What craters & freighters does

Craters & Freighters is a private, U.S.-based specialty crating, packaging, and logistics company founded in 1990 and operating through a franchise network of 65+ independently owned locations nationwide, with a separately incorporated global logistics arm (Craters & Freighters Global Logistics / Craters and Freighters Platinum, Inc.) headquartered in Colorado. The Houston franchise, established in 2019, is the geographic focus of the available data and serves the greater Houston metropolitan area and surrounding Texas regions. The company designs and builds custom wood crates, corrugated containers, pallets, skids, and specialized interior packaging (anti-static ESD, vapor barrier, foam cushioning, heat shrink wrapping) for valuable, fragile, oversized, and sensitive items, and pairs this with domestic shipping, international shipping, freight forwarding, pickup and delivery, and white-glove delivery services. Engineering work is supported by SolidWorks CAD modeling, ISPM 15 certified heat-treated wood crating, and hazmat compliance under 49 CFR, IMDG, and ICAO.

The company serves a diversified mix of enterprise verticals — Electronics & IT, Medical & Lab Equipment, Heavy Machinery & Manufacturing, Military & Government, Aerospace & Aviation, Fine Art & Antiques, and Auction Services — alongside residential segments covering estate/senior moves, pianos, and specialty items. Notable engagements include international transport of four historical IndyCar racecars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum to the Silverstone Museum in the UK, multi-ton steel shaft crating for a multinational technology conglomerate, 40,000 lb steel cylinder overseas shipments, SolidWorks-engineered aerospace hardware crates, and custom A-frame crates for marble slabs shipped by air freight. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees for crating, transactional fees for shipping/transport, commission-based cargo insurance, and professional-service fees for on-site crating and consulting, with all pricing custom-quoted per project and not publicly disclosed.

The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales combined with digital demand generation: a content-rich website, blog and video content (Vimeo), organic SEO, LinkedIn/X/Facebook/Google social presence, email newsletters, and tracked via Google Analytics, Microsoft Clarity, and Meta Pixel. Customers acquire via direct sales through local franchise operations, website quote requests, and phone inquiries, with the national franchise network routing leads to the appropriate regional franchise based on origin, destination, and specialization. The company has been featured in Logistics Transportation Review and operates a sustainability partnership with Trees for the Future (since 2015) that has contributed to 750,000 trees planted. No funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes, or financial disclosures are present in the source data, and the franchisor and its franchisees remain privately held.

Name

craters & freighters

Legal name

Craters & Freighters Franchise Company

Website

https://cratersandfreightershouston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Craters & Freighters is a private U.S. specialty crating, packaging, and shipping company founded in 1990, operating through 65+ franchise locations plus a global logistics arm. It serves enterprise verticals — aerospace, medical, military, electronics, manufacturing, and fine art — and residential customers with custom-engineered crating, ISPM 15 export certification, and domestic/international shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Crating and Packaging Services: Custom crating and packaging services where each container is custom-designed and built to fit the specific needs of items being shipped. Revenue is generated through one-time project fees based on complexity, materials, and labor required.
2. Shipping and Logistics Services: Transportation services including domestic shipping, international shipping, freight forwarding, pickup and delivery, and white-glove delivery. Revenue generated through transportation fees based on distance, weight, and service level.
3. Cargo Insurance: Insurance coverage offered for valuable shipments including full coverage cargo based on declared value and limited liability insurance. Commission-based revenue from insurance partnerships.
4. On-Site Crating and Consulting: On-site crating services at customer locations and consultation for packaging engineering solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Craters & Freighters designs, builds, and ships custom-engineered wood crates, specialized interior packaging, and transport solutions for valuable, fragile, oversized, and sensitive items. Services include domestic and international shipping, freight forwarding, pickup/delivery, white-glove handling, ISPM 15 certified export crating, on-site crating, cargo insurance, and industry-specific solutions for electronics, medical, military, aerospace, and fine art customers. The company operates through a nationwide franchise network of 65+ locations, with the Houston franchise serving commercial and residential clients.

Product overview

Craters & Freighters is a specialty crating, packaging, and shipping company offering a comprehensive suite of services through a franchise network of 65+ locations across the United States. The core offering centers on custom-built wood crates and shipping containers tailored to specific item dimensions, paired with specialized interior cushioning using materials like polyethylene and polyurethane foams. The company provides industry-specific solutions across twelve verticals including Electronics & IT, Medical & Lab, Heavy Machinery, Military & Government, Manufacturing, Aerospace, Fine Art & Antiques, and Auction Services. Key service modules include domestic and international shipping with freight forwarding, pickup & delivery, and white-glove delivery options. Specialized offerings include anti-static (ESD) packaging for electronics, vapor barrier protection for ocean transport, heat shrink wrapping, ISPM 15 certified export crates, and reusable trade show crates. The company also offers cargo insurance coverage and engineering case studies for complex projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Craters & Freighters Houston: Houston-based franchise location providing specialty crating, packaging and shipping services in the Texas market.
• Craters & Freighters Global Logistics

Products and services

• Custom Crating Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully shipped 40,000 lb steel cylinders overseas for heavy industrial client
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Trees for the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2015, Craters & Freighters has partnered with Trees for the Future, a sustainable agriculture nonprofit dedicated to reforestation and sustainable farming practices. The partnership involves tree planting initiatives as part of the company's sustainability commitment. Craters & Freighters has helped plant 750,000 trees through this partnership, contributing to the organization's goal of reaching 200 million trees planted globally.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Navis Pack & Ship: Navis Pack & Ship is a direct competitor operating a franchise network that specializes in custom packing, crating, and shipping of business and residential freight, including electronics, equipment, and fine art — the closest one-to-one analogue to Craters & Freighters' business model.
• Pak Mail: Pak Mail operates a national franchise system offering custom packing, crating, and freight shipping services for commercial and residential customers, competing head-to-head with Craters & Freighters on specialty shipping and custom packaging.
• Cargo Largo: Cargo Largo is an asset-based freight carrier specializing in oversized, fragile, and high-value shipments with custom packing and white-glove delivery capabilities, directly competing for museum, art, and industrial equipment shipping projects.
• Crating Technologies (UniPak): UniPak / Crating Technologies is an industrial crating and packaging company that designs and builds custom wood crates, ISPM 15 export crates, and heavy-duty packaging for industrial and military customers, directly comparable to Craters & Freighters' core crating service.

Broad incumbents

• FedEx Custom Critical: FedEx Custom Critical is the time-sensitive, high-value freight arm of FedEx, offering specialized handling and white-glove delivery for urgent, fragile, and high-value shipments that overlap directly with Craters & Freighters' enterprise use cases, but as part of a much broader logistics portfolio.
• UPS Custom Critical (Coyote Logistics / UPS Healthcare): UPS Custom Critical provides specialized, time-definite and temperature-controlled freight services for high-value, sensitive, and oversized shipments, addressing similar customer pain points to Craters & Freighters but embedded within UPS's global logistics network.
• JB Hunt 360 / ICS (specialty freight): J.B. Hunt's specialty and final-mile divisions handle oversized and high-value freight through its 360 platform, addressing industrial and B2B custom shipping needs in the same verticals as Craters & Freighters but at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• uShip: uShip is an online marketplace that connects shippers of oversized, fragile, and specialty items (vehicles, equipment, furniture, antiques) with carriers, competing for some of the same one-off custom-shipping jobs that Craters & Freighters services through its online quote funnel.
• FreightCenter: FreightCenter is a digital freight broker and logistics marketplace that competes with Craters & Freighters on freight forwarding and oversized/fragile cargo booking, though it does not provide the in-house crating engineering that Craters & Freighters offers.

Regional players

• Pallet Logistics / PalletOne: PalletOne is one of the largest pallet and wood container manufacturers in the U.S., supplying pallets, skids, and wooden crates to industrial shippers, partially overlapping with Craters & Freighters' heavy-duty pallet and skid product line.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CF_National
• Facebookfacebook.com/CratersandFreightersHoustonTX
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craters-freighters-houston

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about craters & freighters