some 2nd hand orange coloured fairly shallow stackable boxes that I was told were used for shipping pharmaceuticals. Industrial boxes are built to last and survive abuse and worth looking out for.

[G6Tanuki]

I use the "really useful" ones [sometimes available at spectacularly-marked-down price at 'The Range' - they seem to do special offers aimed at students around the begining of the new academic year].

I've got a number of their 'stacking' boxes - which come with nice adjustable dividers that let you adjust the size of each compartment to nicely accomodate B7G/B9A valves from the little 6AK5/6AL5 squat ones up to full-length QQV03/10, 5763 and EZ81 size. A folded sheet of kitchen-towel provides a padded space in which the valve can securely nestle.

[jamesperrett]

For a good idea of what is available it might be worth rummaging around

https://www.parrs.co.uk/storage-containers-boxes-c341

They seem to have a pretty good selection and I've always been happy with things I've ordered from them in the past.

[Outrun_uk]

Another vote for the Really Useful boxes, spent a small fortune on them to tidy the workshop. Yes they are pricier but was sick of buying cheap ones that easily broke. Just be aware there are 2 types of the Really Useful boxes, one type has more reinforcement on the edges.

Kev

[M0FYA Andy]

I've standardised on Really Useful Boxes so they all stack properly.

Andy

[AC/HL]

As an alternative, banana boxes, often available free at Morrisons checkouts, are good and strong provided the storage area is dry. They survive OK in my garage. Doubtless other supermarkets can oblige.

[DonaldStott]

On a smaller scale, has anyone found a viable alternative to the standard ABS Project boxes we all know and love?

[Maarten]

Philips used standard size heavy zinc plated steel crates. They got less heavy with the years and under the latest labour regulations they only had a load capacity of 5kg anymore since their own weight was already on the high side. They were (and still are) stackable and could carry several hundreds of kilograms due to a very well thought out construction.

[Refugee]

Originally Posted by broadgage

IME it is worth paying a bit more for "euro crates" that are used in industry.
These have a standard footprint of 600mm by 400mm but come in numerous different depths.
Euro crates have vertical sides and are very strong, different brands should interstack neatly.

Prices vary a great deal.
"Big Dug" and "Solent plastics" are worth considering as suppliers IMHO. Or ebay of course.

Those "euro crates" fit snugly in a supermarket trolley and two can be stacked in a deep trolley making for rapid transfer from trolley to car thus avoiding lengthy transfer in wet weather. It is much easier than fumbling about with bags.

[Lancs Lad]

I've got a few (fairly transparent) lidded storage crates.

If I remember rightly, they came from B&Q, and the brand name is Keter.

They even have wheels (one direction only) to facilitate movement! Absolutely no complaints about them at all.

[Maarten]

Originally Posted by Maarten

Philips used standard size heavy zinc plated steel crates. They got less heavy with the years and under the latest labour regulations they only had a load capacity of 5kg anymore since their own weight was already on the high side. They were (and still are) stackable and could carry several hundreds of kilograms due to a very well thought out construction.

In this brochure, a zinc steel crate is shown with a compatible plastic crate stacked on top: https://www.engelslogistiek.nl/pub/m...n_Specials.pdf

It isn't very clear from the picture, but the footprint of the steel crate is slightly larger than just beneath the top so it can carry more stacked weight.

[Restoration73]

Many thanks for the replies. I have decided to opt for the larger crates with attached
interlocking lids. They will be useful for storage and any future move.

[AC/HL]

Be careful with the cheap ones, often available in supermarkets as under-bed storage.
OK for careful use, but they shatter easily if roughly handled.

[Lloyd 1985]

I got a whole load of ‘really useful box’ boxes free from where I used to work when the boss decided to clear out stores and buy in a load of non lidded ESD safe boxes. We hadn’t had them long before he chucked them out, and he was going to bin them! Very useful in the workshop, I even bought some of the tiny ones to put smaller bits in.

Regards
Lloyd

[Trigon.]

In case the previous descriptions of storage boxes 'shattering' sound exaggerated, here are the bottom 3 of a stack of 12 crates as received from CPC via UPS...

All the air bag packaging was on top!

Cheers