Craters & Freighters
Business & Professional Services · Printing & Shipping Services
- Active units
- 64
- Royalty
- 5.0%
Franchised, year-end 2025
of weekly Net Sales
About Craters & Freighters
Craters & Freighters is a renowned brand that specializes in customized crating and shipping solutions. With over 65 brick-and-mortar locations spread across the country, this national powerhouse offers local accountability, making it a trusted choice for customers. Whether residential or business, Craters & Freighters caters to a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, electronics, medical equipment, aerospace, biotechnology, and heavy machinery. As experts in specialty packaging, crating, and shipping, Craters & Freighters ensures the safe transportation of your valuable items. Their team of professionals pays uncommon attention to detail, evaluating the product, mode of transport, pickup and delivery locations, and any special handling requirements. By designing and building custom containers and cushioning, they guarantee that your assets arrive secure, damage-free, and on time. Moreover, Craters & Freighters places great importance on their core values, including integrity, dedication, commitment, accountability, teamwork, learning, fun, and respect. Their comprehensive crating services are complemented by customized packaging plans to provide maximum protection for your items throughout the shipping process. To benefit from their expertise, simply share your packaging, crating, and shipping requirements with Craters & Freighters, and they will promptly provide you with a cost estimate. Trust Craters & Freighters to handle your valuable assets with care, efficiency, and professionalism.
Key terms
- Brand fund
1.0% of Net Sales
- Local advertising
1.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
5,000 sq ft
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations64
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings0
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate-1.5%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR0.0%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio0.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate—
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$299k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open90 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate5.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 1 of 1 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.