Charlotte region, NC and SC I-85 I-77 I-40
I-74I-85
A 48 x 40 x 24 in gaylord holds about 26.7 cubic feet on a 48 x 40 inch footprint and one maker rates it at 1,500 lb. The short box.
The short box. It keeps the 48 x 40 footprint and gives up a third of the height, so a dense load sits low and the stack stays stable. A fork truck can see over it and a pallet jack can move it without the load swaying.
Metal parts, castings, forgings, powdered metal and anything else where the weight reaches the rating long before the volume does. Union County's metal and aerospace plants and Cherryville's powdered metal makers are the regional fit.
| Measure | Value | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 40 in | 1,920 sq in, 13.33 sq ft |
| Volume | 26.7 cu ft | 48 x 40 x 24 = 46,080 cubic inches, divided by 1,728 = 26.67 cubic feet |
| Maker rating, triple wall | 1,500 lb | One maker's spec page |
| Rating per cubic foot | 56.3 lb | 1,500 / 26.7 |
| Pallet fit | Full 48 x 40 pallet | By footprint |
The rating per cubic foot is the heaviest a full box can be and still sit inside the maker's rating, so a load denser than 56.3 pounds per cubic foot should not fill the box to the brim.
A crew that handles this height soon notices what it does to the load: the center of gravity stays low, so a pallet turns a tight corner without leaning, and the stack of three still sits under seven feet. That is why plants moving castings, bearings and fasteners choose it over the standard height even though it costs more floor per cubic foot. Cut down to twenty-four inches, the same footprint becomes a heavy-load box. The shorter walls resist bowing, and the loaded height keeps a pallet of dense parts below the point where it becomes top-heavy. Crews who handle castings, fasteners and machined pieces like it because the box fills to the top before it reaches its weight limit, which is the right way round for anything dense.
A request for this size should always mention the contents, because the whole reason for the lower wall is weight. Say what the boxes carried and roughly how heavy a full one was, then the wall count and the bottom. Full flap is by far the common choice here, since small pieces tend to slip through a partial flap.
Take the 48 x 40 x 24 in box, 24 inches tall, and the example floor of 620 inches by 98 inches on the trucks guide. Set 40 inches along the length and the floor takes 15 by 2, which is 30 boxes; set 48 inches along the length and it takes 12 by 2, which is 24. The better orientation is 40 inches along the length, 30 on the floor, and 60 if the load can safely go two high, a stack 4 feet tall. Your own truck will differ.
One 48 x 40 x 24 in box, 24 inches tall, holds 26.7 cubic feet, or 46,080 cubic inches. Ten of them hold 266.7 cubic feet, and a stack of three reaches 72 inches.
| Boxes | Cubic inches | Cubic feet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46,080 | 26.7 |
| 5 | 230,400 | 133.3 |
| 10 | 460,800 | 266.7 |
| 20 | 921,600 | 533.3 |
| 40 | 1,843,200 | 1,066.7 |
| Stacked | Height | In feet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 high | 24 in | 2 ft |
| 2 high | 48 in | 4 ft |
| 3 high | 72 in | 6 ft |
| 4 high | 96 in | 8 ft |
| Size | Volume | Volume next to this box | Rated capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 x 24 in | 26.7 cu ft | This box | 1,500 lb |
| 36 x 36 x 36 in | 27 cu ft | 1 percent more than this box | 1,200 lb |
| 40 x 30 x 30 in | 20.8 cu ft | 22 percent less than this box | 1,200 lb |
| 48 x 24 x 28 in | 18.7 cu ft | 30 percent less than this box | 1,200 lb |
| 46 x 38 x 36 in octagon | 36.4 cu ft | 37 percent more than this box | 2,200 lb |
Next to the standard 48 x 40 x 36 box this one holds 33 percent less by volume.
One maker rates this size at 1,500 lb in triple wall, the same as the 36 inch box, so you get the same capacity in a smaller volume. Divide the rating by the volume and you see why: it can carry a denser fill.
3‑wall to 5‑wall; the heavy walls are what dense loads want. Full flap, so that small pieces stay in. The wall count page has the ranges and the bottom guide shows the difference.
Metal and aerospace, Truck and auto parts, and Scrap and recycling are the regional lanes that most often run this footprint. See the industries hub for the rest.
About 26.7. 48 x 40 x 24 is 46,080 cubic inches, and 1,728 cubic inches make a cubic foot.
One maker rates it at 1,500 lb in triple wall. Your box may differ, and a used box is only as good as its condition.
Full 48 x 40 pallet. A box that overhangs its pallet loses compression strength, so match them.
Count, footprint and wall count are enough to start.
No prices, minimums or times are stated here.