The terms Sides and Ends in wood crate standards come from traditional packaging and shipping practices dating back well over a century. Rather than naming every panel by orientation (left, right, front, back), the industry adopted names based on the panel's dimensions and function.
Here's how the standard evolved:
- Sides – The two longer vertical panels of the crate. They run the full length of the crate.
- Ends – The two shorter vertical panels. They define the width of the crate.
- Top – The removable or fixed upper panel.
- Bottom – The base panel or skid assembly that supports the load.
For a typical crate:
TOP +-------------------+ | | END| |END | | +-------------------+ ^ ^ SIDE SIDE
Why these names were chosen
The terminology originated from:
- The lumber and woodworking trades.
- Railroad and military shipping specifications in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- Later standards from organizations such as the National Wooden Box Association (NWBA), ASTM, and military packaging specifications.
Workers assembling crates found it much easier to say:
- "Build the two sides."
- "Install the ends."
- "Attach the top."
instead of "left panel," "right panel," "front panel," etc., which become ambiguous when a crate is rotated.
Why it became the industry standard
Using Sides and Ends also simplifies:
- Engineering drawings
- Bills of material
- Cut lists
- Packaging instructions
- Manufacturing software
For example, a crate measuring 48 × 36 × 30 in. (L × W × H) would have:
- Sides: 48 × 30
- Ends: 36 × 30
- Top/Bottom: 48 × 36
This naming convention is now used throughout the wood packaging industry because it remains consistent regardless of which direction the crate is facing.
Since you've worked with Crate Pro, this is also why most crate-design software—including Crate Pro—asks for Length, Width, Height, then automatically labels the panels as Sides, Ends, Top, and Bottom. It ensures everyone from the designer to the shop floor is referring to the same parts consistently.