Container crates in shambles (8)
I believe the answer is:
canister
'container' is the definition.
(canister is a kind of container)
'crates in shambles' is the wordplay.
'shambles' indicates an anagram.
'crates'+'in'='cratesin'
'cratesin' is an anagram of 'CANISTER'.
(Other definitions for canister that I've seen before include "Small metal container" , "Jar (of e.g. tea, sugar)" , "Tea-caddy" , "Metal container for storing dry foods" , "Metal food container" .)