Crates can be made of wood, plastic, metal or other materials. The term crate often implies a large and strong container. Most plastic crates are smaller and are more commonly called a case or container. Metal is rarely used because of its weight. Plastic crates are used for storage of various goods and for shipping from one location to another.

The goods are positioned in a crate, with or without cover, and set or stacked onto a pallet loaded onto a transportation vehicle such as truck or train car and shipped to its destination. Plastic crates provide protection of shipped and stored goods from damage or breakage and simplify the handling of goods.
Plastic crates have been available on the market for about 28 years. In recent years, plastic crates have gained significant market presence and continues to grow. The international trend has switched towards the use of plastic crates and they are already in use for storage and shipping in a wide range of industries such as:
agriculture, automotive, building and construction, clothing, electronics, food, fruit and vegetables, groceries in supermarket chains, bakeries, dairy, fisheries, freight forwarding, household goods, nurseries, pharmaceuticals, packaging, logistics, rubbers and white goods.