- Footprint
- 48 x 40 in
- Inside height
- 24 in
- Volume
- 26.7 cu ft
- Listed by one distributor
- 1,500 lb, triple wall
What this size is
Dense parts do not need volume. They need a floor. A pallet of machined parts, castings or cast housings can reach the weight limit of a box long before it is full. A short box puts the same footprint under the load and cuts the height, so a worker can reach the bottom layer, the box does not bulge, and the pack stacks better.
At 24 in the box is shorter than any wall-count height range makers cite. The 2-wall range starts at 30 in. A short triple-wall box is the common build for this size. If you need more than triple wall, say so in the request rather than assuming one.
The numbers
| Field | Value | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 40 in | Length by width, matched to a pallet |
| Inside height | 24 in | Floor of the box to the top of the walls |
| Volume | 26.7 cu ft | 48 x 40 x 24 = 46,080 cu in. Divided by 1,728 cu in per cu ft that is about 26.7 cu ft. |
| Listed by one distributor | 1,500 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
- Machined parts and gears.
- Bar, fasteners and small hardware.
- Cast housings that should not be stacked tall.
- Any pack where the weight limit comes before the volume limit.
Ask for a full flap bottom. A short box carrying dense parts puts all of its load through the bottom, and a partial bottom concentrates it on the slip sheet.
How many fit on a 53-foot trailer
Computed, not promised. For the 48 x 40 x 24 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 30 in tall. Check your carrier's trailer, since inside dimensions vary.
| Step | Result |
|---|---|
| Best orientation | 15 rows of 2 across |
| Boxes on the floor | 15 x 2 = 30 |
| Height per layer | 24 + 6 = 30 in |
| Layers that fit | 3 (108 / 30, rounded down) |
| If every layer is allowed | 90 |
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
Why would I choose 24 in over 36 in?
What walls does a 24 in box usually have?
Filling the 48 x 40 x 24 in box by height
| Fill height (in) | Cubic feet | Share of full |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6.7 | 25.0% |
| 12 | 13.3 | 50.0% |
| 18 | 20.0 | 75.0% |
| 24 | 26.7 | 100.0% |