40 x 30 x 30 gaylord box

Small-batch work, sample runs and light parts where a full-size gaylord would be mostly air. The footprint leaves a margin on a 48 x 40 pallet.

How it sits on a pallet

It sits inside the 48 x 40 deck with 8 in to spare lengthways and 10 in across, so nothing overhangs. The box covers 8.33 sq ft of floor and the deck covers 13.33.

What the rating means

The 1,200 lb figure is one maker's listed capacity for a new box. Spread across 20.8 cu ft, that is 57.7 lb for each cubic foot. A load denser than that reaches the rating before the box is full; a lighter load fills the box first. A used box is rated by grade and place, not by the new figure.

What to watch

Two will not fill a pallet deck; plan the layer pattern before you order a run.

Handling

This box is small enough to stay well inside a standard pallet, so a pallet can carry more than one if the layer pattern is planned. On a 48 x 40 deck it leaves 8 in lengthways and 10 in across. Two boxes will not fill the deck, so plan the pattern before you order a run.

What fills it

Small-batch work, sample runs and light parts where a full-size gaylord would be mostly air. The rating is modest, so keep dense parts out of it and watch the weight of a full box.

Three loads, worked through

Suppose the material is 20 lb a cubic foot. A brim-full box then weighs 446 lb counting the box. Heated bay, Grade A, a month: "three high" (918 lb allowed below). Dock, Grade B, a month: "two high" (497 lb allowed). At 35 lb a cubic foot the full box is 728 lb of load. Stack Check gives "two high" for Grade A in a warm bay and "do not stack" for Grade B on a cold dock; the bottom box is allowed 918 lb and 497 lb respectively. Fill the 40 x 30 x 30 to the brim with something that weighs 50 lb a cubic foot and it holds 1,040 lb, 1,070 lb with the box. As Grade A in a heated bay for 30 days that comes out as "do not stack", with 918 lb allowed on the bottom box; as Grade B on a dock it comes out as "do not use at this load", with 497 lb allowed.

How a used one stands

Below, 3‑wall boxes rated at 1,200 lb filled to the brim with material at 15, 25 and 35 lb a cubic foot, so the loads are 310 lb, 520 lb, 730 lb. Each is 30 days under load unless the column says 90 days.

What the bottom box is allowed to carry

Every stack height on this site comes from one comparison: what a bottom 40 x 30 x 30 box is allowed to carry, against what sits on it. The table gives the allowance for up to 30 days. Divide by the weight of one loaded box, such as 550 lb, to see how many fit above.

Ordering this size

1. Say 40 x 30 x 30 in and the wall count; the same footprint is sold in more than one height.
2. Give the maker's mark if the box has one. The 1,200 lb figure is one maker's new-box listing, not a promise about a used one.
3. Name the pallet. A 40 x 30 footprint sits inside a 48 x 40 deck, but the pallet still sets how the load is strapped.
4. Weigh one full box. Past 600 lb, the stack height drops quickly.
5. Say where the stack will stand and for how long: the dock or the heated bay changes the answer more than the grade does.

In a trailer

How many 40 x 30 x 30 boxes make a load? On a trailer floor of about 630 by 98 in, the better of the two layouts gives 45 positions, and the roof, at about 108 in, allows 3 tiers of this height. Those are planning figures only.

In the cold

The low, small footprint and low height keep the load down, which is kind to the bottom box on a dock. But a small box fills quickly with dense parts, so watch the weight.

New or used at this size

Small boxes are often bought for one job and thrown out. Ask whether the box has been through a full cycle; a box that carried one run of light parts is a good Grade A.

Who orders it

Small-batch and sample work, lab and instrument shops, and light-parts assembly.

Against its neighbours

Between this and the 36 x 36 x 36, the difference is footprint and height: this one is wider and lower. The 48 x 24 x 28 is the long, narrow cousin.

Small boxes are a good place to start if you are not sure what a run needs. A trial order of 40 x 30 x 30 boxes costs little, moves easily, and shows how a load behaves before you commit to full-size boxes. Fill one, stack it as Stack Check allows, leave it for a week, and look at the corners. What you learn carries over to the larger sizes.

Back to the size hub, or see the full and partial bottoms, the wall counts and how to compare sizes by load.

Questions, answered