Scrap, film and recycling operations use lower-grade gaylords for one-way jobs. A Grade C box is made for scrap collection, internal moves and non-stacked storage, and it asks only what the job needs.
A Grade C box is a tool, not a compromise
Grade C boxes have heavier creasing and some taped or reinforced repairs, with fewer trips left. Those are the boxes for scrap collection, one-way internal moves and storage where nothing stacks. If a box will be filled once, taken to a yard and emptied, the strength of a Grade A box is a strength the job never uses.
What goes in
Scrap metal. Dense, so choose wall count by weight and use a short box with a full flap bottom. See the metal parts page for the arithmetic of weight.
Film. Light, bulky and clean. A 2‑wall or 3‑wall box in Grade B or C does it.
Textile waste. Dry fiber. Choose a lighter wall count; keep it dry.
Shredded or ground plastic. A partial flap with a liner. See the resin page.
Where they come from
Scrap yards and recyclers buy boxes in volume. Some of those boxes come from the same plants that clear empties, which is why a match inside the region works: the plant has boxes that are done being containers for its own freight, and the recycler needs containers for a one-way job.
Grade
Good for
Not for
Grade B
Film, textile waste, regrind
Tall stacks of dense loads
Grade C
Scrap, one-way internal
Stacked storage
Recycle only
OCC
Any container use
Do not mix up the grades
A Grade C box is not a recycle-only box. If it stands, has a bottom and is dry, it is a container. If it folds, is wet or has lost its bottom, it is OCC. The grading guide shows the four checks.
The end of the box's life
When a scrap box is spent, it goes to the baler. About 96.5 percent of US corrugated boxes were recycled in 2018 (source). The recycling page covers how to flag it.
Say Grade C is fine. The request accepts it as a condition.
Where this lane runs
The plan for this site names these places as running manufacturing and materials. Each links to its own page, with ZIPs and neighbors.
ConcordManufacturing. Employers named include Celgard, Sysco, S&D Coffee, Shoe Show and Roush Fenway Racing. ZIP 28025, 28026, 28027.
MooresvilleAdvanced manufacturing. More than 60 NASCAR teams and racing businesses; Lowe's corporate headquarters. ZIP 28115, 28117.
StatesvilleAdvanced manufacturing. I-40 and I-77 intersect in the northeast of the city. ZIP 28625, 28677, 28687.
HickoryFiber-optic cable. Forty percent of the world's fiber-optic cable is made in the Hickory area; Shurtape, CommScope and Corning are employers. ZIP 28601, 28602, 28603.
AlbemarleElectrical equipment. Stanly County seat east of Charlotte. ZIP 28001, 28002.
Rock HillManufacturing, 3D printing, industrial equipment. Hyosung, 3D Systems and Atlas Copco have headquarters or North American headquarters here. ZIP 29730, 29731, 29732, 29733, 29734.
LancasterTire manufacturing, gold mining. Lancaster County seat on US 521. ZIP 29720, 29721, 29722.
ChesterGlass, tires. Chester County seat off I-77. ZIP 29706.
Mecklenburg CountyElectric power generation and transmission. The county the region's labor and freight revolve around; Norfolk Southern's intermodal terminal sits inside Charlotte Douglas airport between two runways. Send your ZIP.
Gaston CountyRecreational and small electric goods. Textile and thread county west of Charlotte across the Catawba River, with truck plants in Mount Holly and Gastonia. ZIP 28052, 28053, 28054, 28055, 28056, 28012, 28120, 28034, 28021.
Cabarrus CountyVulcanized and fired materials. I-85 county northeast of Charlotte; major employers named by the regional partnership include Amazon, Corning, Lilly, FedEx and Hendrick Motorsports. ZIP 28025, 28026, 28027, 28081, 28082, 28083, 28075.
Iredell CountyAdvanced manufacturing. Where I-77 meets I-40; employers listed include Cheney Brothers, Denso, Doosan, Kewaunee, NGK, Sherwin Williams and Trane Technologies. ZIP 28115, 28117, 28625, 28677, 28687.
Lincoln CountyAdvanced manufacturing. Employers listed include American Woodmark, Blum, Bosch, Cataler, LeeBoy and Timken. ZIP 28092, 28093.
Catawba CountyCommunications equipment. Hickory, Newton and Conover on I-40; fiber-optic cable, furniture and tape makers. ZIP 28601, 28602, 28603, 28658, 28613.
Stanly CountyVulcanized and fired materials, lighting and electrical equipment. East of Charlotte; employers listed include Michelin, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry and Preformed Line Products. ZIP 28001, 28002.
Lancaster County, SCBusiness services, tire manufacturing. Employers listed include Nutramax Laboratories, Continental and OceanaGold. ZIP 29720, 29721, 29722.
Chester County, SCVulcanized and fired materials. On I-77 toward Columbia; employers listed include Boise Cascade, Carolina Poly, E. & J. Gallo Winery, Giti and Guardian Glass. ZIP 29706.
Questions from the dock
What gaylord is best for scrap metal?
A short box with a heavy wall count and a full flap bottom. Pick by the loaded weight.
Are Grade C gaylords okay for scrap?
Yes. Grade C boxes are meant for one-way use, scrap collection and non-stacked storage.
Do you supply film recyclers?
Send the count, footprint and condition, and say it is for film. We say what matches.
Request gaylords or a pickup
Count, footprint and wall count are enough to start.