Macro bins
A macro bin is a one-piece plastic harvest bin for orchards, vineyards and packing sheds. The MACX-style bin is 48 x 40 x 31 in, carries 1,500 lb, and nests into the next one when empty, so a truck brings 150 of them out to the field.
Specifications
| Line | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Outside size | 48 x 40 x 31 in | 1,219 mm x 1,016 mm x 787 mm |
| Inside size | 45 x 36.75 x 25.75 in | 1,143 mm x 933 mm x 654 mm |
| Weight capacity | 1,500 lb | 680 kg |
| Internal volume | 190 US gal | 719 L |
| Tare weight | 92 lb | 42 kg |
| Stack load | 14,000 lb | 6,350 kg |
| Empty | Nests; does not fold | – |
| Truckload | 150 bins | – |
| Resin and walls | HDPE; solid or vented | – |
| Food handling | Seller says it meets USDA/HACCP standards for food product handling | – |
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.
Footprints it comes in
- 48 x 40 in, the MACX size
Options
- Solid or vented
- Solid for fruit that bruises and for grapes that weep juice; vented for onions, nuts and potatoes that need air.
- 48 x 48 in footprint
- Some crops run in 48 x 48 in bins, such as the MacroBin 48 Full Vent, 48 x 48 x 53 in outside. Tell us which footprint your packer takes.
- Colour and marking
- Colour or hot-stamp marks so bins come back from the packer to the right grower.
- Drain holes
- For crops that are washed in the bin or harvested wet.
Nesting, not folding
A macro bin has no hinges. Its walls taper slightly so an empty bin drops part-way into the one below. That is why it can take a 14,000 lb stack load when full and still ride out to the orchard at 150 to a truck.
The yard in the photograph
The stacks above are fruit bins between seasons, eight to thirteen high in a packing-house yard. Bins that spend the off-season outdoors like this should be quoted with that in mind; ask us to confirm the resin's UV stabilisation for the model we name.
Ordering by the truckload
Growers usually buy macro bins by the truck. Send the crop, the footprint your packer takes, solid or vented, and how many truckloads, and we quote the load delivered to your ZIP.
Questions about macro bins
- How long do macro bins last outdoors?
- Bins stored in the sun age faster. UV-stabilised resin slows it, and a shaded yard helps. Makers don't publish a single life figure, so we don't either.
- Can bins be stacked full in a cold room?
- Yes, within the stack load: 14,000 lb on the MACX example. Stack heights are set by that figure and by the cold room's clear height.
- How long do they last?
- Many seasons with care.
- Do they nest?
- Yes, empties nest.