36 x 36 x 36 gaylord box: specs and uses

One yard, three feet on a side

Three feet cubed is 27 cubic feet, which divides by 27 to one yard. It is the one size where box volume and dumpster volume use the same unit, so thirty of them is thirty yards. That makes it the easiest box to reason about, and a useful reference for anyone sizing a compactor.

The small standard

The Cary Company lists gaylords in single wall 200#/ECT-32, double wall 275#/ECT-48 and triple wall 1100#/ECT-90 across sizes from 36 x 36 x 36 up to 48 x 40 x 36. The smallest of that range is this box. It suits hardware, small assemblies and sample lots that do not justify a big box.

A caution about rated boxes

A 36 x 36 x 36 corrugated box is also a size that dangerous-goods packaging uses. A UN-rated box is certified by the maker; a used box is not UN-rated unless certified. We do not sell used boxes as dangerous-goods packaging, and we ask you not to ship hazardous material in anything we send.

The one-yard box

At 36 inches on every side this box is the closest thing to a round number on the list: about 27 cubic feet, one cubic yard. For a dock that counts its dumpster in yards, the arithmetic is as simple as it gets. It also stacks and stores neatly, which is why compact lines and small shops favor it.

Small shops that count their space in yards find the 36 x 36 x 36 easy to plan around.

Stack arithmetic for the 36 x 36 x 36

One standing 36 x 36 x 36 takes 27 cubic feet. Ten of them take 270 cubic feet, or 10 cubic yards, which is why a short run of empties from a 36 x 36 footprint dock can fill a container. Knocked down, the same ten collapse into a slab about 9.6 inches thick, assuming three walls and the calculator's default of 0.16 inch of board per layer. Measure your own board before relying on that figure.