Gaylord Boxes For Sale

What is a Gaylord box?

Gaylord boxes are pallet-sized bulk corrugated cardboard containers designed for the handling, storing, and transporting of bulk intermediate materials like loose parts and granular items in the agricultural, food, and plastics industries.

Used Gaylord boxes are also called skid or pallet boxes, pallet containers, or octabins, but Gaylord is the packaging industry term.

The term Gaylord box originates from Gaylord Container Company, who were the major box suppliers in the 1980s. It’s similar to “Googling” or calling an “Uber” even though those brands may not necessarily be used, the word became popular and stuck.

Wall Thickness

The number of layers of cardboard used to construct a bulk box is called wall thickness. Gaylord boxes come in thicknesses ranging from two walls to five walls. Although it isn’t the only factor, there’s a strong correlation between the number of walls and the strength of the box

Two Ply

Two Walls are the most common and thinnest type of bulk box. They’re constructed with two layers of fluting in between three liner layers. These boxes have less carrying capacity than boxes with thicker walls, but they’re also significantly cheaper. You’re less likely to be able to reuse double-wall boxes, but it’s possible if they’re still in good condition

Three Ply

Three wall boxes are the second most common type of bulk box. They provide a good mix of tensile strength and economy. The most common type of three wall box is the HPT box. HPTs use an outer box for one layer, an inner box for another layer, and another octagonal inner layer as the third layer.

Four Ply

Four wall gaylords are industrial strength. They have a much longer lifespan than two or three walled boxes. These are commonly reinforced with pallet bottoms.

Five Ply

Five wall boxes are amont the strongest ones you can buy. They’re constructed like three wall boxes but have extra fluting and an additional layer. They are the safest and most reliable type of ready-made Gaylord boxes

Types of Gaylords?

There are as man different uses for bulk boxes as there are ways to make them. You can have them custom-made to suit your needs, or buy one of the common premade types below:

Produce Boxes: These are the boxes you see sitting in your grocery store filled with watermelons and pumpkins. They’re designed for shipping and display and have vent holes for air circulation.These boxes are often used for field-to-market distribution and are sized to fit on standard 48”x40” GMA pallets used in the grocery industry. They’re commonly filled with watermelons, pumpkins, cabbages and pineapple.

Resin Boxes: Resin boxes are laminated with an adhesive to help increase their durability and lifespan. This is a necessary finish on boxes that wil be in a high-humidity environment or will carry damp products

Octabins: Octabins are octagonally-shaped bulk boxes that consist of a base, a sleeve, and a lid. They’re designed to withstand the entire supply chain and can be easily stacked. Octabins are ideal for free-flowing powders, pellets, or granular products. Their octagonal design gives them added strength in the corners, and they can be purchased with optional filling and discharge spouts for easy filling and emptying.

High Performance Totes (HPTs): HPTs are designed for heavy-duty operation. They’re constructed with three separate parts that are laminated together. Part A is the outer box and it’s fully laminated to the inner liner, part B. Part C is the innermost layer and is octagonally shaped to allow room for a corner post pocket.

This construction gives you the strength of an octagonal design with the functionality of a rectangular box. HPTs have excellent compression strength for better stacking, heavier payloads, and increased reusability

Combo Bins: Combo bins are often used for transporting poultry, fish, beef, or pork. They’re octagonally shaped for extra strength and can be nailed down to pallets for security. They often include some type of reinforcement, either internal fibers, external straps, a wrap sleeve, or some combination of these.

D Containers

A D container is a standard size for Gaylord boxes. It measures 58”x42”x45”. Its weight capacity varies from 400 to over 1200 pounds, depending on the number of layers used in construction.

E Containers

An E container is another standard size for bulk boxes. It measures 41.25”x28.25”x24.25” and can hold around 600 pounds. D and E are the two most common sizes for Gaylord boxes.

Heavy Duty Gaylord's Materials & Construction

Bulk boxes are constructed from cardboard, although there are no exact specifications. They can be made from a single layer of corrugated cardboard up to six layers, depending on the strength needed.

Corrugated cardboard is stiff, sturdy, and lightweight, making it the perfect option for shipping bulk materials inexpensively. If you’re shipping flowable products or you just want to increase the lifespan of your Gaylord box, you can use liners with them.

Bulk boxes are usually shipped flat and can be easily assembled on site. You can buy them with lids or flaps. Extra support can come from internal posts, as with HPTs, or from strapping the outside of the box once they’re filled. Some of the heavier options don’t need additional support.

Weight Capacity of Gaylord Boxes

The weight capacity of Gaylord boxes ranges from between 1000 to 5000 pounds, although it can be more or less depending on how the box is constructed.

Benefits of Corrugated Cardboard for Gaylord Boxes

Gaylord boxes can be made from materials such as plastic, but by far the most common material used to construct them is corrugated cardboard. Bulk boxes are prized for their low price and sustainability, and both features are achieved with corrugated cardboard.

Basic corrugated cardboard is made with a layer of rippled paper fluting sandwiched between two outer layers of paper lining. The layers are attached with adhesive. The end result is a series of arches that give the cardboard excellent strength. The tunnels created by the arches also hold air, giving corrugated cardboard extra insulating properties.

Because bulk boxes are constructed with corrugated cardboard, they’re easily recyclable, making them an attractive choice for users who are concerned with sustainability. Some of the stronger boxes are meant to be reused before being recycled, making them even more eco-friendly

Advantages and Disadvantages of Gaylord Boxes

Advantages of Gaylords

Durability. Corrugated cardboard boxes are durable and resist splitting. They can hold large loads without rupturing and can be stacked to maximize your use of warehouse or shipping space.

Versatility. You can buy Gaylord boxes in standard sizes or have them custom-made to suit whatever you need. There are an astonishing number of options for flaps, lids, trays, supports, and liners that allow for further customization. They’re also useful for purposes outside of shipping. They’re frequently used to display products or serve as collection containers for charitable organizations.

Cost. Compared to many other shipping containers, Gaylord boxes are very inexpensive. The cost can be further reduced by reusing your boxes or buying them used.

Sustainable. Because they’re constructed of cardboard, bulk boxes are easily recycled at the end of their life cycle.

Disadvantages of Gaylords

Potential for worker injuries. Workers should not attempt to handle filled bulk boxes on their own as they’re incredibly heavy.

Require specialized equipment to move. Because they’re so heavy, you’ll likely need specialized machineries such as forklifts, skid tilters, and bin dumpers to effectively fill, transport, and empty bulk boxes

Limited reusability. Some bulk boxes are intended to be reused, but few are designed for repeated reuse. The majority of thinner boxes are intended to be used once through the supply chain and then sent for recycling.