Gaylord Box Container Size Guide

So what about skid size?

Gaylord boxes come in many shapes and sizes and provide industries an alternative to plastic totes and super sacks. They are cheap, light weight and much easier to dispose of after their purpose has been fulfilled. Many believe gaylord boxes are a one time use item, but they actually have an extraordinary half life and can be bought and sold many times over. Below are the most common gaylord box sizes and you’ll find them 95% of manufacturer’s floors stacked up or being shuffled around on a pallet.

48 x 40 x 36” Standard Gaylord Size

48 x 40 x 36” is the standard size gaylord box. These are typically octagonal and have three to five walls. These boxes are by far the most common, and 500-550 can fit on a single trailer depending on how the boxes are palletized. The four and five wall 48”x40”x36” gaylords have a large carrying capacity, and weight capacities between 4,000 and 5,000 lbs. One of the most significant advantages to this style of box is that they have the exact same dimensions as the standard size pallet, and can be double stacked in a truck when they are full of inventory. Which makes them perfect for metal, plastic, and electronic waste recycling. Another popular aspect of this style of gaylord box is that they can be bound to pallets. Meaning that if a user chooses to staple, or glue the box to the pallet, it can be reused multiple times. Because of the versitility and popularity of this particular box, they have one of the highest resale values, averaging between $9-$11 dollars, depending on the condition of the box.

40 x 40 x 40″ Pallet Container 

The 40”x40”x40” gaylord box is comparable to the standard 48”x40”x36” gaylord box in terms of weight and carrying capacity. These boxes typically have four or five walls, and come in either rectangular or octagonal shapes. On the occasion you do come across a double wall 40”x40”x40” gaylord, they’re typically double walled, tray bottom boxes. The four and five wall octagonal 40”x40”x40” gaylords have the greatest weight capacity, and can easily be double stacked on pallets.

The best thing about the 40”x40”x40” gaylord boxes is that they will fit, and can be stacked, on either 40”x40” pallets or 48”x40” pallets. When using the four and five wall boxes, you can easily load these boxes with 3,000 lbs and double stack them in a trailer. The versatility of these boxes makes them one of the most popular options for many users.

40 x 30 x 30” Pallet Boxes

40”x 30”x 30” dimension boxes can be quite the mixed bag. They can range from 2-5 walls and come in both rectangular and octagonal shapes. While the weight capacity of these boxes is affected by the shape and the number of walls it has, they all share the same carrying capacity. Because they are smaller than the standard 48”x40”x36” gaylord box, they are usually intended to carry less weight. So, the average 40”x30”x30” box has 4 walls, and has a weight capacity of approximately 1,200-1,500 lbs. One of the advantages of a box this size is that it fits evenly on the standard 40”x48” pallet, and be stacked fairly easily.

36 x 36 x 36” Small Gaylords

36”x36”x36” dimension boxes are one of the smallest available options when it comes to gaylords. These boxes are typically rectangular, and have either three of four walls. Due to their smaller stature and number of walls, these boxes have a much smaller weight and carrying capacity than the standard four of five wall octagonal 48”x40”x36” gaylord boxes. The weight capacity for these boxes is typically around 1,000-1,200 lbs.

While the rectangular 36”x36”x36” gaylord boxes have smaller carrying and weight capacities than the standard gaylord container, they do have a couple notable advantages. The first and most obvious advantage is that you can fit significantly more of them on 53’ trailer. Specifically, you can fit 750-800 of these boxes on a truck (depending on the way that they are palletized) in comparison to 400-500 standard sized gaylord boxes. The second advantage to this style of box is that they are often (but not always) listed at a lower price per unit.