Wood and wire on a kitchen rack: pack them apart

What this page covers

This is a configuration note on packing and inspection when wood and wire share a carton. Client identities are not published; dimensions come from the product pages, and no measurement is quoted where none is public.

The five models share a material line of steel plus acacia:

Model	Item	Footprint
WH-1395	standing paper towel holder	150150307 mm
WH-1396	wire cup holder	170170224.5 mm
WH-1397	wire utensil holder	133.7133.7155 mm
WH-1398	plate rack	270135110 mm
WH-1399	napkin holder	18080127 mm

None of them is large. The problem is not volume: both surfaces mark easily, and they are repaired in different ways.

Why the two materials travel separately

Wire suffers broken coating; wood suffers dents and colour variation. In one carton, each causes the other’s defect.

Part	Main risk	Packing	Inspection
Wire body	coating loss at corners, distortion	paper card, clearance at the four corners	weld positions, coverage at edges
Wood base or rail	dents, colour variation, chipped corners	paper sleeve, divider from the wire	colour against the sample, hand check
Screws and hooks	loss	stapled card or small bag	count
Carton	softening in humidity	inner liner where the market asks for one	board stiffness

Bagging adds two steps at the packing line: sleeve and divider. That cost is fixed. Return handling is not. On a first order, paying the fixed cost is usually the cheaper decision.

One carton or two: three variables

Not every wood-and-wire combination needs separating. Three variables decide it:

Variable	Favours one carton	Favours separation
Share of wood	one wood part per carton	wood and wire close in count
Size relationship	wood fits fully inside the wire body	wood sits exposed against wire
Market requirement	bulk, distributor breaks down	retail colour box, shelf-ready

Where wood is a small share, the sleeve and divider spread over few pieces and unit packing cost rises. In that case keep the sleeve and drop the divider; the sleeve thickness does part of the work.

A colour box adds a constraint: the divider blocks the display face. With a window carton, cut the divider to half height, or put the wood on top so it is the first thing seen.

Inspection split: welds on one line, wood on the other

The wire line checks:

• Weld positions against the drawing, especially at load points and hook roots.
• Coating coverage at edges and around welds, the two thinnest places.
• Distortion after assembly, checked by standing the rack on a flat surface.

The wood line checks:

• Colour against the sample, within a batch and between batches.
• Dents, burrs and chipped corners, by hand rather than by eye.
• Moisture content and finish to the buyer’s and market’s requirement; the factory reports measurements rather than setting the standard.

Both lines belong on one inspection sheet but score separately. Blending them into a single pass rate hides a batch where every wood part failed and every wire part passed.

When one carton costs more

• One wood part per carton. Sleeve, divider and bagging time all land on that single piece.
• A window colour box. The divider blocks the display face, and re-cutting the dieline costs more than the bagging saved.
• Frequent spare-part shipments. A replacement base means opening a whole carton; one carton is easier to handle.
• Pallet shipments. With pallet and stretch wrap, the inner divider can be simplified.

Next steps

• Range and dimensions in this category: kitchen counter racks.
• Colour box or bulk, and what each costs in volume: retail-ready packaging versus bulk.
• Powder coating, chrome plating and wood in one range: choosing a wire finish.
• Have samples and a carton spec: contact us to review the packing.