Plastic fruit crates: which size to choose for each product

A plastic fruit crate is a reusable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) container, food-contact approved, with a standard 600 × 400 mm footprint and heights ranging from 23 to 55 litres. What decides which one you need is not the price: it is the height, and the height is set by your produce.

The rule fits in one line: the more delicate the fruit, the lower the crate. Below you have the sizes we stock, which produce goes in each one and how that translates into crates per pallet.

What sizes of fruit crate are there

In rigid fruit crates we work with four formats, all in HDPE and food-contact approved:

• Rigid stackable 55 L crate, 600 × 400 × 260 mm. This is the tall harvest crate: stackable when full, nestable when empty and made in one piece, with no mechanism that can fail.

• Rigid stackable 35 L crate, 600 × 400 × 175 mm. Same footprint, 85 mm lower. Fewer layers of produce inside and therefore less weight on the fruit at the bottom.

• Fruit crate 50 × 35 × 21 cm, 35 litres. A compact format for handling and display, outside the 600 × 400 module.

• Black tray 40 × 30 × 15 cm, 23 litres. A sorting and in-line handling tray, not a bulk transport crate.

If your return logistics travel far, that same 600 × 400 footprint is also available in Lock System foldable crates, from 23 to 55 litres.

Which fruit crate each product needs

• Citrus (orange, lemon, mandarin) and large-calibre vegetables (pepper, courgette, aubergine): tall 55 L crate. They take the weight of the layers above and it pays you to move the maximum kilos per crate.

• Stone fruit (peach, nectarine, flat peach), table grapes and figs: low 35 L crate or lower. Every centimetre of height you remove is weight taken off the piece at the bottom.

• Produce that reaches the shop as it is: low crate. The fruit stays visible and whole, gets handled less and arrives in better shape on the shelf.

• Sorting and packing in the warehouse: the 40 × 30 × 15 tray, which belongs on the line and not on the pallet.

If you are torn between two heights, take the lower one. A crate that is too tall is paid for in rejected fruit; one that is too low is only paid for in freight, and freight can be calculated.

Rigid or foldable fruit crate?

This is the second decision, not the first: choose the height first, then the family. The rigid crate is cheaper per unit and has no mechanism, so it is the lowest cost per use when the return trip is short. The foldable one costs more to buy but folds the volume away on the way back, and it pays for itself when you export or serve distant customers.

The line between the two is not an opinion: it is your return mileage and your freight rate. The full calculation, step by step, is in stackable rigid crates vs foldable crates.

How many fruit crates fit on a pallet?

The 600 × 400 mm footprint is a submultiple of the Euro pallet, which is why it became the sector standard. With that base:

• 1200 × 800 Euro pallet: 4 crates per layer, exactly and with no overhang.

• 1200 × 1000 pallet: 5 crates per layer, combining both orientations.

The number of layers no longer depends on the crate but on two things that are yours: the maximum height you load to and what your produce takes when stacked. Divide your usable load height by 260 mm (tall crate) or 175 mm (low crate) and you have the layers; multiply by 4 or 5 and you have the crates per pallet.

That is why moving from 55 L to 35 L forces you to redo nothing: same footprint, same pallet, same line. You change crate, not system.

Hygiene and food contact

HDPE is not porous: it does not absorb juices, does not splinter and has no nails or staples that could end up in the fruit. That is what lets you wash it, dry it and put it back on the line between rotations, and what makes these crates food-contact approved under Regulation (EC) 1935/2004.

A reusable container is not clean just because it looks clean: the protocol, with its stages and control points, is in how to clean agricultural plastic crates.

Frequently asked questions

What size is a standard fruit crate?

The standard footprint in the fruit and vegetable sector is 600 × 400 mm. What changes between models is the height: 115, 150, 175, 185, 220 and 260 mm, giving 23 to 55 litres.

Which fruit crate should I use for delicate produce?

The 35 L one (600 × 400 × 175 mm) or lower. The lower the height, the fewer layers of produce rest on the pieces at the bottom and the less rejected fruit reaches your warehouse.

Can plastic fruit crates be washed?

Yes. They are made of non-porous HDPE and take washing and disinfection between uses, which is precisely what makes them reusable season after season.

Do you sell second-hand fruit crates?

We supply the rigid stackable ones new and second-hand. The Lock System foldable ones, new. If you are looking for volume for a specific season, tell us and we will let you know what is available.

Do you deliver outside Murcia?

Yes. We ship from Archena (Murcia) and serve the whole of Spain, with 24-hour service 7 days a week during the season.

Or let us look at it with you

Tell us what you harvest, how many kilos per season you move and where the produce goes. With that we will tell you height, family and quantity, and give you a price. You do not need to have decided before calling: half the time, that is exactly where the conversation starts.