Wood kit ships by LTL
A large, residential freight delivery with meaningful cost and customer-service friction.
Current commercial baseline
Current parcel and LTL cost comparison
This comparison uses the current 22-carton wood-kit shipment as a reference. Parcel delivery can reduce cost and remove the appointment and handoff requirements of residential LTL.
Working LTL benchmark
$800
per comparable shipment today
Current projected parcel rate
$720
per comparable parcel shipment
Baseline parcel savings
10%
$80 per comparable shipment
Baseline 2027 saving potential
$175K
today’s wood kit only; lighter modules can improve this
Scope of this baseline: it uses the current wood-kit shipment. Lighter shipments and shorter cartons can reduce billed weight and surcharge exposure. Multi-parcel pricing must be validated separately.
Reference configuration
Current wood-kit shipment
22-carton parcel model
Shows a 10% parcel saving for the current wood-kit specification. Final carton planning will follow the aluminum design and physical validation.
Aluminum platform
A lighter, modular design can change both the carton geometry and the parcel cost.
Current reference configuration
A 12 × 12 deck kit: 22 cartons, approximately 814 lb.
This is today’s wood-kit specification, used as the commercial baseline. The component map and table use the same numbered key, so the physical parts and the cartons can be read together.
What arrives in today’s kit
Each numbered component group matches the table at right. The bars show the relative carton grouping. They do not show a proposed pack-out.
Beams
2 cartons · 72 in long · 34.3 lb eachEnd beams
2 cartons · 72 in long · 33.7 lb eachJoists
4 cartons · 68 in long · 24.3 lb eachFootings
2 cartons · 25 in long · 10.2 lb eachDeck boards
12 cartons · 72 in long · 46.7 lb eachAlso included: galvanized screws and metal brackets. They are part of the kit, but the current shipment data does not identify a separate hardware carton or weight.
| Component | Qty | Carton dimensions | Weight each | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Beams | 2 | 72 × 12.5 × 12.3 in | 34.3 lb |
| 02 | End beams | 2 | 72 × 12.5 × 12.3 in | 33.7 lb |
| 03 | Joists | 4 | 68 × 15 × 11.9 in | 24.3 lb |
| 04 | Footings | 2 | 25 × 16 × 16 in | 10.2 lb |
| 05 | Deck boards | 12 | 72 × 23 × 2.3 in | 46.7 lb |
| Total | 22 | N/A | 814.0 lb |
Today’s wood-kit baseline: this 22-carton configuration is the reference point for the economics. The final parcel specification will follow the aluminum design and physical validation.
Aluminum design
Parcel configuration considerations
Directional 36-inch module scenario
Potential incremental parcel savings: approximately $200 per shipment
If 72-inch structural pieces can be engineered into roughly 36-inch modules while holding a 15-carton plan, the initial model shows about $210 of additional parcel-cost headroom versus this 22-carton baseline.
Potential incremental parcel saving≈ $200 / shipmentDirectional only. Requires product engineering, physical pack-out, and carrier validation.
- Lighter, shorter modules generally reduce billed weight and can remove additional-handling exposure.
- Preserve the product details customers value, including long finish-board dimensions where necessary.
- Test a multi-parcel / Multiweight program; it could improve total-shipment pricing, but eligibility is not yet confirmed.
- Validate physical packing, damage resistance, warehouse handling, and residential delivery performance before scaling.
1. Finalize the component listQuantity, packed dimensions, actual weight, carton grouping, and any non-negotiable dimensions.
2. Confirm the commercial laneValidate eligible parcel programs, multi-parcel / Multiweight treatment, and actual destination mix.
3. Price and pilot the aluminum designCompare live parcel and LTL economics on real residential destinations, then test the physical pack-out.
Working assumptions: $800 current LTL benchmark; $720 current projected parcel rate; 10% baseline parcel savings; approximately $1.4M current annual freight spend growing 25% in 2027; all 2027 shipments assumed comparable to this reference configuration. The compact 36-inch scenario is an engineering hypothesis, and multi-parcel / Multiweight eligibility is unconfirmed. Final carrier pricing and packaging specifications require validation.