- Footprint
- 48 x 40 in
- Inside height
- 48 in
- Volume
- 53.3 cu ft
- Listed by one distributor
- 1,500 lb, triple wall
What this size is
Tall boxes are for light, bulky loads: packaging, film, empty plastic parts, foam. A box 48 in tall stands higher than the 46 in top of the heights cited for 5-wall, so it is almost always a triple-wall box in practice, and the request should say if more is needed.
The rating that matters is the one on the stamp. A tall box fully loaded with light material is safe within its rating. A tall box loaded with dense material is not, and the extra height invites overloading because there is more room to fill. Check the weight, not the volume.
The numbers
| Field | Value | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 40 in | Length by width, matched to a pallet |
| Inside height | 48 in | Floor of the box to the top of the walls |
| Volume | 53.3 cu ft | 48 x 40 x 48 = 92,160 cu in. Divided by 1,728 cu in per cu ft that is about 53.3 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
- Light, bulky parts and packaging.
- Scrap film and textile collection.
- Returns and internal moves where weight stays low.
- Cases where the dock door or trailer height allows a taller unit.
Height changes how a stack leans. A tall box built on a 48 x 40 in footprint is less stable than a short one. Strap the stack, or keep it low.
How many fit on a 53-foot trailer
Computed, not promised. For the 48 x 40 x 48 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 54 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 | 48 + 6 = 54 in |
| Layers that fit | 2 (108 / 54, rounded down) |
| If every layer is allowed | 60 |
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
Is a 48 in box taller than most gaylords?
Can I stack tall gaylords?
Filling the 48 x 40 x 48 in box by height
| Fill height (in) | Cubic feet | Share of full |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6.7 | 12.5% |
| 12 | 13.3 | 25.0% |
| 18 | 20.0 | 37.5% |
| 24 | 26.7 | 50.0% |
| 30 | 33.3 | 62.5% |
| 36 | 40.0 | 75.0% |
| 42 | 46.7 | 87.5% |
| 48 | 53.3 | 100.0% |