Rectangular corrugated gaylords
The rectangular corrugated gaylord is the standard bulk box: 48 x 40 inches, two to five walls, and also called a bulk box, pallet box or skid box.
The box most people mean by gaylord
Say "gaylord" on a dock and most people picture this one: a rectangular corrugated box, 48 x 40 on the floor, usually double or triple wall, with flaps that fold shut. The trade also calls it a bulk box, bulk bin, skid box, pallet box or bin box. Those are all the same family.
Gaylord Container of St. Louis made the first bulk bins, and Crown Zellerbach bought the company in 1955. The name stuck to the box after the company was acquired.
Height follows wall count
| Walls | Common heights | Cited capacity |
|---|---|---|
| 2-wall | 30 to 36 in | 800 to 1,200 lb |
| 3-wall | 34 to 40 in | 1,000 to 1,600 lb |
| 4-wall | 36 to 41 in | 1,500 to 2,200 lb |
| 5-wall | 36 to 46 in | 2,000 to 3,000 lb |
These are ranges sellers and brokers cite. They are not guarantees. Individual board thickness varies, so wall count alone does not always tell you strength. Ask for the maker's rating for the exact box. For worked examples by weight, see weight capacity.
What a rectangular box does badly
It bulges. Pour in something dense that flows, such as resin pellets or fruit, and each side wall bows outward. A liner does not cure that. For those loads the octabin is the better shape.
It also does not forgive damp. Corrugated loses roughly half its compression strength when humidity rises from 50 to 90 percent, and a box held under load in humid conditions can lose nearly 45 percent over 90 days. Dry dock, dry trailer, dry storage.
Where it fits here
Parts and metal makers in Montgomery and Delaware counties ask for full-bottom 4 and 5 wall rectangular boxes. Warehouse managers at Pureland, Falls Township and along Route 130 see rectangular single-trip boxes arrive with inbound freight, and some of those come back through us as used stock.
If your load is heavy, look at 4 and 5 wall boxes. If it is lighter, double wall may be enough and a used one can cost less per trip than a new one.
Sizes you will meet most often
| Footprint | Where you see it | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 48 x 40 | The standard; most used loads from every trade | 48 x 40 x 36 |
| 48 x 45 | Used loads from resin and parts plants | 48 x 45 x 40 |
| 48 x 24 | Half-pallet boxes for small, dense loads | 48 x 24 x 28 |
| 48 x 48 | Square pallets used by some shippers | 48 x 48 x 36 |
| 36 x 36 and 40 x 40 | Cubes for compact freight | 36 x 36 x 36 |
Handling it right
Forklift tines go under the pallet, not the box. A box on a partial bottom with no pallet will tear when lifted. A box on a full bottom can be lifted by a platform lift if the load is evenly spread. Do not drag a gaylord across a rough floor; the base takes the wear and a scraped base is a short life.
Seal the top with the flaps folded crosswise or with a lid. Band a stacked pair so they cannot slip in a truck. And keep boxes square on the pallet: overhang of even an inch or two reduces strength, as Virginia Tech researchers found when they tested pallet overhang against box compression.
At the end of the life of the box, send it to the right place. A box that has creased and cracked is not worth repair. The baler page says when to stop.
Questions people ask
Is bulk box the same as gaylord?
Yes. Bulk box, pallet box, skid box and gaylord all name the same pallet-sized corrugated container.
What does ASTM D5168 cover?
The fabrication and closure of triple-wall corrugated containers.
Do rectangular boxes need liners?
Only if the load is loose or has to stay clean. Produce and resin usually do.
Sources
- Bulk box, Wikipedia, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- Container Exchanger: the gaylord box guide, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- Nelson Company: when is a container a gaylord, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- AICC: corrugated and cold or humid storage, last reviewed November 11, 2026