Footprint is easy. Height is where money is won and lost.
Your pallet decides the footprint. Your racking, your reach and your settled product decide the height — and getting that wrong costs a rack level in one direction or double the box count in the other.
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Four pages, in the order you need them
Size Charts
13 common sizes, filterable by footprint and construction.
Open →Flute & Wall Guide
A, B, C and E flutes; BC, BCC and AAC combinations; what each is actually for.
Open →Load Capacity
ECT, burst, safe stacking and the humidity derating nobody applies.
Open →Box Styles
Ten styles with FEFCO references, bottom types and where each is correct.
Open →How to Measure
A five-minute procedure with a tape measure that prevents most sizing errors.
Open →Load Weights
Sixteen products with bulk density and the construction each needs.
Open →Footprint, height, and the half inch everyone forgets
Footprint comes from your pallet. The 48×40 GMA pallet standardised North American distribution, so roughly three quarters of the used market sits on that footprint — making it both the cheapest and the most available. 40×40 and 45×45 are the octabin footprints, 48×48 serves square-pallet programs, 60×48 is effectively custom.
Height should be about two inches under whichever constraint binds first: clear height beneath your lowest rack beam, the reach height of whoever loads by hand, or your product's settled height at target weight.
Wall thickness is the half inch that decides whether a palletised load fits inside. Triple-wall board runs about 7/16 of an inch, so a 48×40 outside box gives roughly 47-1/8 × 39-1/8 inside. Always confirm which dimension a supplier quotes.
“Measure the rack, not the box you bought last time.”
Four tables that answer most sizing questions
Construction against capacity, height against cube, pallets against grade, liners against product. Read down whichever column matches your constraint.
Triple wall
Bundles
Freight| Construction | Thickness | Typical max weight | Stacking | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single wall C | 5/32" (4.0 mm) | 65 lb | Not for bulk | Lids, layer pads, dividers |
| Double wall BC | 9/32" (7.1 mm) | 900 – 1,200 lb | 1 high loaded | General bulk under 1,200 lb |
| Double wall CC | 5/16" (7.9 mm) | 1,000 – 1,300 lb | 1 high loaded | Slightly better cushioning than BC |
| Triple wall BCC | 7/16" (11.1 mm) | 2,200 – 2,500 lb | 2 high loaded | The bulk workhorse |
| Triple wall ACC | 1/2" (12.7 mm) | 2,400 – 2,700 lb | 2 high loaded | Dense product with cushioning need |
| Five wall AAC | 5/8" (15.9 mm) | 3,000 lb+ | 3 high, matched pallets | Castings, stampings, export |
| Height | Cube | Fits | Best for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28" | 25.9 ft³ | Low-clearance racking, pick faces | Dense product, ergonomic sorting | Doubles your container count on light goods |
| 36" | 33.3 ft³ | Most standard racking | The default — best price and availability | Check reach height if hand-loaded |
| 40" | 37.0 ft³ | Cooler racks, harvest lines | Produce, bakery, mixed DC | Top-edge wear climbs with reach |
| 44" | 40.7 ft³ | Tall bays, textile sorting | Light bulky goods — foam, film, apparel | Hand-loading above 44" is uncomfortable |
| 48" | 44.4 ft³ | Dedicated tall programs | Very light, very bulky loads | Triple wall only; never stack loaded |
| Type | Size | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled GMA #1 | 48 × 40 | 2,800 lb rack / 4,600 lb floor | No plugs, no companion stringers. Use under stacked loads. |
| Recycled GMA #2 | 48 × 40 | 2,500 lb rack / 4,000 lb floor | Up to three repaired boards. Floor-level staging. |
| Remanufactured | 48 × 40 and custom | 2,200 lb rack | Built from salvaged components. Heavier, variable deck gap. |
| ISPM-15 export | 48 × 40, 48 × 48 | 2,800 lb rack | Heat-treated, stamped, moisture checked below 19%. |
| Nestable plastic | 48 × 40 | 2,200 lb rack | Washdown and food environments; nests for return freight. |
| Presswood | 48 × 40, 45 × 45 | 1,500 lb floor | Light, nestable, effectively one-way. |
| Gauge | Style | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mil | Flat | Dry, light, non-abrasive goods | Bagged or boxed contents inside the container. |
| 3 mil | Flat or gusseted | Light powders, dry components | Usually the lowest gauge suited to free-flowing product. |
| 4 mil | Gusseted | Pellets, produce, general purpose | The default specification for most applications. |
| 5 – 6 mil | Gusseted | Heavy, sharp-edged or dragged product | Specify when discharge involves dragging the liner. |
| 4 mil antistatic | Gusseted | Resin pellets and polymer powders | Performance falls in very dry air; rotate stock. |
| Foil barrier | Gusseted, sealable | Hygroscopic powders, long storage | Seal above the fill line, never against the board. |
| Measure | Imperial | Metric | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard footprint | 48 × 40 in | 1,219 × 1,016 mm | The GMA pallet that standardised US distribution. |
| Triple wall thickness | 7/16 in | 11.1 mm | Takes about 7/8 in off interior width across both walls. |
| Typical capacity | 2,200 lb | 998 kg | Triple wall BCC, evenly distributed, matched pallet. |
| Container cube at 36" | 33.3 ft³ | 0.943 m³ | Outside dimensions, before board thickness. |
| OCC bale | 1,000 – 1,400 lb | 454 – 635 kg | Typical bale from a horizontal baler. |
| Trailer capacity, knocked down | 400 – 600 units | — | 53-foot dry van; cube limited, never weight limited. |
| Moisture ceiling for OCC | 12% | 12% | Above this you are selling water at a penalty. |
Eight ways bulk packaging fails
Damage is evidence. Where it appears tells you whether the problem is the container, the pallet, the aisle or the weather.
| Failure | What it looks like | Cause | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strap cut | Crushed line across a vertical corner, half an inch wide. | Polyester strap tensioned over an unprotected edge. | A V-board corner protector under every strap. |
| Forklift shear | Scuff outside, hollow feel inside over a six-inch band. | Lateral contact delaminating liner from medium. | Floor guides at pinch points; operator training. |
| Overhang crush | Failure at the bottom score, two corners only. | Container footprint larger than the pallet deck. | Buy pallet and container on the same quote. |
| Humidity creep | Bulging walls, leaning stack after weeks of storage. | Compression loss above 70% RH compounding under load. | Reduce stack height; one construction up; shorter dwell. |
| Condensation cycling | Soft outer liner after a freezer-to-dock move. | Surface below dew point for twenty minutes. | No stacking for 24 hours after a temperature transition. |
| Liner bridge | Uneven settle, container out of square after filling. | Flat liner bridging the corners under free-flowing product. | Gusseted liner sized to the footprint. |
| Dead score | Bottom flap will not hold its fold. | Repeated knock-down and re-erection, or wrong fold line. | Collapse along original scores only; train receiving. |
| Tine puncture | Paired holes about four inches above the base. | Tines entering at the wrong height on a stacked position. | Position signage and double-stack rules. |
Related reading
Gaylord Box Sizes Explained
Why 48×40 dominates, when 40×40 is smarter, and how to choose a height that fits your racking rather than your habit.
Read →How Used Gaylords Are Graded
A, B, C and D are not vibes. Here is what a careful grader looks at, in what order, and what gets rejected outright.
Read →ECT, Burst and Stacking Strength
A plain-language guide to the three numbers printed in the box maker's certificate — and which one to actually use.
Read →What Is a Gaylord Box, Really?
The container named after a Michigan paper company that became the standard bulk box of American warehouses.
Read →Five common sizing questions
Which height should I default to?
Can a taller box be cut down?
Do I need triple wall?
What if my pallet is not 48×40?
How tall can I stack them?
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