Common gaylord sizes, filterable
Common outside dimensions, with inside dimensions and typical bundle and trailer loading figures underneath. Filter by footprint and construction to find your row. Availability depends on partner suppliers.
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Fourteen rows that cover almost every bulk load
Capacity figures are working maxima for well-stacked, evenly distributed product on a matched pallet — not laboratory numbers.
| Footprint | Height | Walls | Flute | Capacity | Commonly used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 × 40 | 36" | Double | BC | 1,200 lb | General bulk, scrap, textiles |
| 48 × 40 | 36" | Triple | BCC | 2,200 lb | Metals, dense scrap, produce |
| 48 × 40 | 40" | Triple | BCC | 2,400 lb | Harvest bins, bakery |
| 48 × 40 | 44" | Triple | BCC | 2,500 lb | Light bulky goods, foam, film |
| 48 × 40 | 28" | Double | BC | 900 lb | Low-clearance racking, retail backroom |
| 48 × 48 | 36" | Triple | BCC | 2,300 lb | Square-pallet programs, paper |
| 48 × 48 | 48" | Triple | BCC | 2,600 lb | Tall light loads, bottles, cans |
| 40 × 40 | 36" | Double | BC | 1,100 lb | Octabin replacement, resin |
| 40 × 40 | 42" | Triple | BCC | 2,000 lb | Resin pellets, grain |
| 45 × 45 | 40" | Triple | BCC | 2,200 lb | Octabin footprint, food powders |
| 42 × 42 | 36" | Double | BC | 1,150 lb | Regional grocery, mixed DC |
| 36 × 36 | 36" | Double | BC | 950 lb | Half-pallet lines, e-commerce returns |
| 60 × 48 | 44" | Five wall | AAC | 3,000 lb | Industrial parts, custom new build |
Because your load does not care about the outside
- 48 × 40 triple wall
- ≈ 47-1/8 × 39-1/8 inside
- 48 × 40 double wall
- ≈ 47-7/16 × 39-7/16 inside
- 48 × 48 triple wall
- ≈ 47-1/8 × 47-1/8 inside
- 40 × 40 double wall
- ≈ 39-7/16 × 39-7/16 inside
- 45 × 45 triple wall
- ≈ 44-1/8 × 44-1/8 inside
- 60 × 48 five wall
- ≈ 58-3/4 × 46-3/4 inside
Board thickness eats between a quarter and five eighths of an inch per pair of walls. If you palletise inside the gaylord, this table is the one that matters.
How they arrive and how they load
- Knocked down, triple wall
- 400 – 600 per 53' trailer
- Knocked down, double wall
- 600 – 850 per 53' trailer
- Assembled & nested, 36"
- 180 – 240 per 53' trailer
- Bundle size
- 20 – 40 units, banded on a pallet
- Bundle height
- 48 – 62 inches typical
- Pallet weight, loaded bundle
- 380 – 740 lb
Empty containers are volume, not weight — a trailer hits its cube limit long before its weight limit, which is why backhaul matching moves the landed price more than anything else.
Construction, height, pallets, liners, conversions
The main chart covers common sizes. These five help you judge whether a container will survive your load.
| 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. |
The twelve-point inspection, in order
What a careful supplier checks on every used unit, and what you can check at receiving. The cheapest rejection happens first, which is why odor and moisture come before anything cosmetic.
Odor
Thirty seconds in open air, nose at the opening.
Any persistent smell — instant rejection.Moisture
Hand and meter at the bottom score line where it hides.
Staining above the bottom score, or any delamination.Vertical corners
Thumb pressure at knee, waist and shoulder height.
Hollow give, shear, or crush longer than four inches.Bottom flaps
Fold test on each flap; the score must hold.
Two or more dead scores sends the unit to cutting.Squareness
Diagonal measurement across the open top.
Over 3/8 inch of rack drops the grade.Interior cleanliness
Visual plus a wipe for residue and dust film.
Grease strike-through, product residue, staining.Pest evidence
Corners, flutes and under the bottom flaps.
Frass, gnaw marks or webbing — rejected outright.Wall thickness
Caliper at two points on a cut edge.
Mislabelled construction should be re-specified before it is quoted.Print & labels
Check for conflicting brands and old spec marks.
Covered, or graded down if legibility matters.Top edge
Fray, crush and compression over the perimeter.
Over a quarter of the perimeter → trim candidate.Previous repair
Tape, V-board inserts, replaced flaps from another life.
Should be declared on the quote, not presented as original.Origin lane
Where the unit came from and what was in it.
Industrial origins never enter the food-adjacent lane.Common questions on this subject
Short answers to common questions. If yours is not covered, ask it on the form and a partner supplier in our network can answer it with your quote.
All 33 answersWhat exactly is a gaylord box?
Can boxes be cut to a custom height?
How do I know which size I need?
How much do used gaylords cost?
What about confidential printing on our boxes?
What is the difference between grade B and grade C?
What size trailer do I need to receive a truckload?
Three notes before you order from it
1. Capacity assumes a matched pallet
Every capacity figure in the chart assumes the container sits on a pallet of the same footprint, in sound condition, with no overhang. A 48×40 box on a 48×48 pallet loses a significant share of its corner support and will crush at well under the stated weight.
2. Used stock carries ECT ranges, not values
A used board's measured edge crush depends on its history, so used stock is described by construction. Wall count and flute can be checked per unit with a caliper. If you need a single certified number, ask for a new production run with an ECT certificate attached.
3. “Trim to spec” is a real row
The last row of the chart is not filler. Cutting an available taller box down to your height is usually cheaper than sourcing the exact height new, and it removes the most worn part of the container. Ask for it on your quote request; not every supplier offers it.
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 →What Is a Gaylord Box, Really?
The container named after a Michigan paper company that became the standard bulk box of American warehouses.
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 →Send a row number and a quantity
That is enough to start a free, no-obligation quote request with partner suppliers in our network.