A collapsible container filled at the end of a line, folded empties stacked behind. Illustrative image, generated; not a photograph of our stock.
Collapsible containers, fixed-wall bins and macro bins, quoted to any US state.
The first two images are illustrative, generated, not photographs of our stock. Macro bins photograph: Walter Siegmund, CC BY-SA 3.0, credited on about.
Footprint comes first: it has to match your racking, your line stations and the trailer pattern. These three cover most orders; the heights each is made in are in inches.
Heights from Container Exchanger's plastic gaylord sizes; model counts from the ORBIS range, reviewed 14 November 2026.
All eight footprints, including the long 56 to 78 x 48 in sizes and metric 1200 x 1000 mm.
A corrugated gaylord is bought every trip and thrown away at the end of it. A plastic one is bought once. On the same footprint, three things change.
Capacity. Plastic pallet containers are generally rated 1,500 to 2,500 lb, and the rating doesn't fall when the box gets damp.
Washing. Solid plastic walls can be hosed or run through a washer, which is why food plants switch first.
The return trip. Fold the walls and the empties go home in a fraction of the space. A box goes home in a baler.
Corrugated still wins on a one-way shipment that never comes back. The plastic vs corrugated guide works through both.
Every container we quote comes with lines like these. This is a typical 48 x 40 in collapsible, with what each line tells you.
| Line | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Outside size: the space it takes | 48 x 40 x 32 in | 1,219 mm x 1,016 mm x 813 mm |
| Inside size: what fits in it | 45 x 37 in | 1,143 mm x 940 mm |
| Load: the heaviest fill | 1,500 lb | 680 kg |
| Collapsed height: the trip back | 13.5 in | 343 mm |
| Return ratio: folded per assembled | 2.32:1 | 2.32:1 |
| Trailer count, 53 ft | 240 collapsed, 90 assembled | – |
Metric figures are converted from the maker's imperial figures (1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 lb = 0.4536 kg, 1 US gal = 3.785 L) and rounded. Sources last reviewed 14 November 2026.
Read the outside size against your racking and the inside size against your parts. The load line is per container; stacking ratings are separate. Collapsed height and return ratio decide what the empties cost to send back, and the trailer count is the same thing in trucks. The full collapsible page has the rest.
Plants that ship parts round a closed loop with their suppliers, mostly in 48 x 45 and 48 x 40 in collapsibles bought by the trailer. They want collapsed height and return ratio per footprint, and dunnage that holds the part.
Orchards, vineyards and packing sheds buying macro bins by the truckload, 48 x 40 or 48 x 48 in, solid for fruit that bruises and vented for onions, nuts and potatoes.
Plants replacing single-use gaylords with washable solid-wall bins in the 1,500 to 2,000 lb class, usually lidded. The first thing they ask for is a resin statement for food contact, and we put it in the quote.
Yards and plants where bins never leave the building: fixed-wall containers with drop doors and four-way entry, colour-coded by grade.
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Quotes go to any US address. New containers only, from established makers.
The reply names the container we would quote, with its collapsed height, return ratio and trailer count written out, and a price for your quantity and ZIP.
Prefer email? info@bulkcontainerco.com, or use the quote page.
