Milk crates are square or rectangular interlocking boxes made out of heavy-duty plastic that are used to transport milk and other products from dairies to retail establishments.

Milk crate theft

Milk crates are often stolen for either personal or business use or for the plastic that they are made out of. Theft of milk crates can costs dairies millions of US dollars per year. Until recently, the majority of milk crate theft was blamed on college students who used milk crates to construct a wide variety of furniture. This has led one dairy farm to hire a private investigator to discover what is happening to the crates.

Illegal uses

Despite the fact that most milk crates display warnings stating that use by other than the registered owner is punishable by law, they are often stolen and used for varying purposes. Milk crates are used are for storage, as seating, as bookshelves, and as parts of makeshift furniture, in addition to many other uses. These crates are well suited for many of these purposes because of their strength and because they are interlocking. Milk crates are also a popular form of transporting scrap metal, and can be found in most metal recycling centers.

Crate stacking

Milk crates are used in the competitive sport of crate stacking. A roped climber stands with his toes in the handle holes of a milk crate and stacks another crate on top, then climbs on top and is handed or tossed a new crate, continuing until the stack falls. The record is 26 crates.