48 x 24 x 28 in gaylord boxes
The 48 x 24 x 28 inch gaylord is a half-pallet box of about 18.7 cubic feet, rated by one maker at 1,200 lb in triple wall, and two of them side by side take a 48 x 48 pallet.
The numbers
48 x 24 x 28 in gives you a 48 x 24 footprint. Its volume works out to 18.7 cubic feet (48 x 24 x 28 = 32,256 cubic inches, divided by 1,728 cubic inches per cubic foot).
| Detail | Value | How it is figured |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 24 in | Outside, as the trade quotes it |
| Height | 28 in | Set-up height |
| Volume | 18.7 cu ft | 48 x 24 x 28 / 1,728 |
| Rated capacity | 1,200 lb | triple wall, one maker; half-pallet footprint |
| Capacity per cubic foot | 64.2 lb | 1,200 / 18.7 |
| Pallet | 48 x 40 in standard | This footprint fits inside a standard 48 x 40 pallet, leaving 0 in along the 48 in side and 16 in along the 40 in side uncovered. |
What this size carries here
Half-pallet boxes exist for loads that do not justify a full pallet and for dock doors, shelves and trailers that are narrower than a full box. At 24 inches wide it fits places a 40 inch box cannot, and a worker can reach across it.
It carries the densest loads in the family. Divide the 1,200 lb rating by 18.7 cubic feet and the figure lands near 64 lb per cubic foot. That is why it appears with steel parts, tooling, bar and rod offcuts, castings and heavy fasteners. Plants along the Schuylkill and in Delaware County use shapes like it.
Search "48x24x28 box" and you find catalog listings. What a catalog does not say is that two of them make a footprint of 48 x 48, so on a standard 48 x 40 pallet they would hang off by eight inches. Know your pallet.
Load arithmetic
For the 48 x 24 x 28 in box, the deck of a 48 x 40 pallet is 1,920 square inches. The footprint covers 1,152, or 60 percent of it. Weigh what you plan to put in, then see where you land against the 1,200 lb rating (triple wall, one maker; half-pallet footprint).
| Share of rating | Pounds | Pounds per cubic foot | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 percent | 300 | 16 | Light |
| 50 percent | 600 | 32.1 | Comfortable |
| 75 percent | 900 | 48.1 | Working load |
| 90 percent | 1,080 | 57.8 | Near the limit |
Stay in the first three rows for a used box. A box below Grade A has already given up some of its rating.
The same volume in other units
Growers, plants and carriers each count in different units, so here is 48 x 24 x 28 in in the ones they use. A bushel is 1.2445 cubic feet, a cubic yard is 27, a US gallon is 0.1337 and a liter is 0.0353. Fill level matters: a box filled to 24 of its 28 inches holds 16 cubic feet, because the top four inches are for flaps and settling.
| Unit | Number | Conversion used |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic inches | 32,256 | 48 x 24 x 28 |
| Cubic yards | 0.69 | 18.7 / 27 |
| US bushels | 15 | 18.7 / 1.2445 |
| US gallons | 140 | 18.7 / 0.13368 |
| Liters | 530 | 18.7 / 0.035315 |
| Floor area | 8 sq ft | 48 x 24 / 144 |
Asking for it
Tell us your pallet, the weight and the count. Ask for a full flap bottom if the load is dense. If you want two on a 48 x 48 pallet, say so; we will tell you whether that works.
One thing to watch
A half-pallet footprint on a full pallet leaves half the pallet bare. Mixed loads and strapping need care so the box does not slide.
Questions people ask
What is a half-pallet box?
A gaylord whose footprint is half a pallet, here 48 x 24.
What does it carry?
Dense goods like steel parts and tooling.
Can two share a pallet?
Two fit a 48 x 48 pallet. On 48 x 40 they overhang.
Sources
- Uline triple-wall box sizes, last reviewed November 11, 2026
- Virginia Tech: pallet overhang and box compression strength, last reviewed November 11, 2026