32 x 30 in plastic bulk containers
32 x 30 in is the half-size footprint. It suits product that gets too heavy in a full-size container before it fills it, such as fasteners, castings and dense resin, and line stations without room for a 48 in container.
Heights it comes in
- 18 in
- 25 in
- 30 in
- 34 in
- 39 in
From Container Exchanger plastic gaylord page, reviewed 14 November 2026.
Containers made on it
- Collapsible containerHalf-size collapsibles for loops that send small, heavy parts between plants.
- Fixed-wall containerA rigid half-size bin for in-plant work, often with a drop door at the front.
- Plastic pallet boxRigid or folding, in heights from 18 to 39 in.
What it fits
Weight is the reason to go small. A container is rated for a load, and a full 48 x 40 x 34 in box of steel parts can be well past any rating. Shrinking the footprint cuts the volume by half, which keeps a full container under its rating and under what a pallet jack or a small forklift can lift.
Two of these share a 48 x 40 pallet position only if the long sides line up with the 48 in direction and your rack beams support them, so check that before planning on doubling up. Tell us how they are handled, by forks, a pallet jack or a cart, and we match the base to it.
Small plants, labs and food kitchens that can't spare floor for a full-size container often choose this half footprint. It fits in an elevator, through a standard doorway and beside a workbench, and a pallet jack can move it easily. Two side by side take about the space of one 48 x 40 in box, and some shippers load them that way on a full-size pallet. Because the walls are short, a person can reach the floor of the lower heights without a drop door. For heavy loads, check the weight rating; small boxes are often built lighter than their larger cousins.
Hospitals, bakeries and laboratories that move goods between floors use small bulk containers that fit freight elevators. Pharmaceutical and cosmetics makers sometimes use them for batches of ingredients weighed out ahead of mixing.
The small footprint also makes it a good container for heavy, dense parts such as fasteners, castings and bearings, where a full-size box would be overloaded long before it was full. Half the floor area means half the fill weight for the same depth. Check the load rating against a full container of your heaviest part, not an average one.
Two 32 x 30 in containers stand in the floor space of one 48 x 40 in container, 960 square inches each against 1,920, so a station that held one large container can hold two, each with a different part. Ask for a lid if parts are small enough to bounce out in transit.
Electronics and appliance assemblers use this size for wiring, switches and small housings delivered to the line, where operators work from a seat or stand at a bench.
Questions about 32 x 30 in
- Why not just fill a big container part-way?
- You can, but a part-filled big container still takes a full rack position and a full trailer space, and pickers reach further for the parts. A half-size container keeps the space and the reach matched to the load.
- Can a pallet jack move it?
- Yes, most half-size containers take a pallet jack or forks. Some plants move them on carts or tuggers along the line; tell us if that is how yours move.
- Is 32 x 30 the same as 30 x 32?
- Yes. Listings write it both ways; the base is the same.
- Does it fit through a standard door?
- Yes, a 32 in wide container clears most single doorways.