Crate Hire UK
Crate Hire UK is a UK-based plastic moving crate rental and packaging supply company serving home movers, commercial offices, schools, hospitals and councils through 7-8 regional depots, weekly crate rentals, nationwide next-day delivery and ancillary packaging and handling equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersWest Thurrock, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Crate Hire UK does
Crate Hire UK is a privately held UK-based rental and logistics company that supplies reusable plastic moving crates, packaging materials and handling equipment to consumers relocating homes and to commercial customers undertaking office, departmental or institutional moves. The company operates a catalogue of standardized plastic crates in multiple sizes (personal, medium, standard, metre-long, unlidded and lidded variants) plus specialist IT/server crates, supported by accessories including sack barrows, moving trollies, roll cages, crate skates and dollies, as well as cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape and adhesive labels. Crates are barcoded for inventory tracking and the company delivers or collects nationwide from a depot network spanning England, Scotland and Wales.
The business operates a weekly subscription-style rental model (starting at GBP 1.19 per crate per week) with no minimum order requirement and next-day delivery (Mon-Fri) as standard. Distribution combines a self-serve e-commerce site, phone ordering (including a dedicated trade line at 0845 835 4870), free depot collection, and a porterage service that places crates at specific floors or departments, with optional timed delivery slots for an additional GBP 40. The website supports online crate calculators for home and office moves and localized landing pages for major UK cities, with paid search and social activity used to drive demand.
Crate Hire UK serves two primary customer segments: domestic home movers (B2C) and commercial/business accounts (B2B), with the commercial channel covering education, healthcare, government and councils, libraries, IT, financial services, retail, construction, facilities management and the military. The trade account programme offers discounts of 35%+ to schools, colleges and universities, indicating deliberate focus on the seasonal education refurbishment cycle. The company does not disclose revenue, has no recorded funding events, and is operated under the legal entity Crate Hire Group Ltd with no parent company or institutional investor disclosed.
Crate Hire UK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crate Hire UK
- Legal name
- Crate Hire Group Ltd
- Website
- https://cratehire-uk.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Crate Hire UK is a UK-based plastic moving crate rental and packaging supply company serving home movers, commercial offices, schools, hospitals and councils through 7-8 regional depots, weekly crate rentals, nationwide next-day delivery and ancillary packaging and handling equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crate Hire UK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Moving Equipment Rental
- NAICS
- Used Household and Office Goods Moving (484210), Warehousing and Storage (4931)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Portable Storage Container Rental & Moving (HSAKAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Packing Materials Supply & Delivery (Boxes, Tape, Bubble Wrap) (HSAKADAK), On-Site Moving Assistance (Pods/Portable Container Load/Unload) (HSAKAMAG)
Keywords
Where Crate Hire UK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Thurrock
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Crate Hire UK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Crate Rental: Weekly rental of plastic moving crates on a flexible basis. Customers rent crates for their move and return them when finished. No minimum order requirement. Rental period can be extended as needed.
- Cardboard Boxes and Packaging Sales: Sale of cardboard moving boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, and other packaging materials. Products are double-walled for strength and delivered flat packed.
- Handling Equipment Rental: Rental of crate handling equipment including roll cages, sack barrows, moving trollies, crate skates, and moving dollies on a weekly basis.
- Crate Porterage Service: Inclusive delivery service that places crates at the exact required drop point, including delivery to specific floors or departments where lifts are available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Weekly | Standard Lidded Moving Crate (CH3) - most popular crate |
| Subscription | Weekly | 10 Crate Package |
| Unit Pricing | Per delivery | Timed Delivery Option |
| Subscription | Weekly | Schools, Colleges & Universities Discount |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Crate Hire UK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crate Hire UK rents heavy-duty reusable plastic moving crates on a weekly basis to households and businesses relocating in the UK, with nationwide next-day delivery. The company also sells cardboard moving boxes and packaging supplies and rents handling equipment such as roll cages, sack barrows and dollies to support home and office moves.
Product overview
Crate Hire UK is a crate rental and moving services company offering plastic moving crates for hire and sale, along with cardboard boxes, packaging supplies, and handling equipment. The core product portfolio consists of heavy-duty plastic moving crates available in various sizes (personal, medium, standard, metre-long) with lidded and unlidded variants, plus specialist IT computer crates for server and workstation moves. The company also sells removable packaging including cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape. Supporting services include crate handling equipment hire (sack trucks, dollies, roll cages), timed delivery options, porterage services for specific floor/department delivery, and a crate washing hygiene service. Customers can hire crates on a weekly basis with nationwide next-day delivery or collect from 7 regional depots across England and Scotland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plastic Moving Crate Hire Weekly rental of reusable, nestable and stackable plastic moving crates in a range of sizes for household and office relocations. Crates are barcoded for tracking, weatherproof, and available with no minimum order quantity.
- IT Computer Crate Hire Rental of specialist plastic crates designed to safely move IT equipment including servers, workstations, monitors and peripherals. Targeted at commercial and educational customers undertaking office or department moves.
- Crate Handling Equipment Hire Weekly rental of manual handling equipment such as roll cages, sack barrows, moving trollies, crate skates and moving dollies to assist customers in moving crates and heavy items.
- Cardboard Boxes and Packaging Supplies Sale of double-walled cardboard removal boxes delivered flat packed, bubble wrap rolls, heavy-duty packing tape and other packaging supplies for households and businesses packing for a move.
- Crate Porterage Service Delivery service that places crates at the exact required drop point, including delivery to specific floors or departments where lifts are available. Used primarily by commercial customers during office moves.
- Timed Delivery Service
Quantifiable outcome
- 5x faster packing compared to cardboard boxes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Crate Hire UK
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Crate Hire UK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Crate Hire UK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Crate Hire UK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pickfords: One of the UK's largest and longest-established moving and relocation services companies, offering home and office moves, storage, and packing services. Overlaps on office relocation and packing-supply demand, but operates a much broader full-service moving proposition.
- Speedy Hire: UK-listed equipment rental provider serving construction, infrastructure, and commercial customers. Comparable in equipment-rental DNA and depot footprint, though focused on heavy plant rather than moving crates.
- HSS Hire: Large UK equipment rental company offering tools, access equipment, and handling/moving gear to commercial and consumer customers. Overlaps on moving equipment hire (trollies, sack barrows) and depot-based B2B/B2C rental model.
Emerging players
- AnyVan: UK-based online marketplace for moves, deliveries, and removals. Adjacent rather than direct overlap, but serves the same residential and commercial move customer with a digital-first GTM and could expand into packing supplies.
Regional players
- Storage King: UK self-storage operator with multiple sites. Adjacent in the moving/storage customer journey and overlaps on commercial storage demand, though core offering is storage space rather than packing equipment.
Direct peers
- Eco Move Crates: UK-based plastic moving crate rental company offering reusable crates for home and office moves with depot collection and delivery. Directly comparable product, customer base (residential and commercial movers), and rental-based business model.
- Qwik Box: UK moving box delivery and rental service supplying cardboard boxes and packing materials for home moves. Comparable B2C GTM, similar customer segment, and overlapping product set despite focus on cardboard rather than plastic crates.
- Crate It: UK plastic crate rental company serving home and office moves with reusable crates. Direct overlap on product (lidded plastic crates), customer segments, and rental model with weekly pricing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Crate Hire UK social profiles
Digital presenceCrate Hire UK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crate Hire UK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Crate Hire UK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crate Hire UK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Crate Hire UK
What does Crate Hire UK do?
Crate Hire UK rents heavy-duty reusable plastic moving crates on a weekly basis to households and businesses relocating in the UK, with nationwide next-day delivery. The company also sells cardboard moving boxes and packaging supplies and rents handling equipment such as roll cages, sack barrows and dollies to support home and office moves.
Is Crate Hire UK a public or private company?
Crate Hire UK is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Crate Hire UK founded?
Crate Hire UK was founded in 2011. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Crate Hire UK based?
Crate Hire UK is headquartered in West Thurrock, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Crate Hire UK make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Crate Rental is the primary driver. The others are cardboard Boxes and Packaging Sales, handling Equipment Rental and crate Porterage Service.
Who are Crate Hire UK's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pickfords, Speedy Hire and HSS Hire. AnyVan is listed as an emerging player. Storage King is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Eco Move Crates, Qwik Box and Crate It.
Does Crate Hire UK have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crate Hire UK.
What industry is Crate Hire UK in?
Crate Hire UK's product category is Moving Equipment Rental. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKAIAA, Residential Portable Storage Container Rental & Moving, with a secondary code of HSAKADAK, Packing Materials Supply & Delivery (Boxes, Tape, Bubble Wrap). Its NAICS code is 484210 and its SIC code is 7350.