The terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OCC | Old corrugated containers, the recycling grade a box becomes when it can no longer be reused |
| Bale | OCC compressed into a block and strapped for transport to a mill |
| Loose | OCC not baled, usually in a trailer, container or roll-off |
| Knocked down (KD) | Folded flat, which makes boxes stack and bale more densely |
| Contaminant | Anything in the stack that is not corrugated: plastic, metal, wood, food, oil |
| Mill | The paper plant that turns OCC back into containerboard |
Why a bale price moves
People search for "cardboard bale price" and "baled cardboard price" because the number moves. It depends on the market for recovered fiber, the grade, the condition and the distance to the mill. A figure on a page is out of date by the time you read it.
If you have baled cardboard, send the weight of the bales, how many, and where they sit. If you are choosing between selling gaylords for reuse and baling them, the answer is usually reuse when the boxes are dry and sound, because a reusable box is worth more than its fiber.
Getting boxes ready for OCC
- Knock them down. A flat stack takes less floor and bales denser.
- Keep them dry. Wet board is heavier and mills limit moisture.
- Pull liners, strapping and tape in bulk, and keep wood and metal out.
- Keep food and oil residue away from the stack.
Where OCC fits in the chain
A gaylord has three lives. The first is a trip, carrying parts or material. The second, if it is sound, is another trip as a Grade A or B box. The third is fiber: OCC, bale, mill, new board. The catalogue covers the second life; the third is covered under recycling. See recycling and the grade sheet.
US corrugated boxes had a recycling rate of 96.5 percent in 2018, per the US EPA. Most of that fiber goes through a bale.
Facts and figures
- US corrugated boxes had a recycling rate of 96.5 percent in 2018. (epa.gov, retrieved 2026-11-10.)
Terms
- OCC: Old corrugated containers, the recycling grade a box becomes when it can't be reused.
- knocked down (KD): Folded flat for shipping or return.
- single trip: Used once, the common description for top-grade used gaylords.
- regrind: Ground plastic scrap, one of the most common loads shipped in used gaylords.
A short checklist for baled board
- Sound, dry, tied bales are easier to place than loose, wet stacks.
- Remove plastic film, foam, wire and food waste, which mills count against a load.
- Say how many bales or what weight, and where they sit.
Words you will hear
Mills and haulers talk about grades, outthrows, prohibitives and moisture. Outthrows are items that do not belong in the grade; prohibitives are materials that make a load unacceptable, such as food waste. Know these three words and a buyer's questions will make sense.