Triple wall gaylords

Walls

3 layers of corrugated

Capacity sellers cite

1,000 to 1,600 lb

Heights cited

34 to 40 in

Common footprint

48 x 40 in

What triple wall carries

Sellers cite 1,000 to 1,600 lb for a 3-wall gaylord. One distributor lists its triple-wall 48 x 40 x 36 at 1,500 lb and its 36 x 36 x 36 at 1,200 lb, and describes the board as 1,100# test; those are listing figures, not a maker standard. Another distributor lists gaylords in single wall at 200#/ECT-32, double wall at 275#/ECT-48 and triple wall at 1,100#/ECT-90 across sizes from 36 x 36 x 36 to 48 x 40 x 36.

Container Exchanger gives common gaylord heights of 34 to 40 in for a 3-wall box. That is the band where most of our 48 x 40 and 48 x 45 listings sit. Triple wall is also the common backup for a returnable container, because it carries a parts load without the weight and cost of five-wall.

Reading what you have

The ECT is the edge crush test, a stacking-strength number for the board, and the burst test is the older Mullen rating in pounds, written 1,100# TW for triple wall. Used boxes still carry either. Read the maker's stamp before you stack. The stamp guide shows how.

Wall count is a guide, not a rating. Individual wall thickness varies, so a box sold as triple wall can carry more or less than another. Grade matters too. A Grade A box that was used once keeps most of its rating. A creased Grade C does not.

Where triple wall fits

• Backup packs on a 48 x 45 in or 48 x 40 in footprint for a returnable shortage.
• Parts of moderate density where the load is under 1,500 lb loaded.
• Export and long-lane parts where the pack is one way.

Sizes that suit 3-wall

The sizes in our catalogue that sit inside the 34 to 40 in heights makers cite for 3-wall:

• 48 x 40 x 36 in: 40 cu ft, 1,500 lb in one distributor's listing (triple wall)
• 48 x 45 x 40 in: 50 cu ft
• 48 x 48 x 36 in: 48 cu ft, 1,400 lb in one distributor's listing (triple wall)
• 40 x 40 x 40 in: 37 cu ft, 1,300 lb in one distributor's listing (triple wall)
• 36 x 36 x 36 in: 27 cu ft, 1,200 lb in one distributor's listing (triple wall)
• 46 x 38 x 36 in octagon: octagon, 1,300 lb in one distributor's listing (triple wall)

Boxes needed to move a given weight in 3-wall

Facts and figures

• ASTM D5168 covers the fabrication and closure of triple-wall corrugated containers. (Wikipedia, Bulk box, retrieved 2026-11-10.)
• Uline lists its triple-wall 48 x 40 x 36 gaylord at 1,500 lb and its 36 x 36 x 36 at 1,200 lb. (uline.com, retrieved 2026-11-10.)
• The Cary Company lists gaylords in single wall 200#/ECT-32, double wall 275#/ECT-48 and triple wall 1100#/ECT-90 across sizes from 36 x 36 x 36 to 48 x 40 x 36. (thecarycompany.com, retrieved 2026-11-10.)

Terms

• triple wall (TW): Three layers of corrugated board; the classic heavy gaylord construction.
• ECT: Edge crush test, a rating of how much top load a board's edge carries; a stacking-strength number.

Choosing a rating

A stamp may give an edge crush figure, a burst figure or both, and the two systems are not interchangeable. Read both, compare them with the loaded weight and the stack plan, and leave margin when the boxes will wait in a damp yard.

Flute sizes inside triple-wall board

The table is from Wikipedia, Corrugated fiberboard, retrieved 12 November 2026. The letters record the order in which the flutes were invented, not their size, and C flute is the most common in boxes. Triple-wall board stacks three fluted layers between four liners, and double and triple walls are made for high stacking strength and puncture resistance. Edge crush is reported as force per unit width, in pounds per inch, and is used to predict how much load a box can carry on end.

Ratings seen on listed triple-wall boxes

A 48 x 40 x 48 in box listed as 1100#/ECT-90 triple wall weighs 37.86 lb new (Cary Company 48 x 40 x 48 listing, retrieved 12 November 2026), while a 48 x 40 x 36 in box with the same ECT-90 is listed at about 27 lb (Packaging Price 48 x 40 x 36 listing, retrieved 12 November 2026). The octagon above is listed at ECT-155. Weight, wall count and ECT all differ, so compare stamps, not the words "triple wall".

How a pallet of new boxes weighs, worked out here

The Cary listing sells the 48 x 40 x 48 in box in cases of five weighing 189.3 lb and in pallet packs of 30, six cases, weighing 1,135.8 lb without the pallet (Cary Company 48 x 40 x 48 listing, retrieved 12 November 2026). Twenty-six such pallets in a 53-foot van come to about 29,500 lb before the pallets themselves and 780 flat boxes, within the 42,000 to 45,000 lb cargo range in the trailer guide (ATS trailer guide, retrieved 12 November 2026). Flat triple-wall is bulky but not heavy, so its trailer limit is volume.

Bottom styles in the listings

The Cary listing calls its 48 x 40 x 48 in box half-slotted and says it can be used with a compatible lid, (Cary Company 48 x 40 x 48 listing, retrieved 12 November 2026). Bottom style is often left out of a listing, so state it in every request and ask for a photograph of the base.