- Footprint
- 48 x 24 in
- Inside height
- 28 in
- Volume
- 18.7 cu ft
- Listed by one distributor
- 1,200 lb, triple wall
What this size is
The half-pallet box is half of a 48 x 48 in pallet, so two share one pallet side by side. It is for long, narrow things: bar stock, tubes, trim, molding. It is also a way to split a load into two lots of different parts without needing two pallets.
It is the smallest box we list, and the listed figure per cubic foot is the highest: 1,200 lb over 18.7 cu ft is about 64 lb per cubic foot. That is why long, dense items such as bar and tube fit it. The listing is for a new triple-wall box, so grade matters here.
The numbers
| Field | Value | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 24 in | Length by width, matched to a pallet |
| Inside height | 28 in | Floor of the box to the top of the walls |
| Volume | 18.7 cu ft | 48 x 24 x 28 = 32,256 cu in. Divided by 1,728 cu in per cu ft that is about 18.7 cu ft. |
| Listed by one distributor | 1,200 lb | One distributor's triple-wall figure, not a maker standard |
| Wall counts cited at this height | none | Heights makers cite: 2-wall 30 to 36, 3-wall 34 to 40, 4-wall 36 to 41, 5-wall 36 to 46 in |
What it is used for
- Long, narrow parts: bar, tube, molding.
- Two-lot pallets.
- Kitting for an assembly line.
- Dense small parts with a floor load near the rating.
A long thin box has a long unsupported span. Keep the load low and even, and ask for a full flap bottom if the pieces are heavy.
How many fit on a 53-foot trailer
Computed, not promised. For the 48 x 24 x 28 in box we use round working numbers for the trailer floor: 636 in long, 100 in wide and 108 in high inside, and a 6 in pallet under each box, which makes each layer 34 in tall. Check your carrier's trailer, since inside dimensions vary.
| Step | Result |
|---|---|
| Best orientation | 13 rows of 4 across |
| Boxes on the floor | 13 x 4 = 52 |
| Height per layer | 28 + 6 = 34 in |
| Layers that fit | 3 (108 / 34, rounded down) |
| If every layer is allowed | 156 |
Stacking is limited by the box rating, the weight of the load and your carrier's rules, so the last line is a ceiling, not a plan. The trailer guide works the other sizes the same way.
Questions
What is the volume?
How many fit on a pallet?
Filling the 48 x 24 x 28 in box by height
| Fill height (in) | Cubic feet | Share of full |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4.0 | 21.4% |
| 12 | 8.0 | 42.9% |
| 18 | 12.0 | 64.3% |
| 24 | 16.0 | 85.7% |
| 28 | 18.7 | 100.0% |
Checking a 48 x 24 x 28 in request
- Confirm that the 48 x 24 in footprint is the inside measure.
- Ask whether the box is meant for a half pallet.
- Read the wall count before relying on stacking.