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The guides are written for the person who has to pick a box or clear a dock, not for a catalogue. Each one answers its question in the first sentence and then goes deeper with the numbers, the source for each number and the date we last checked it. Where a figure is a range sellers cite and not a rating, the guide says so.
If you are new to the trade, read what a gaylord is, then the sizes, then weight capacity. If you have a box in front of you, go to reading the maker's stamp. If you are a supplier covering returnables, go to expendable vs returnable packaging and standard pack quantity.
| If you are asking | Read |
|---|---|
| What is this thing? | What is a gaylord box, why it is called a gaylord |
| How big and how strong? | Sizes, weight capacity, the maker's stamp |
| Which bottom? | Bottom styles, slip sheets |
| Backup packs | Expendable vs returnable, standard pack quantity |
| Shipping | Gaylords per trailer |
| Used or new, food or hazmat | Used vs new, food and hazmat |
Facts and figures
- A bulk box is also called a bulk bin, skid box, pallet box, bin box, gaylord or octabin, and is usually double-wall or triple-wall corrugated fiberboard. (Wikipedia, Bulk box, retrieved 2026-11-10.)
- Typical gaylord footprints are 48 x 40, 48 x 48 or 48 x 45 inches, with sidewalls usually 24 to 50 inches high. (nelsoncompany.com, retrieved 2026-11-10.)
Terms
- gaylord: A pallet-size bulk box; originally a trade name of the Gaylord Container company, now the generic word.
- octabin: An eight-sided gaylord that resists bulging; also called an octagon bin or watermelon bin.
- wall count: How many layers of corrugated board form the side walls, from 2 to 5; more walls, more stacking strength.
Every guide
- What is a gaylordA gaylord is a pallet-size corrugated bulk box. What it's made of, the sizes it comes in, and where the name came from.
- Why it is called a gaylordThe name comes from the Gaylord Container company of St. Louis. The short history, and why it has nothing to do with Gaylord, Michigan.
- Gaylord sizesStandard gaylord sizes by footprint and height, inside dimensions, and the 48 x 45 footprint auto plants use. A chart with sources.
- Weight capacityCited capacity ranges by wall count, why the maker's rating governs, and what bottom style and stacking do to a box's load.
- The maker's stampECT, burst test (#) and the box maker's certificate: how to read the stamp on a used gaylord and what each number tells you.
- Bottom stylesFull flap bottoms for dense parts, partial flaps on slip sheets for resin and produce, and sleeve-and-tray bases. Which bottom for which load.
- Slip sheetsA slip sheet closes a partial-bottom gaylord and keeps pallet nails off the load. Sizes, materials and when to ask for one.
- Expendable vs returnableReturnables win on cost per trip over many cycles; expendable corrugated wins on long lanes, export and shortages. Where gaylords fit.
- Standard pack quantityHow a customer's standard pack quantity and gross weight decide a backup gaylord's inside height, wall count and bottom.
- Gaylords per trailerFloor positions for 48 x 40 and 48 x 45 gaylords on a 53-foot trailer, standing or knocked down, worked out step by step.
- Used vs newAre used gaylords as strong as new? What a single trip does to board, what to check, and when only a new box will do.
- Food and hazmatA used gaylord isn't food-grade or UN-rated unless certified. What liners can and can't fix, and what to ask for instead.