Can You Store Vinyl Records in Milk Crates?
Yes, and collectors have done it for decades. The things worth checking first are fit, edges and how full the crate is going to be.
By Zachary Medeiros, Groove Crate. . 3 min read.
Yes. Milk crates have been holding record collections for as long as there have been record collections, and there is nothing inherently wrong with it. They are rigid, they stack, and they keep records upright, which is the requirement that matters most.
There are a few things worth checking before you load one up.
Check the interior dimensions first
This is the whole ball game. Milk crate sizes are not standardised: they vary by dairy, by region, by manufacturer and by decade. Some are close to a 12-inch sleeve, some are considerably wider, and some are too shallow to hold a sleeve fully upright.
Before buying, measure or ask for the interior width and height. You want:
- Interior width and length comfortably over 12.5 inches, so sleeves clear the walls, but not so far over that records have room to lean.
- Interior height of at least 12.5 inches, so a sleeve does not stand proud of the rim where it can be knocked.
The leaning problem
A record that leans is being slowly bent. In a crate noticeably wider than a sleeve, a half-full row will slump to one side, and it will stay that way for as long as it sits there.
Two fixes:
- Keep crates full. A full crate holds itself upright.
- Use a divider. A piece of rigid board cut to the interior width does the job.
The opposite mistake is packing so tight that you have to wrestle records out. Aim for a row you can remove a record from with two fingers.
Check the edges and the mouldings
Some crates have sharp moulded edges, flashing left over from manufacture, or lattice openings with rough corners. Any of those will catch on a sleeve corner over time.
Run a hand around the interior rim and the top edges. If it catches on your skin it will catch on cardboard. A few minutes with fine sandpaper on the worst spots is usually enough.
Orientation: always upright
Records go in vertically, spine up, the same way books sit on a shelf. Do not lay them flat and stack them inside a crate. A flat stack puts the weight of every record onto the ones underneath, and that pressure is what presses warps into a disc over time.
Stacking milk crates
Most stack, but not all stack squarely, and crates from different sources often do not sit properly on each other. Two things to watch:
- Match your crates. A stack of identical crates is stable; a mixed pile shifts.
- Heaviest at the bottom. Obvious, and still the most common mistake.
Three high is a sensible limit for a stack you actually want to browse.
Where you put them still matters
A crate does not change the environment. The usual rules apply regardless of container:
- Away from radiators, heating vents and the top of an amplifier.
- Out of direct sunlight.
- Not in an attic, garage or damp basement.
- Off a cold or damp floor, since cardboard jackets suffer first.
More detail in how to store vinyl records properly.
One legal note
In many places, dairy milk crates remain the property of the dairy, and taking them from behind a shop is theft rather than recycling. Crates sold as storage crates by retailers are a different thing. Buy from a legitimate seller.
When to use something else
Milk crates are a good answer if you have found ones that fit and you are happy with the look. Consider something purpose-built if:
- You cannot find crates with a consistent, appropriate interior size.
- You are building a stack and want crates that match and sit squarely.
- You move regularly and want crates that fold away when they are not in use.
- You want the collection to look deliberate rather than improvised.
The direct comparison is in Groove Crate vs milk crates, and the Groove Crate range is sized at a 13 inch square interior for exactly this reason.