Excerpts from the report: Wide variations exist among the types of operations in apple packing plants. There are great differences in the volumes handled, and many different types of equipment, methods, and containers are used. The constant development of new equipment and new operating methods, all meant to benefit packinghouse operators, are accompanied by new marketing procedures, changing consumption patterns, and evolving marketing services and institutions. How is an operator to know which methods and which equipment are best suited to his requirements? Which will perform at the least cost to him? The purpose of this report is to provide cost and performance data for packing lines in common use in the Northeast, so that each operator can determine the relative advantages of each line according to his own requirements. Eight plants were studied, typical of four widely used types of plants in the area.