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Sizes & specs

The gaylord size chart, with the numbers people actually need.

Twenty-two footprints, each with cube, cubic yards, gallons, typical payload, stack height and pallet fit, plus a note on the job it is commonly used for. Filter it, print it, or send in a quote request with the row you want.
Footprints listed
22
Standard box
48 × 40 × 36 — 40 ft³
Dimensions quoted
Outside dimensions

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Answer first

One size dominates, and four heights cover almost everything else.

The default gaylord is 48 × 40 × 36 inches: forty cubic feet, roughly 299 gallons, sitting on a GMA pallet, with a typical rating near 2,200 lb in five-wall board. Change only the height (24, 30, 34, 42 or 48 inches) and you have covered most of the common bulk box sizes.

Everything else on this chart exists for a specific reason: a square footprint for centre-fed filling, a round body for material that bridges, a half size for tight aisles, a metric-adjacent footprint for imported goods. Knowing why each exists is usually faster than searching by dimension.

All dimensions here are outside dimensions, measured across the base with the box square. Internal volume is somewhat lower depending on wall thickness, and practical fill is usually below theoretical cube.

A single clean used gaylord box, assembled and standing on a wooden pallet on a warehouse floor
The default footprint: 48 × 40 × 36, 40 cubic feet
A warehouse floor with assembled used bulk boxes on pallets and banded stacks of flattened board in the background
Assembled and flattened boxes: the same boxes take far less freight space flat

The chart

Filter twenty-two footprints.

Sorted by cube, largest first. Filters narrow the table instantly, and the complete chart is rendered on the page regardless, so it prints and reads fine without JavaScript.

22 of 22 footprints shown. Payload and stacking are typical figures; confirm with the supplier.

Gaylord box size chart: dimensions, volume, typical payload and typical application
Size (L × W × H in)WallCu ftCu ydGallonsTypical payloadTypical stackPalletTypical use
48 × 40 × 605-wall66.72.474992,000 lb1 high48×40 GMAOversize single-trip box for lightweight bulky scrap. Uncommon, and often made to order.
48 × 40 × 485-wall53.31.983992,500 lb2 high48×40 GMAMaximum practical cube on a standard pallet. Fluff, film, insulation, packing peanuts.
45 × 45 × 425-wall49.21.823682,300 lb2 high48×48Square footprint for centre-fed filling heads and rotating discharge.
48 × 40 × 445-wall48.91.813662,400 lb2 high48×40 GMAAuto interior trim, seat foam, blow-moulded parts — big cube, modest weight.
48 × 40 × 425-wall46.71.733492,400 lb2 high48×40 GMABulk resin and pellet packing where a taller column still loads under a 53′ trailer roof.
48 × 45 × 344-wall42.51.573181,600 lb2 high48×45Automotive box sized to a 48×45 rack, not to GMA.
44″ round × 48round3-wall42.21.563162,000 lb2 high48×40 GMATall octabin for high-volume compounding lines with overhead fill.
44 × 44 × 364-wall40.31.493021,800 lb2 high48×48Dry ingredient box; square so liners drop in without bunching.
48 × 40 × 365-wall401.482992,200 lb3 high48×40 GMAThe default North American gaylord. Plastics regrind, textiles, e-waste, returns processing.
48 × 40 × 364-wall401.482991,500 lb2 high48×40 GMASame cube, lighter board. Light bulky goods, foam, apparel, poly film.
47 × 39 × 375-wall39.21.452942,100 lb3 high1200×1000 mmMetric-adjacent import box (1200×1000 mm). Common on imported bulk goods.
48 × 40 × 344-wall37.81.42831,500 lb2 high48×40 GMAA very common used size, often seen in retail and 3PL returns.
48 × 40 × 304-wall33.31.232491,400 lb2 high48×40 GMALow-clearance racking and pick lines where operators reach in all day.
44″ round × 36round3-wall31.71.172371,800 lb3 high48×40 GMAOctabin. Free-flowing resin, powders and granulate that would bridge in a corner.
35 × 35 × 43 FIBC4-wall30.51.132282,200 lb1 high40×40Bulk bag footprint, listed here for comparison when weighing bag against box.
38″ round × 42round3-wall27.61.022061,500 lb2 high42×42Narrow octabin that can sit two-abreast in a dry van with room to strap.
36 × 36 × 364-wall2712021,100 lb2 high40×36Cube box for mixed scrap, shredded paper and sample lots.
48 × 40 × 244-wall26.70.991991,200 lb2 high48×40 GMADense material — metal turnings, glass cullet, batteries — where cube fills long before the weight limit.
48 × 40 × 20triple-wall22.20.821661,500 lb3 high48×40 GMAShallow tray box for heavy castings and stamped metal.
40 × 28 × 304-wall19.40.72145950 lb2 high42×30 halfHalf-pallet box for retail back-of-store and small-batch recycling.
41 × 28 × 254-wall16.60.62124900 lb2 high42×30 halfHalf gaylord. Fits two to a pallet, or one where aisle space is tight.
30 × 30 × 303-wall15.60.58117700 lb2 high32×32Bench-side collection box. Reuse candidate long after it is too small for a line.

Conversions

The arithmetic, so you do not have to look it up.

Volume and capacity conversions for bulk boxes
To getFromMultiply byExample
Cubic feetCubic inches (L × W × H)÷ 1,72848 × 40 × 36 = 69,120 in³ = 40.0 ft³
Cubic yardsCubic feet÷ 2740.0 ft³ = 1.48 yd³
US gallonsCubic feet× 7.4840.0 ft³ = 299 gal
LitresCubic feet× 28.3240.0 ft³ = 1,133 L
Load weightCubic feet × densitylb/ft³40 ft³ × 35 lb/ft³ = 1,400 lb of resin
Round box volumeπ × r² × H÷ 1,72844″ round × 36 = 31.7 ft³
Practical fillGross cube× fill fraction40.0 ft³ × 0.9 = 36 ft³ at 0.9 fill
Work in outside dimensions for freight and stacking, inside dimensions for product fit. Mixing the two is a common sizing error.

Choosing

Pick by density first, cube second, height last.

  • Dense material, over 60 lb/ft³

    Metal, glass, castings, aggregate. The weight limit arrives long before the box is full, so buy shallow — 24 or 30 inch — and stop fighting the physics.

    Try 48 × 40 × 24

  • Mid-density, 20 – 60 lb/ft³

    Resin, regrind, compounded granulate, food ingredients. The standard 36 inch box is almost always the right answer, in five wall.

    Try 48 × 40 × 36

  • Light and bulky, under 20 lb/ft³

    Film, foam, textiles, loose paper, insulation. Consider the tallest box your dock clearance and trailer roof allow.

    Try 48 × 40 × 48

  • Free-flowing

    Anything that behaves like a fluid and bridges in corners. Take the cube penalty and use a round octabin body instead.

    Try 44″ round × 36

  • Tight aisles or split loads

    Retail back-of-store, small-batch recycling, lab and pilot lines. Half gaylords take two to a pallet position.

    Try 41 × 28 × 25

  • Imported or metric equipment

    Lines built around 1200 × 1000 mm pallets will fight a 48 × 40 box every time. Buy the footprint the equipment expects.

    Try 47 × 39 × 37

Go deeper

Nine references behind this chart.

Questions

Sizing, answered.

More in the full FAQ.

What is the standard gaylord box size?
48 x 40 x 36 inches. That footprint matches the standard North American GMA pallet, holds 40 cubic feet or about 299 gallons, and is the size most people mean by a gaylord. Other heights on the same 48 x 40 base, such as 30, 34, 42 and 48 inches, are also common.
How many cubic feet is a 48x40x36 gaylord box?
Exactly 40 cubic feet: 48 x 40 x 36 = 69,120 cubic inches, divided by 1,728 cubic inches per cubic foot. That is 1.48 cubic yards or roughly 299 US gallons of internal volume before you allow for fill practicality.
How do I measure a gaylord box correctly?
Measure length and width across the outside of the base, and height from the base to the top edge of the side wall with the box square and empty. Corrugated is quoted by inside dimension in some catalogues and outside dimension in others, which causes much of the confusion in this trade. This chart uses outside dimensions; ask each supplier which convention they quote.
How many gaylord boxes fit on a 53 foot trailer?
By footprint geometry, about twenty-six floor positions for a 48 x 40 box, or up to fifty-two if the boxes and their contents allow double stacking. Flattened and banded boxes take far less space, and how many fit varies by size, wall count and band height, so ask the supplier.
What size gaylord holds a ton of material?
It depends entirely on density rather than size. A 48x40x36 five-wall box with a typical rating around 2,200 lb can hold a ton of resin pellets at about 35 lb per cubic foot (confirm the rating with the supplier). The same box filled with metal turnings at 90 lb per cubic foot hits its weight limit at under a third full, which is why shallow 24 inch boxes exist.

Fit

Where every standard footprint has to fit.

A box size is never chosen in isolation. It has to clear five things, and the tightest of the five decides the answer.

Clearances a 48 × 40 footprint has to satisfy
ConstraintTypical dimensionWhat bindsConsequence of ignoring it
GMA pallet48 × 40 inZero tolerance at the edgesOverhang, bottom-edge crush, fewer trips
53′ dry van interior width≈ 100 inTwo 48 in pallets abreast = 96 inA 49 in box costs a whole position per row
53′ dry van interior height≈ 110 inTwo 48 in boxes plus pallets ≈ 108 inDouble stacking becomes impossible
Standard rack bay opening≈ 52 in wideBox plus pallet plus clearanceBoxes that will not fit the bay on the first attempt
Dock door8 × 9 ft typicalStacked height on a forkliftTall boxes that cannot be double-handled
Forklift tine spread24 – 42 inPallet entry, not box sizeFork contact with the box corner on side entry
Operator reach≈ 30 in comfortableBox height above deckTall boxes are loaded badly at the bottom
Pallet jack clearanceChamfered bottom boardsPallet, not boxJams at the worst possible moment

Measuring

Nine rules that keep a size conversation short.

Many wrong-size orders begin with a tape measure in the wrong place. These rules come up again and again.

  1. 01

    Say which convention you are using

    Manufacturers often quote inside dimensions and used-box sellers often quote outside. The gap on a thick-walled box can be an inch or more across a dimension. State it and the conversation gets three emails shorter.

  2. 02

    Length is the longer base dimension

    48 × 40 × 36 means 48 inches on the long side of the base. Reversing the first two is harmless on a square footprint and expensive on a rectangular one.

  3. 03

    Measure the base at three points

    A box stacked loaded for months bows in the middle. Quote the largest reading, because that is the one that has to clear the rack.

  4. 04

    Height is to the top of the side wall

    Not to the top of standing flaps and not including a telescoping cap. Measure body and cap overlap separately.

  5. 05

    Check both diagonals

    More than half an inch of difference on a 48 × 40 means the box has been overloaded or badly stored. It is rarely taken, but it is a good early sign of failure.

  6. 06

    Round bins are measured across the flats

    The widest point across two opposite faces, not corner to corner. Base trays are a separate measurement.

  7. 07

    Work in outside dimensions for space

    Pallets, racks, trailers, doorways. Anything about where the box goes.

  8. 08

    Work in inside dimensions for product

    Cube, fill, liners. Anything about what goes in the box.

  9. 09

    Photograph a bottom edge

    Not strictly measurement, but a photo settles condition faster than any dimension. Ask the supplier for one.

Reference

Standard sizes outside the gaylord range.

For completeness, because these turn up in the same conversations and there is nowhere sensible to look them up.

Pallet footprints you will meet in North America
PalletDimensionsWhere it is usedBox footprint
GMA / grocery48 × 40 inThe common default in North America48 × 40
Square48 × 48 inDrums, reels, cable, square bins44 × 44 / 45 × 45
Automotive48 × 45 inTier one and two dunnage racks48 × 45
Half pallet42 × 30 inRetail back-of-store, tight aisles41 × 28 / 40 × 28
Euro EUR11200 × 800 mmImported European goods46 × 30 approx
Metric ISO1200 × 1000 mmImported goods47 × 39
Beverage36 × 36 inDrinks distribution36 × 36
Military40 × 48 inSpecialist logistics40 × 48
Quick volume reference for the most common heights on a 48 × 40 base
HeightCubic feetCubic yardsUS gallonsLitresFills at 35 lb/ft³
20 in22.20.82166629778 lb
24 in26.70.99200756934 lb
30 in33.31.232499431,166 lb
34 in37.81.402831,0701,323 lb
36 in40.01.482991,1331,400 lb
42 in46.71.733491,3221,635 lb
44 in48.91.813661,3851,712 lb
48 in53.31.973991,5091,866 lb
60 in66.72.474991,8892,335 lb
Fill weights assume the full gross cube. At a practical fill below the rim, scale the result down, and check it against the box's payload rating, not just its volume.

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Send the size, the wall and the grade, and a partner supplier follows up. Availability depends on partner suppliers.

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