The cold dock
A box that comes in from a January dock sweats, and the sweat is what cuts its strength. How to let a stack settle and what to do on a trailer.
Read the dock guideUsed gaylords, rated by how high they stack where you'll use them
Used gaylords for the Twin Cities, rated by how high they stack
Gaylord boxes for plants, warehouses and growers across the metro, graded by wall count, bottom and footprint, and rated by how many high they can stand on your dock.
Stack Check: try it on your boxes
Shown at 500 lb a box for 30 days. Change the load, time and more on the full tool.
Open the full Stack CheckTwo high1 loaded box on top add 530 lb; the bottom box is allowed 638 lb.Limited by: Grade B (keeps 75%)
Also on the front page
The weight limit
A rated number is for a new box in a lab. What a used one carries depends on the grade, the place and the days under load.
Read the weight guideThe box, read part by part
Five parts, five things to check on a used one. Tap a part.
Grades and what each can carry
How many high a box usually stacks dry, and where it stops being safe.
| Grade | What it looks like | Stacks, dry | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | Never filled; square flaps, no print | Three high in a heated room | Rated strength is the ceiling; place and time still cut it |
| Grade A | Used once, clean, dry, bottom sound | Two to three high dry | About 90% of rated; an unheated dock costs more than the grade |
| Grade B | Scuffs, light creasing, old labels | Two high dry | About 75% of rated; step up a wall before you stack on a dock |
| Grade C | Heavier creasing, taped repairs | One, rarely two | About half of rated; for scrap and one-way trips |
| Recycle-only | Wet, torn, crushed, no bottom | None | Not for reuse; send on as OCC |
Three ways in
Buy boxes
Rectangular boxes, octabins, sleeve and tray sets and harvest bins, read by wall count, bottom, footprint and grade.
Go to the buy deskSell empties
Single-trip empties from a plant, graded by a plain checklist: dry, intact, and free of residue.
Go to the sell deskRecycle the worn-out
Wet, torn or crushed gaylords and bulk cardboard, counted and sent on as old corrugated containers.
Go to the recycle deskWho runs gaylords here
The metro's box-heavy trades, with the state's job counts and the counties they sit in.
| Trade | Sources | Counties on our list |
|---|---|---|
| Plastics and regrind | The Twin Cities had 10,483 plastics and rubber product manufacturing jobs in 2023 | Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington |
| Food and ingredient plants | The Twin Cities had 11,002 food manufacturing jobs in 2023 | Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Carver, Wright |
| Medical devices and electronics | The Twin Cities had 36,050 computer and electronic product manufacturing jobs in 2023 | Hennepin, Dakota, Anoka, Scott, Carver |
| Warehouses and 3PLs | Industrial vacancy in the Twin Cities hovered around 4% in the first two quarters of 2025, against 9.3% nationally | Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Scott, Wright |
| Metal parts makers | The Twin Cities had 25,848 fabricated metal product jobs in 2023 | Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Scott, Carver |
| Printing and paper | The Twin Cities had 11,375 printing jobs in 2023 | Ramsey, Dakota, Scott, Carver |
Job counts: Minnesota DEED, Twin Cities manufacturing profile (2023). Employers named on area pages are facts about the area, never customers.
Counties and towns
Each county has its own page, and its larger towns have a section on it.
- Hennepin County10 towns
- Ramsey County5 towns
- Dakota County11 towns
- Anoka County4 towns
- Washington County2 towns
- Scott County2 towns
- Carver County2 towns
- Wright County1 town
- Sherburne County1 town
- St. Croix County, WICounty page
Stacking notes
Winter docks and condensation
Why a stack that was fine in the heated bay slumps after a night at the door.
Octabins for the fall harvest
Order before the first pick, store off the ground, and plan the empties.
When not to stack
The cases where a used gaylord should stand alone, and the wall count that changes the answer.
How this desk works
You describe the box you want, or the boxes you have, and where they will stand. The desk reads that against the wall count, the bottom, the footprint and the grade, then answers with what fits and how high it should stack. Nothing on this site is a price list or a stock list, and nothing here is a load rating. The figures are conservative planning numbers drawn from published research on corrugated board, and each page names its sources and the date they were last reviewed.
Request a quote
Buying, selling or recycling, one request covers it. For a stack height first, try Stack Check and put its answer in the notes.
Or email info@minneapolisgaylords.com.