A Crate Has Gaps; a Box Does Not
A crate is a slatted wooden container for transport. What separates it from a box is that you can see through the sides.
A crate is a sturdy container of wooden slats or moulded plastic, used for transporting goods. The distinction from a box is structural, not just size: a crate is built as a frame with gaps between the slats, which lets air through and lets you see the contents, while a box has solid sides. Fruit travels in crates for exactly that reason. In old slang a *crate* is also a decrepit vehicle or aircraft.
- A slatted container. *A crate of apples.*
- To pack in a crate. *Crate the machinery.*
- An old vehicle (slang). *That old crate.*
- Milk crate — the plastic kind. *A milk crate.*
- Pallet — the platform crates sit on. *A pallet of crates.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | crate | A wooden crate. |
| Plural | crates | Six crates. |
| Verb | crate | Crate it up. |
| Past | crated | Crated for shipping. |
| Compound | crateful | A crateful of bottles. |
- The bottles came in a plastic crate.Transport.
- The sculpture was crated for the journey.Verb.
- Crates have gaps; boxes do not.The distinction.
Containers, compared
- Crate — slatted frame, ventilated, reusable
- Box — solid sides, usually cardboard
- Case — often fitted or protective, as in a guitar case
- Carton — light cardboard, usually for retail
- Pallet — the base a stack of any of these sits on
Recorded from the 1600s, probably from Dutch *krat*, a basket, or from Latin *cratis*, wickerwork, the source also of *grate* and *grid*.
What is the difference between a crate and a box?
A crate is built as a slatted frame with gaps, so it ventilates and shows its contents. A box has solid sides.
Why is an old car called a crate?
Twentieth-century slang, suggesting something roughly built and barely holding together.