Five Wall gaylord boxes around Boston

The top of the range

Five layers of board put the commonly cited capacity at 2,000 to 3,000 lb and allow the tallest walls, 36 to 46 inches in Container Exchanger's figures. Octagonal gaylords are usually five-wall or heavy triple-wall, which is why resin, regrind and produce travel in them.

A used example

One used listing for a 48 x 45 x 40 box describes five-ply construction with partial bottom flaps and slip sheets, from a load of plastic components. That is a good picture of what used five-wall looks like: a stout box, sold with its slip sheets, with a partial bottom that suits bags and bulky parts.

For harvest and for regrind

Plastics processors in Lawrence and Woburn and farms buying for the fall ask for five-wall octabins. Say the need-by date; the harvest page covers the seasonal buy. For loose dense loads, ask for a full flap bottom as well.

The heavy end of the range

Five-wall is a heavy-duty box. The commonly cited range puts it at the top, near 3,000 lb new, and it is the box a buyer asks for when the load is serious: dense metal, big castings, a pallet of heavy product that will be moved more than once. It weighs more empty, costs more to ship and is harder to find used, so the question to ask first is whether a lighter box would do.

Condition matters more here

A five-wall box with a damaged corner has lost more of its value than a lighter one, because its job was to carry a load that other boxes could not. Look at the corners and the bottom first. If you are buying, ask for photos or a plain description of the worst box in the lot. If you are selling, mention any boxes with damage even when the rest are sound.

Questions before buying heavy

Check whether your equipment can handle the box. A five-wall box weighs more empty than a lighter one, a loaded pallet can strain a forklift, and a truck has weight limits as well as cube limits. Ask whether the box has a label stating its capacity, and write down the load you plan to put in it. A heavy-duty box deserves a careful look at how it will be used.