Return ratio, explained

A return ratio says how many collapsed containers fit in the space of one assembled container. At 2.32:1, a bit over two folded containers take the room of one standing; at 3.3:1, more than three. The higher the ratio, the cheaper it is to send empties back.

Two examples

The ORBIS AG4048-32 is 32 in tall and folds to 13.5 in, and lists a 2.32:1 return ratio (ORBIS AG4048-32 product page). The Buckhorn Intrepid is about 46 in tall and folds to 13.8 in, and lists 3.3:1 (Buckhorn Intrepid listing at CustomMHS). The taller container folds to almost the same height as the shorter one, so its ratio is better.

Ratio, height and trailer count

Divide the assembled height by the collapsed height and you get close to the maker's ratio: 32 / 13.5 is about 2.4 against the stated 2.32, because the base and the folded walls don't stack perfectly. The trailer count is the same idea in trucks. The AG4048-32 ships 90 assembled or 240 folded, so one assembled truckload's worth of containers comes back in a bit over a third of a truck.

What it does to the cost of empties

If you pay for the return trip by the truck, the ratio tells you how many trucks of empties you pay for. With 1:1, a fixed-wall bin, every truck out is a truck back. With 2.32:1 it is fewer than half; with 3.3:1, fewer than a third. The money saved depends on your freight rate and how far the empties go, which only you know. We give you the ratio; you put your own rate against it.

What it doesn't tell you

• Whether the far end will actually fold the empties.
• How much the lids add: on the Intrepid, the count falls from 240 to 210 with lids.
• Load or stacking strength, which are separate figures.

A macro bin doesn't have a return ratio in this sense. It doesn't fold; it nests, about 150 to a truckload.

The ratio across our range

• Fixed-wall bin: 1:1. It doesn't fold or nest, so an empty takes as much room as a full one.
• 48 x 40 x 32 in collapsible: 2.32:1, folding to 13.5 in.
• 48 x 40 x 46 in tall collapsible: 3.3:1, folding to 13.8 in.
• Folding field bin: folds from 32 to 10 in; its maker states the trip back as 330 per trailer rather than as a ratio (Rehrig Pacific 40 x 48 field bin page).
• Macro bin: nests instead of folding, 150 to a truckload (SJF MACX bin listing).

Questions to ask about any stated ratio

1. Is it worked out from heights, or from how many fit on a trailer? The two can differ.
2. Does it assume the lids travel with the empties, or not?
3. Is it for this exact model and height, or for the range?
4. How many folded containers make one banded stack?

A sum to do with your own numbers

Take the number of full trailers you send out in a month. Divide by the return ratio. That is roughly how many trailers of empties come back, if every empty is folded and every trailer is filled. Multiply by what a trailer costs you on that lane and you have the monthly cost of empties. Do it for a 2.32:1 container and a 3.3:1 container, and the difference is what the taller model saves in freight; set it against the difference in price, which we put in the quote.

Partial trailers

Real loops rarely fill every trailer of empties. If empties ride back as part loads, or on a truck that would be going back anyway, the saving from a high ratio is smaller. Count what you actually pay for, not the theory.

Who folds, and when

A ratio on a spec sheet assumes every empty gets folded, stacked neatly and banded before the truck arrives. In practice the receiving dock decides that. If its crew is short-handed at the end of a shift, empties go back standing up and the ratio becomes 1:1 for that load. Put folding into the receiving plant's routine, give it a marked spot by the dock, and check the first few return loads yourself.

Ratio and container life

Each fold is a cycle on the hinges and latches. A container that folds and unfolds weekly accumulates hundreds of cycles over its years in a loop, and the latches are what wear. That isn't a reason to avoid folding, only to buy a model with replaceable latches and to keep a few spares on both ends.

Nesting versus folding

Nesting bins, like macro bins, need no labour to "collapse": an empty is set down into the one below. They give up some space efficiency in exchange for simplicity and strength, which is why growers prefer them. Folding gets more empties per trailer but asks for hands at every dock.

Hand-carried returns

Not every loop runs on a truck. Inside one plant, empties may go back to the supplier dock by tugger train, where the ratio decides how many fit on a cart. The same sums apply on a smaller scale.

Overseas

A ratio matters most where freight is most expensive. Empties shipped across an ocean in a box should almost always be folded.

Driver time at the dock

A truck waiting while a crew folds empties costs detention, charged by the hour after a free window. Fold empties as they come off the line, not when the truck backs in, and stage them banded near the door. Then the ratio saves money without adding wait.

Pallet jacks and folded stacks

A banded stack of folded containers can be moved as a single unit with a pallet jack or forklift, which is how most docks load them. Check that the stack's total weight suits your equipment.

Ratio on paper versus on the dock

Measure a banded stack yourself once delivered, tape from floor to top, and compare with the sheet.

Figures checked against the sources linked, 2026-11-14.

Every quote names the container's collapsed height and return ratio. Ask for a quote