- Footprint
- 48 x 48 in
- Inside height
- 48 in
- Volume
- 64 cu ft
- Listed by one distributor
- 1,400 lb, triple wall
What this size is
Sixty-four cubic feet is a lot of space for a load that must stay under the 1,400 lb in one distributor's listing. It suits very light, very bulky material: packaging, foam, film and empty containers. Fill it with anything dense and you are past the listed figure while the box is half full.
A cube also wants a pallet to match. The box is 48 in each way, so a standard 48 x 40 in pallet leaves 8 in of overhang on a side. Use a square pallet, or accept the strength cost that overhang brings.
The numbers
| Field | Value | How it is worked |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 48 in | Length by width, matched to a pallet |
| Inside height | 48 in | Floor of the box to the top of the walls |
| Volume | 64 cu ft | 48 x 48 x 48 = 110,592 cu in. Divided by 1,728 cu in per cu ft that is about 64 cu ft. |
| Listed by one distributor | 1,400 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
- Foam and packaging.
- Bulky empty components shipped back.
- Textiles and film in Grade C.
- Stock that is mostly air, such as unassembled kits.
Look at floor space too. A 48-in cube of volume is also the tallest stack on a trailer: two high is 96 in plus pallets, and that may not clear your trailer. The trailer table below shows the fit.
How many fit on a 53-foot trailer
Computed, not promised. For the 48 x 48 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 | 13 rows of 2 across |
| Boxes on the floor | 13 x 2 = 26 |
| Height per layer | 48 + 6 = 54 in |
| Layers that fit | 2 (108 / 54, rounded down) |
| If every layer is allowed | 52 |
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
How many cubic feet?
Is it strong enough for parts?
Filling the 48 x 48 x 48 in box by height
| Fill height (in) | Cubic feet | Share of full |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 8.0 | 12.5% |
| 12 | 16.0 | 25.0% |
| 18 | 24.0 | 37.5% |
| 24 | 32.0 | 50.0% |
| 30 | 40.0 | 62.5% |
| 36 | 48.0 | 75.0% |
| 42 | 56.0 | 87.5% |
| 48 | 64.0 | 100.0% |