Charlotte region, NC and SC I-85 I-77 I-40
The standard gaylord sizes run from 36 x 36 x 36 inches to 48 x 48 x 48, and the most common is 48 x 40 x 36. The board below puts all ten side by side with footprint, volume worked out from the dimensions and one maker's triple-wall rating.
| Size | Footprint | Volume | One maker's rating | Pallet fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 x 36 in | 48 x 40 in | 40 cu ft | 1,500 lb | Full 48 x 40 pallet |
| 48 x 40 x 24 in | 48 x 40 in | 26.7 cu ft | 1,500 lb | Full 48 x 40 pallet |
| 48 x 40 x 48 in | 48 x 40 in | 53.3 cu ft | 1,500 lb | Full 48 x 40 pallet |
| 48 x 48 x 36 in | 48 x 48 in | 48 cu ft | 1,400 lb | Square 48 x 48 pallet |
| 48 x 48 x 48 in | 48 x 48 in | 64 cu ft | 1,400 lb | Square 48 x 48 pallet |
| 40 x 40 x 40 in | 40 x 40 in | 37 cu ft | 1,300 lb | 40 x 40 pallet |
| 36 x 36 x 36 in | 36 x 36 in | 27 cu ft | 1,200 lb | Small square pallet |
| 40 x 30 x 30 in | 40 x 30 in | 20.8 cu ft | 1,200 lb | Compact, less than a full pallet |
| 48 x 24 x 28 in | 48 x 24 in | 18.7 cu ft | 1,200 lb | Half pallet |
| 46 x 38 x 36 in octagon | Octagon on 48 x 40 in | 36.4 cu ft | 2,200 lb | Full 48 x 40 pallet, cut corners |
The footprint is the box's length and width, and it decides where the box fits on a pallet, in a rack and on a truck. The height is the third number and decides how much the box holds. The volume is arithmetic: multiply the three dimensions in inches and divide by 1,728 cubic inches per cubic foot. A 48 x 40 x 36 inch box is 69,120 cubic inches, or 40 cubic feet. The octagon is listed by its bounding dimensions, so its true volume is a little under the 36.4 the arithmetic gives.
A 48 x 40 box sits on a standard pallet with no overhang. A 48 x 48 box on a 48 x 40 pallet overhangs by 8 inches, and research from Virginia Tech found effective box compression strength decreases as pallet overhang increases (source). Match footprint to pallet where you can. The 48 x 24 half-pallet box has 60 percent of the floor area of a 48 x 40: 1,152 square inches against 1,920.
The triple-wall capacities on the board come from one maker's spec pages. Other makers rate their boxes differently, and a used box is not rated unless the maker's mark is still readable. For rating ranges by wall count see the wall count page. For how a rating is built see the weight capacity guide.
Other sizes exist. One used listing describes a 48 x 45 x 40 inch box in 5-ply with partial bottom flaps and slip sheets, about 50 cubic feet (source). If your size is not here, send the three numbers and we compare it with what is available.
Pick the footprint in the form. Add the height in the message.
The board lists ten footprints, from the 48 x 40 x 36 standard to the 36-inch cube and the half-pallet box. The volumes are worked out from the dimensions. The ratings are one maker's published figures and they are labeled that way, so they are not a promise about any box in your hands. A box that is not on the board can still be described in a request, with the three dimensions in inches.
A box that holds a lot of cubic feet is not necessarily a box that holds a lot of pounds. A tall box of light goods fills before it is heavy, and a short box of dense goods gets heavy before it fills. That is why the board shows both and why each size page works out the rating per cubic foot.
Uline rates its triple-wall 48 x 40 x 36 gaylord at 1,500 lb and its 36 x 36 x 36 at 1,200 lb (source). Its 46 x 38 x 36 octagon is listed at 2,200 lb (source). The Cary Company lists gaylords across sizes from 36 x 36 x 36 to 48 x 40 x 36 (source). Typical footprints are 48 x 40, 48 x 48 or 48 x 45 inches, with sidewalls usually 24 to 50 inches high (source).
Pick the footprint your pallets and racking already use. Then look at the volume to see how much the box holds, and at the rating to see how much it can carry. A short, dense load wants the rating; a bulky, light load wants the volume. The ten sizes below are the ones this site can describe with a source.
A size is written length x width x height in inches, so 48 x 40 x 36 is a box 48 inches long, 40 wide and 36 tall on a standard pallet. Sidewalls usually run 24 to 50 inches high. The first two numbers set the footprint on the pallet; the third sets how much the box holds and how many fit on a trailer. Two boxes with the same footprint and different heights stack and ship differently, so the height belongs in every request.
A 53-foot trailer has a floor about 636 inches long and about 98 inches wide inside. We do not state loads per trailer because it depends on height and on whether boxes are stacked, but the footprint is the number to start with.
Most pallets in the region are 40 x 48 inches or 45 x 45, so a gaylord that overhangs them loses strength and a gaylord much smaller wastes dock space. The sizes on this board cluster around those two footprints for that reason. A less common footprint is not impossible to place, but it narrows the buyers, and a request that names it should say whether a close substitute would do.
The most common is 48 x 40 x 36 inches, built for a standard pallet.
Multiply length, width and height in inches and divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet.
Footprints are typically 48 x 40, 48 x 48 or 48 x 45 inches, with sidewalls usually 24 to 50 inches high.
Count, footprint and wall count are enough to start.
No prices, minimums or times are stated here.