Charlotte region, NC and SC I-85 I-77 I-40
I-85I-77
A rectangular bulk box is the standard gaylord: a corrugated box built for a pallet footprint, sold as a bulk box, pallet box, skid box or bulk bin. Start from the footprint, then pick the wall count your load needs.
People ask for bulk boxes, pallet boxes, skid boxes, bulk bins or gaylords. They mean the same kind of container: a corrugated box with a pallet footprint, side walls of two to five layers of board, and a bottom that is either closed or open to a slip sheet. The word gaylord started as a company name and became the trade's word for the box. The name guide has the short history.
Typical footprints are 48 x 40, 48 x 48 or 48 x 45 inches, with side walls usually 24 to 50 inches high (source). Container Exchanger gives common heights of 30 to 36 inches for 2‑wall boxes, 34 to 40 for 3‑wall, 36 to 41 for 4‑wall and 36 to 46 for 5‑wall (source).
| Wall count | Common height | Capacity sellers cite | What it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2‑wall | 30 to 36 in | 800 to 1,200 lb | Light, stable loads that stay on the floor |
| 3‑wall | 34 to 40 in | 1,000 to 1,600 lb | The workhorse for parts and mixed freight |
| 4‑wall | 36 to 41 in | 1,500 to 2,200 lb | Dense loads and stacking |
| 5‑wall | 36 to 46 in | 2,000 to 3,000 lb | Heavy parts, resin and long storage |
These are ranges sellers quote, not guarantees. Wall thickness varies, so wall count alone is not always reliable. The maker's rated capacity for a given box is the number that counts.
A full flap bottom closes the base. A partial flap bottom leaves a gap and rides on a slip sheet. Heavy parts and anything small enough to slip through a gap want the full flap. Resin pellets and produce often go partial because the box sets up faster. See the bottom guide.
The most common size is 48 x 40 x 36 inches. Read its spec page for the volume worked out from the dimensions and the cited rating. The short 48 x 40 x 24 box suits dense metal parts, and the 48 x 48 square sits on a 48 x 48 pallet. All ten standard sizes are on the size board.
Truck and auto parts plants in Gaston County, metal and aerospace shops in Union and Catawba counties, and warehouses on I-85 all run rectangular boxes. If you have empties from that kind of inbound freight, the sell hub says how to describe them.
Send the count, the footprint, the wall count and the bottom style. If you are not sure of one, choose not sure and we will help fill the gap.
Makers state board strength in two ways. The Cary Company lists gaylords in single wall at 200#/ECT-32, double wall at 275#/ECT-48 and triple wall at 1,100#/ECT-90 across sizes from 36 x 36 x 36 to 48 x 40 x 36 (source). The pound figure is the older burst test and the ECT figure is the edge crush test, a stacking-strength number. A box that gives only one of them is not wrong, but a buyer comparing two boxes should compare like with like.
Most gaylords are die-cut, meaning cut and scored in one press pass, and then assembled from a tray plus a sleeve. That is why a flat-folded stack of gaylords is really a stack of trays, sleeves and lids, and why a seller who counts boxes should say whether the lids and trays are counted separately. A box built as a tube set into a tray bottom behaves differently from a one-piece box when it is knocked down.
Many gaylords are sized for 40 x 48 or 45 x 45 inch pallets, and boxes range from two to five layers of cardboard (source). A box that overhangs its pallet loses strength, so match the footprint to the pallet your dock actually uses.
Walk a stack before you write to us. A gaylord that has been stacked three high on one corner will show a bowed sidewall near its middle; a box that was forklifted from the side will show a punctured panel near the base. Look for water lines near the foot, for blistered printing and for flap scores that have cracked from repeated folding. Each of these takes a few seconds to spot and removes a grade from the box. Note the manufacturer stamp on the bottom flap if it is legible, because it carries the rating and the date of manufacture.
Most are built for a 48 x 40 inch pallet. A 48 x 40 x 36 inch box is the most common single size, and the size board lists nine more.
Yes. Gaylord, bulk box, pallet box, skid box and bulk bin are different names for the same corrugated container.
Use the weight of the loaded box and how it will be stacked. If the number sits near the top of a range, go up one wall count and check the maker rating.
Count, footprint and wall count are enough to start.
No prices, minimums or times are stated here.