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Sizes & specs · library

Five references for specifying bulk boxes.

Written for the person who has to specify the box. Every number is stated with the condition it applies under, and ratings are typical figures to confirm with the supplier.
Guides
5, all free
Focus
Specifying and buying
Format
Plain-language reference

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Why these five

Each one covers a common and costly mistake.

Measuring inconsistently produces a quote for the wrong box. Ignoring how stacking ratings decay in storage collapses a stack. Pairing a good box with a bad pallet destroys the box. Choosing a square container for flowing material wastes product at every discharge. Storing corrugated damp undoes every other decision at once.

None of these are exotic. All five happen often, and all five are avoidable with a little reading.

The short version of all five

If you read nothing else on this site.

Each of these is the single most consequential sentence from its guide. They are collected here because they cover much of what goes wrong.

Measuring
State whether you are quoting inside or outside dimensions, every single time ; the other party will assume the opposite, and on a thick-walled box the gap can be an inch or more.
Stacking
Published compression figures are laboratory numbers. Multiply down for storage time, humidity, grade and alignment, and the multipliers compound.
Pallets
Measure a few of your pallets with a tape. A pallet smaller than the box footprint is damaging the bottom edge of every box you put on it.
Octabins
The cube penalty of about a fifth rarely decides anything. Residual product left in square corners does, and on valuable material it dwarfs everything else.
Moisture
Corrugated loses a large share of its compression strength as relative humidity rises, and nothing about it looks or feels different.
All five
None of these are exotic. All five happen often, and all five are avoidable with a little reading.

How to use the library

Which guide answers which question.

A routing table, because the titles do not always make it obvious where an answer lives.

Question to guide
If you are asking…Read
What size do I actually need?The size chart, then the capacity calculator
Is the supplier's dimension the same as mine?How to measure a gaylord box
Can I stack these three high?Stacking & load ratings
Why do my boxes only last one trip?Pallet compatibility, then stacking
Should I use a round bin or a square box?Octabin vs gaylord
Why did a stack that was fine in winter fail in July?Liners & moisture control
What gauge liner do I need?Liners & moisture control
What does 2A actually mean?Grades 1A – 5A explained
What is ECT and do I care?Wall types & board strength
How many fit on a truck?Capacity calculator, then the loading article

Questions

Spec guides, answered.

Should I quote inside or outside dimensions for a gaylord box?
Either, as long as you say which every time. The other party will assume the opposite, and on a thick-walled box the difference between inside and outside dimensions can be an inch or more.
How can I tell if my pallets are damaging my boxes?
Measure a few of your pallets with a tape. A pallet smaller than the box footprint leaves the box edges overhanging, and that overhang quietly damages the bottom edge of every box you put on it.
Can I trust a published stacking rating?
Treat it as a laboratory starting point. Multiply it down for storage time, humidity, grade and alignment, because those factors compound; a rating that was fair on day one can be much lower after months of humid storage.
Should I use an octabin or a gaylord box for resin?
For free-flowing material, usually an octabin. Its cube penalty of about a fifth, from the round footprint, rarely decides anything; the product left behind in square corners at every discharge does, and on valuable material that loss outweighs the cube.
How much does humidity weaken corrugated boxes?
A great deal. Corrugated loses a large share of its compression strength as relative humidity rises, and nothing about the box looks or feels different, which is why summer stacks can fail without warning.

Specifying something unusual?

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