A large granite machine base represents weeks of lapping, inspection and value before it ever reaches your workshop - and the last 8,000 kilometers of its journey can undo all of that if the packing, lifting and receiving steps are not planned with the same care as the machining. This article describes how Unparalleled Ltd packs and ships large granite machine bases for overseas projects, what buyers should confirm before dispatch, and a practical receiving checklist to use when the crate arrives. It is written from our own export procedure rather than general freight advice, because the details that protect a granite component are specific to granite.
1. Before Packing: Protecting Machined Faces, Inserts and Attachments
Packing preparation starts while the product is still on the inspection table. For a granite base, the surfaces that matter are the lapped or fine-machined faces, the datum features and any mounted or fitted items:
- Machined faces are cleaned, dried and covered with PE film, then fitted with foam caps or edge protectors on corners and arrises. Nothing is stacked on a protected face, and no wrapping material is placed directly against a lapped surface without an intermediate layer.
- Threaded inserts and mounting holes are closed with cover caps or filled plugs so that dust and moisture cannot enter during weeks of transit, and so the crate interior stays clean for installation.
- Attachments and accessories - leveling wedges, bolts, shims, brackets - are bagged, labeled and listed per case, rather than loose inside the crate where they can move and abrade the granite.
- Final inspection is completed and documented before packing, so the packing record refers to a product whose measured condition is already fixed.
2. Packing Structure and Restraint: How the Case Is Built
For large bases we use steel cradles and plywood export cases, built around one rule: the product rests only on designated support faces, and nothing touches a machined surface. The schematic below shows the structure used for a typical export case.
The base is bolted to a welded steel cradle at its mounting points, so that lifting and handling loads pass through the cradle and the crate frame - never through the granite alone. Tension straps hold the assembly against the crate structure, desiccant bags are placed inside, and case size is dimensioned so that cushioning material does its work without letting the product shift. Each case is labeled with case number, gross weight, center-of-gravity position and lifting points before it leaves the factory.
The table below shows the packing list format for one anonymized order - three cases from a single project, each documented with contents, weights and dimensions.
3. What Buyers Should Confirm Before Dispatch
Most receiving problems trace back to information that was never exchanged before the case was built. Before dispatch, we ask buyers to confirm:
- Packing dimensions and gross weight per case - checked against door openings, elevator or crane limits, and the floor loading of the receiving area.
- Unloading facilities on site: is there a forklift with sufficient capacity, an overhead crane, or must the case be unloaded by tail-lift or mobile crane? The answer changes the cradle and lifting-point design.
- Handling route inside the building: corridor widths, floor conditions and the final position of the machine, so the case can be oriented for the shortest safe path.
- Approved lifting and handling plan: for large granite workpieces, lifting follows the plan issued for that specific product and case - sling positions, spreader requirements and permitted lifting points are defined per item, not improvised on site. A generic rigging diagram cannot be applied to every large workpiece.
- Documents required at import: packing list, commercial invoice and any inspection reports needed by customs or the buyer's QA department.
4. Receiving Checklist: What to Check When the Case Arrives
Granite machine base receiving inspection works best as a fixed sequence, done before signing the carrier's document where possible:
- Outer packaging: photograph all six sides of each case. Note crushed corners, broken boards, shifted straps or water staining. Damage to the crate is the basis for any carrier claim, and photographs taken before opening are the evidence.
- Fixing state: with the case opening on top, check that straps are still tensioned and the cradle bolts have not loosened. Any movement of the product inside the case must be recorded before the product is lifted.
- Product appearance: remove face protection last, and inspect edges, arrises and machined faces for chips or scratches. Compare against the inspection report issued with the shipment.
- Attachments and accessories: check bagged items against the packing list - wedges, bolts, shims and brackets are exactly the items most easily overlooked until assembly day.
- Documents: packing list per case, inspection reports, and the lifting/handling plan for each item. Keep these with the product until installation is complete.
If anything is damaged or missing, keep the packing materials as they are, photograph everything, and contact us with the case number - the packing list and case labeling make it possible to identify exactly which shipment and which item is affected.
Loading, Container Space and Weather Exposure
Once the cases are built, the remaining variables are the container and the weather. Heavy granite cases are loaded so that the center of gravity sits low and centered, with the heaviest case positioned first and braced against the container walls; smaller accessory cases are loaded behind and above, never on top of a case containing a lapped surface. Wooden packing for export is heat-treated and marked per ISPM 15, which is verified at booking time rather than at the port gate. During loading, cases are photographed inside the container as a routine record of the stowed condition, and door seals are checked so that no standing water or spray can reach the cases during the voyage. On arrival, these photographs, together with the per-case packing list, give the buyer a documented chain from the inspection table in our factory to the moment the container doors are opened - which is exactly the reference needed if anything has shifted in between.
5. From Our Own Export Records
The sequence described here - pre-packing inspection, face protection, cradle and case construction, per-case documentation, and a defined receiving checklist - is the same procedure applied across our export orders for CNC granite components and precision machinery structures. It is documented in our custom manufacturing service workflow, and the same quality framework that governs machining - visible on the certificates page - governs packing and dispatch records.
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FAQ
Q1: How are large granite machine bases fixed inside the export case?
The base is bolted at its mounting points to a welded steel cradle, and the cradle is restrained within a plywood export case by tension straps. Handling loads pass through the cradle and crate frame, and no machined face is used as a resting or fixing surface.
Q2: What information do you need from us to design the packing?
Component dimensions and weight, destination port or address, and the unloading facilities available at your site - forklift, overhead crane or mobile crane. Case dimensions and gross weights are then confirmed with you before dispatch.
Q3: Can you supply a lifting plan for the delivered case?
Yes. Each case is labeled with gross weight, center-of-gravity position and lifting points, and the approved lifting and handling plan for the specific product is issued with the shipping documents. Lifting should follow that product-specific plan rather than a generic diagram.
Q4: What should I do if the crate arrives damaged?
Photograph all sides before opening, keep the packing materials unchanged, and check straps, cradle bolts and the product surface. Then contact us with the case number so the shipment can be identified from the packing list and the claim handled with the carrier.