How much weight a gaylord box holds

Capacity by wall count

These are ranges that sellers cite, not guarantees. Individual wall thickness varies, so wall count alone is not always reliable.

What changes the number

• Board. Two boxes of the same wall count can have different board. The stamp rates it.
• Bottom. Full-flap bottoms typically support 1,100 to 2,500 lb depending on wall construction. A partial bottom depends on the slip sheet or pallet under it.
• Overhang. Virginia Tech research found effective box compression strength decreases as pallet overhang increases.
• Humidity. Corrugated boxes lose approximately 50% of their compression strength when relative humidity rises from 50% to 90%.
• Time. Corrugated boxes stored under load in humid conditions may lose nearly 45% of their compression strength after 90 days.
• Cold. Cold makes board stiffer and more brittle, and moving corrugated between temperature zones can cause moisture that weakens it.

A worked example

A 48 x 40 x 36 in triple-wall box listed at 1,500 lb by one distributor, stacked two high in a dry building, carries that figure only if the lower box carries the upper. If the building is at 90% humidity, the strength falls to about half. So a conservative planner puts the stack limit at roughly 750 lb on top of a box in damp air, and less for a long hold. These are the figures our sources give. They are a reason to cut the stack, not a rating of your box; the stamp is the rating.

What to do with this

1. Read the stamp. See reading the maker's stamp.
2. Weigh a loaded box. Compare it to the range for the wall count.
3. If you are near the top of a range, step up one wall count.
4. Use the spec finder, which flags a weight above the range.

The sizes and their ratings