Gaylord Boxes (Heavy Duty Gaylord Containers)
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Gaylord boxes are large containers made from heavy materials suitable for shipping. They are typically made from corrugated cardboard and can be double, triple, four, or five walled. This way, a Gaylord box provides protection while containing products from the time of distribution all the way through to sales.
Product Sourcing – Are you unable to locate your specific gaylord box? We can help! Verde Trader Sourcing Team finds the best solution available with the most logistical sense!
Gaylord Boxes Buyer’s Guide (2021)
What’s 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.
Gaylord boxes are also called skid or pallet boxes, pallet containers, or octabins, but Gaylord is the packaging industry term.
Why are they called Gaylord Boxes?
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.
What is the size and weight of a gaylord box?
These are some of the most frequently asked asked questions, but there’s hardly a straight answer because boxes come in various shapes and sizes. Check out our box size guide and dimensions fact sheets.
Why use an octobin or pallet box?
Advantages of using Gaylord boxes
- Collapsable yet stiff, sturdy, and lightweight
- Materials are tear-, split-, and burst-resistant
- Versatile and many use cases
- Cost effective alternative to plastic totes and super sacsk
- Designed for single-use but can re-used and recycled
- Help protect bulky, hard to pack, and irregularly shaped items
- Easily to dispose of
Gaylords compared to other bulk containers
Irregular Loads Gaylord Loads
These are some of the most frequently asked asked questions, but there’s hardly a straight answer because boxes come in various shapes and sizes. Check out our box size guide and dimensions fact sheets.
Gaylord Box Construction
These are some of the most frequently asked asked questions, but there’s hardly a straight answer because boxes come in various shapes and sizes. Check out our box size guide and dimensions fact sheets.
Gaylord Box Industry Terms and Box Variety
Gaylord Box Shape
Gaylords have either rectangular or octagonal form factors. For some reason, most customers prefer rectangular boxes, probably because they look most normal. But octagonal boxes help with stacking, even once the box is attached to a pallet.
The four extra pressure points on an octagonal box provides for more optimal weight distribution compared to a rectangular box. Therefore, octagonal gaylord boxes have better stacking ability. Each wall on an octagonal box bears half as much weight as a rectangular box.
Gaylord Wall/Ply
There are at least 2- but up to 8-walls in a gaylord box. 2- and 3-wall boxes are most common and help meet many capacity requirements, which usually hold up to about 1,000 pounds, but are not for heavy duty materials.
4- or 5-wall gaylords meet most capacity requirements, usually hold up to about 2,000 pounds, and are rated for heavy duty materials.
Gaylord Box Flaps!
Gaylord Containers Tops & Bottoms
Pallet boxes found on Verde Trader will either be regular/half slotted or overlap slotted containers, which have either partial or full bottoms.
Gaylord Box Partials Flap Bottoms & Half slotted containers
Gaylord Box Full Flap Top & Bottom or Regular Slotted Containers
Gaylord Box Partials or Half Slotted Containers
Regular and half slotted containers are known as partial bottoms in the industry, while overlap slotted containers are full bottoms. Slip sheets are often placed into partial bottoms to make them flush and make them into full bottoms.
Gaylord Box Full Flap Bottoms or Overlap Slotted
Let's Prep Your Gaylords!
Prepping Gaylord Containers
Boxes are stapled to pallets by the bottom flaps, and the pallet functions as a sturdy floor. This is why they are popularly referred to as pallet boxes. Without a pallet, the contents would fall out of the butt when lifted, because the flaps and staples aren’t strong enough to hold the bulk materials on their own.
Customers are most concerned about the weight of the boxes, rather than their own carrying capacity. Usually the size and height of the box don’t factor into its weight, but rather the walls and type of bottom.
How are gaylord boxes shipped and packaged?
What should I expect when the truck approaches the dock?
How many gaylord boxes fit in a truck?
- 2 wall – 1000 to 2000
- 3 wall – 600 to 1200
- 4 wall – 400 to 500
- 5 wall – 400 to 500
How many gaylord boxes fit on a pallet?
- 2 wall – 50 to 100 per pallet
- 3 wall – 25 to 100 per pallet
- 4 wall – 20 to 25 per pallet
- 3 wall – 20 to 25 per pallet
Am I purchasing the right gaylord box for my company's needs?
How to find and buy the right Gaylord Boxes
Surprisingly, supply and demand of gaylords waxes and wanes. There is never a constant supply of cardboard boxes. New boxes are expensive and can be very difficult to find on a timely and regular basis, and in the quantity needed.
Although designated for single-serve uses, gaylord boxes can be re-used. Box manufacturers only say that to sell more new boxes!
VerdeTrader can help you find used gaylords from all over North America. Used gaylord boxes can function just as well as new boxes, but are much cheaper and affordable.
Buying and using used gaylords can help your industrial business become more sustainable. Try the Search Now function to find gaylord boxes near you!
The starting point to picking the right box is knowing the contents. The heavier the weight capacity of all items together, the more walls required. The size of the box depends on whether or not the contents need to be covered, and the space limitations. As we move up the wall and height scale, the more expensive boxes become.