The North Carolina side: ten counties around Charlotte

North of the line

The ten North Carolina counties here are the ones the regional partnership profiles with their industry clusters. Charlotte's metro area is described as the largest manufacturing region in the Carolinas, and about 89,000 people work in logistics and distribution across the region, including 27,000 in warehousing (source).

What runs gaylords on this side

Roads that tie it together

I-85 carries freight from Gastonia through Charlotte to Salisbury. I-77 runs north to Mooresville and Statesville, where it meets I-40. US 74 serves Shelby, Kings Mountain and Monroe. A truck leaving Hickory on I-40 reaches Statesville and turns south on I-77 to Charlotte. The corridor map draws all of it.

Picking your page

Start from the county, then the city. The county page lists every city we have a page for and its ZIPs. The city page lists what arrives at the docks there and which box fits. If your town is not listed, use the nearest city and send your ZIP.

Across the line

The South Carolina counties sit just south of Charlotte. Fort Mill and Rock Hill are part of the same corridor. The South Carolina page lists them.

Ask

Send your ZIP and the count. A North Carolina request and a South Carolina request take the same form.

Ten counties, three corridors

The ten North Carolina counties group into three corridors. The I-85 corridor takes in Gaston, Cabarrus and Rowan, with Kings Mountain at the Cleveland edge. The I-77 and I-40 corridor takes in Mecklenburg, Iredell and Catawba. The southeast corridor along US 74 takes in Union and Stanly. Lincoln sits between the first two on US 321. Planning a request by corridor is easier than planning it by county, since a truck runs a road and not a boundary.

A note on the border counties

Cleveland, Gaston and Mecklenburg touch South Carolina, and Union is a short run from Lancaster County. A stack in those counties is as likely to be matched across the line as inside the state. That is why the form asks for a ZIP and a description, and not for a state.

The North Carolina counties

• Mecklenburg CountyI-85I-77Production technology and heavy machinery, transportation and logistics, textile manufacturing. Cities: Charlotte.
• Gaston CountyI-85US 74Automotive, downstream and upstream chemical products, textiles. Cities: Gastonia, Mount Holly, Belmont, Cherryville.
• Cabarrus CountyI-85Logistics and distribution, food and beverage, automotive. Cities: Concord, Kannapolis.
• Rowan CountyI-85Automotive, food and beverage processing and distribution, plastics. Cities: Salisbury.
• Iredell CountyI-77I-40Advanced manufacturing, logistics and distribution, agriculture. Cities: Mooresville, Statesville.
• Union CountyUS 74Aerospace manufacturing, titanium and specialty metals, metal forging. Cities: Monroe.
• Lincoln CountyUS 321Advanced manufacturing, plastics and chemicals, non-woven textiles. Cities: Lincolnton.
• Catawba CountyI-40US 321Furniture, machining and metalworking, communications equipment. Cities: Hickory, Newton, Conover.
• Cleveland CountyUS 74I-85Downstream metal products, production technology and heavy machinery, wood products. Cities: Shelby, Kings Mountain.
• Stanly CountyNC 24/27Wood products, vulcanized and fired materials, textile manufacturing. Cities: Albemarle.

How to read this side

North Carolina holds most of the region's county seats and most of its interstate mileage, so a dock here is usually near I-85, I-77 or I-40 and rarely more than a short run from a neighbor. Start with the county that holds your dock, then open the city page if it has one. The county page lists its cities, the ZIPs that place a request and the industries that set the grade of a typical stack. A plant near a county line should read both counties, because the nearest buyer is often across the line, and a request that names the nearest town as well as the ZIP is easier to place.

Facts from the North Carolina side

• York County, SC has a labor force of 154,138, with logistics and transportation at 7.7% of employment and production at 6.8%. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• Forty percent of the world's fiber-optic cable is made in the Hickory area. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• American & Efird, the world's second-largest thread maker, has six plants and its corporate offices in Mount Holly and employs more than 980 people. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• In 2015 ATI announced a $69.8 million manufacturing facility next to its Monroe site, adding 70 jobs; the state called ATI one of Union County's largest employers. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• Statesville sits where Interstate 40 and Interstate 77 intersect. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• Mooresville is home to more than 60 NASCAR teams and racing-related businesses. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• Rowan County's industry clusters include automotive, food and beverage processing and distribution, plastics and furniture. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.
• Chester County, SC's industry clusters include plastics, upstream metal manufacturing, upstream chemical products and wood products. Source, retrieved November 11, 2026.

Questions from the dock

Which North Carolina counties do you cover?

Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus, Rowan, Iredell, Union, Lincoln, Catawba, Cleveland and Stanly.

Are used gaylords available in Charlotte, NC?

Send the count, footprint and wall count with a Mecklenburg County ZIP, and we describe what matches.

Do you buy empties in North Carolina?

Yes, describe them in the sell request with the ZIP.