What is a plastic gaylord?
A plastic gaylord is a plastic pallet container made to the size of a corrugated gaylord, so it takes the box's place without anything else changing. It is usually collapsible, and generally rated 1,500 to 2,500 lb.
Where the name comes from
"Gaylord" started as a brand name for large corrugated bulk boxes and became the word the whole trade uses for a pallet-size box. When plastic versions arrived, buyers kept the word. Makers mostly don't: they list the same thing as a pallet container, a bulk container, or a collapsible bulk container. If you search for both names you will find the same products.
What makes it a gaylord
The footprint. A plastic gaylord sits on the footprints corrugated gaylords use, so it drops into the same rack positions and line stations. Container Exchanger plastic gaylord page lists common footprints of 30 x 32, 40 x 48, 45 x 48, 56 x 48, 64 x 48, 70 x 48 and 78 x 48 in, in heights from 16 to 50 in.
What is different from the box
- The base is part of it. There is no separate wood pallet; the plastic base takes forks or a pallet jack.
- It folds and comes back. Most are collapsible: the walls fold onto the base for the return trip.
- It carries more and washes. 1,500 to 2,500 lb is the usual class, and solid walls can be cleaned.
- It has a lid, not a cap. The lid is moulded to seat on the rim.
One example, in numbers
A 48 x 40 x 32 in collapsible such as the ORBIS AG4048-32 carries 1,500 lb, folds to 13.5 in and ships 240 folded or 90 assembled on a 53 ft trailer, according to the ORBIS AG4048-32 product page. That is a typical plastic gaylord.
What it is not
It isn't a plastic tote or a hand-carried bin, and it isn't an IBC tank for liquids. If your product is liquid or must be sealed for transport, a plastic gaylord is the wrong container and we will say so.
The parts of a plastic gaylord
- Base: a moulded pallet with fork pockets on two or four sides, sometimes with runners underneath for conveyors.
- Walls: solid for washing and fine product, vented for airflow, hinged to the base on a collapsible model.
- Latches: on a collapsible, they lock the walls upright; on a good one they are easy to see from a distance, so a half-latched wall gets noticed.
- Drop door: an optional hinged panel low in one or more walls, for picking from the bottom.
- Lid: optional, moulded to the rim, sometimes strapped or locked down for transit.
How to tell two plastic gaylords apart
Two containers both sold as "48 x 40 plastic gaylord" can differ a great deal. Compare the outside and inside dimensions, the load capacity, the empty weight, the collapsed height and the stacking ratings, in transit as well as in storage. A model that folds to 13.5 in and one that folds to 18 in will look alike on a website and cost very differently to ship back. We write all of those into a quote so you can compare like for like.
Who uses them
Automotive suppliers sending parts to assembly plants; food and ingredient processors that need to wash between loads; plastics molders shipping parts and receiving regrind; and distribution centres handling returns. Growers usually use macro bins instead, which are close relatives built for the field.
Colours
Charcoal and grey are common for industrial loops; blue, white and other colours are used for food plants and to tell loops apart. Some colours are sold as FDA-compliant for food contact. Pick the colour before ordering; it is moulded in.
Gaylord, tote, bin or box
The same object goes by many names. Plants making parts say container or tote. Growers say bin. Recyclers say gaylord, after the corrugated boxes they use. Retail distribution centres say pallet box. When you search for a supplier, try all of them; makers list the same models under different headings.
Weight ratings
Capacity varies widely between models of the same footprint, because wall thickness, ribbing and base design differ. Never assume one model's rating applies to another that looks the same; the figure is on each maker's sheet, and we send it with the quote.
Buying your first few
Start with a small order, try them on your line for a few weeks, and check the forks, racks, scales and dumpers they meet. Problems found with ten containers are cheap to fix; problems found with five hundred aren't. Then order the fleet.
Lifespan
Properly handled, a plastic container outlives many corrugated boxes. Forklift damage, sunlight and overloading shorten that life most.
Terms used here
- Collapsible bulk container
- A plastic pallet container whose walls fold onto the base, so empties take a fraction of the space on the return trip.
- Footprint
- Length by width of the base, e.g. 48 x 45 in; it must match the racking, line positions and trailer pattern.
- Drop door
- A hinged panel in a sidewall that lets a picker reach parts at the bottom without tipping the container.
- Runners
- Skids under the base; runners suit conveyors and some racking differently than a four-way base.
- Collapsed height
- The container's height with walls folded down; with the footprint it decides how many fit on a trailer.
Tell us the footprint your boxes use now and the heaviest fill, and we quote the plastic container that replaces them. Ask for a quote