Industry
Gaylords for metal parts makers
Dense parts fill a box by weight before they fill it by volume. Short boxes and heavy walls.
- Jobs
- The Twin Cities had 25,848 fabricated metal product jobs in 2023
- Usual box
- 48 x 40 x 24 triple wall; 5‑wall for chips and castings
- Usual grade
- New or A for 1,000 lb and up; C is one-way only
- Towns
- 16
Fabricated metal (25,848 jobs) and machinery (17,836) together made up 43,684 Twin Cities manufacturing jobs in 2023, per DEED. Metal parts, castings, fittings and chips are dense, so boxes fill by weight long before they fill by volume. That is why this trade asks for short boxes and heavy construction.
What the trade usually asks for
| Item | Usual spec |
|---|---|
| Box | 48 x 40 x 24 triple wall; 5‑wall for chips and castings |
| Grade | New or A for 1,000 lb and up; C is one-way only |
| Bottom | Full flap and a sound tray |
| Stack | One or two high |
Heavy loads are where a rated capacity matters. A box that carries 1,200 lb should be new or Grade A.
Three stacks, worked
| Scenario | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dense parts in a short 5‑wall box (1,400 lb, 5‑wall, Grade B) | Do not stack | One more loaded box adds 1,430 lb on the bottom box, and the bottom box is allowed 1,275 lb. |
| Lighter fittings in 3‑wall (600 lb, 3‑wall, Grade A) | Two high | 1 loaded box on top add 630 lb; the bottom box is allowed 765 lb. |
| The same box, one-way, Grade C (400 lb, 3‑wall, Grade C) | Do not stack | One more loaded box adds 430 lb on the bottom box, and the bottom box is allowed 425 lb. |
Conservative estimates, 30 days unless noted. Not load ratings.
Dense loads put point stress on the bottom of a box. Ask for a full flap bottom and a sound tray, and say what the parts weigh. Point loads are what break a bottom, not the headline number.
Where the trade clusters
These towns have a page and a mention of this trade. Named employers are facts about the area, never customers of ours.
| Town | County | Industry named |
|---|---|---|
| Bloomington | Hennepin | outdoor power equipment (Toro HQ); filtration (Donaldson HQ); transport refrigeration (Thermo King) |
| Brooklyn Park | Hennepin | manufacturing (8,238 jobs, 24.8% of employment) |
| Plymouth | Hennepin | industrial automation (TURCK); powersports (Polaris) |
| Eden Prairie | Hennepin | fluid power (Danfoss) |
| Golden Valley | Hennepin | controls (Honeywell, Resideo); water equipment (Pentair US HQ) |
| St. Louis Park | Hennepin | cookware manufacturing (Nordic Ware) |
| White Bear Lake | Ramsey | airport baggage carts (Smarte Carte HQ) |
| New Brighton | Ramsey | former munitions plant (Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant) |
| Burnsville | Dakota | aerospace sensors (UTAS); tools and equipment (Northern Tool + Equipment) |
| Fridley | Anoka | engines and generators (Cummins Power); defense (BAE Systems) |
| Blaine | Anoka | foundry (Carley Foundry) |
| Coon Rapids | Anoka | aerospace (Honeywell) |
| Anoka | Anoka | ammunition manufacturing (Federal Cartridge, 1,242); water and pool equipment (Pentair, 1,217) |
| Shakopee | Scott | industrial automation (Emerson); power equipment (CyberPower Systems) |
| Savage | Scott | industrial manufacturing |
| Chanhassen | Carver | industrial measurement instruments (Rosemount Inc., 550) |
See the industries hub, Stack Check, the areas and the buy, sell and recycling desks.
Questions, answered
What box carries metal parts?
A short 48 x 40 x 24 triple wall, or a 5‑wall box for chips and castings, with a full flap bottom.
Can I use Grade C for heavy parts?
Not for heavy parts. Grade C is planned at half strength and is for one-way and light use.
Request a quote
Or email info@minneapolisgaylords.com.
Sources and last reviewed
Facts on this page were last reviewed 2026-11-11.
- DEED Twin Cities Manufacturing Profile 2024: Minnesota DEED job counts by manufacturing sector for the Twin Cities metro in 2023.
- Container Exchanger: the gaylord box guide: A reseller's plain-language guide to gaylord sizes, walls, capacity ranges and bottoms.
- PaperIndex Academy: humidity and corrugated strength: How corrugated board loses compression strength as relative humidity climbs from 50% to 90%.