48 x 24 x 28 gaylord box

Long, narrow loads and half-pallet positions: strapping, tubing, trim and parts that run long. Two side by side use a 48 x 48 space.

How it sits on a pallet

It sits inside the 48 x 40 deck with 0 in to spare lengthways and 16 in across, so nothing overhangs. The box covers 8 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 18.7 cu ft, that is 64.2 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 side by side cover 48 x 48, which is 8 in wider than a 48 x 40 pallet.

Handling

A half-pallet footprint: 48 in long and 24 in across. Two side by side cover 48 x 48, which is 8 in wider than a standard 48 x 40 deck, so a pair on one pallet overhangs. Plan the pallet before you plan the box.

What fills it

Long, narrow loads and half-pallet positions: strapping, tubing, trim and parts that run long. The narrow width suits shelves and racks where a wider box would not fit.

Three loads, worked through

At 20 lb a cubic foot the full box is 374 lb of load. Stack Check gives "three high" for Grade A in a warm bay and "two high" for Grade B on a cold dock; the bottom box is allowed 918 lb and 497 lb respectively. Fill the 48 x 24 x 28 to the brim with something that weighs 35 lb a cubic foot and it holds 655 lb, 685 lb with the box. As Grade A in a heated bay for 30 days that comes out as "two high", with 918 lb allowed on the bottom box; as Grade B on a dock it comes out as "do not stack", with 497 lb allowed. Suppose the material is 50 lb a cubic foot. A brim-full box then weighs 965 lb counting the box. Heated bay, Grade A, a month: "do not stack" (918 lb allowed below). Dock, Grade B, a month: "do not use at this load" (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 280 lb, 470 lb, 650 lb. Each is 30 days under load unless the column says 90 days.

What the bottom box is allowed to carry

Read this table as a budget. The bottom 48 x 24 x 28 box has the allowance shown, set by its grade and by where and how long it stands (up to 90 days). Each loaded box above spends part of it; a 500 lb box spends 500 lb.

Ordering this size

1. Say 48 x 24 x 28 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 48 x 24 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

A buyer pricing freight will ask how many of these fit. For a 630 x 98 x 108 in trailer interior, a 48 x 24 in box gives 52 floor positions at best. Whether a second tier is allowed depends on the roof and on Stack Check.

In the cold

A narrow box tips more easily, so in the cold keep stacks short and lash them. The rating is modest, and the narrow face makes bowing more likely if the load is dense.

New or used at this size

Narrow boxes are specialist and the used supply is thin. Ask for dimensions in writing, because a few inches either way changes how two sit side by side.

Who orders it

Strapping, tubing and trim shops, cable and hose makers, and sites with shelves or racks too narrow for a standard box.

Against its neighbours

If your load is long and thin, this is the size to ask for. If it is merely small, the 40 x 30 x 30 or 36 x 36 x 36 has the better footprint.

Long and narrow loads are the reason this size exists. Strapping, tubing, trim and cable are awkward in a square box, because the load bends or sits on a diagonal. A 48 in length takes it straight. The narrow width also lets two boxes stand side by side on a pallet with a little room for tines, which is how the size gets used on shelving.

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

Questions, answered