46 x 38 x 36 Octagon gaylord box: specs and uses

Why eight sides

The angled corners resist bulging under dense, flowable loads. A rectangular box pushes out at its flat walls when it is full of resin or squash; the octagon spreads the pressure around the corners. That is why makers recommend it for resins, powders and produce such as watermelons, cantaloupes and squash, and why the same box is sold as a watermelon bin.

The ratings and the weight

One maker lists this size as a 1,300 lb test triple-wall box with a listed weight capacity of 2,200 lb and a box weight of 29 lb. Another lists a similar octagon-bottom box rated 1300#/ECT-155 at about 22.9 lb. Different makers build different boards, which is why the specific maker's rating is the one that counts.

Fit on a pallet

Outside, the box measures about 47 by 39 1/8 by 37 1/2 inches in the maker's listing, sitting on a standard 48 x 40 pallet with a little to spare. Standing, the bounding volume is about 36 cubic feet; the cut corners take some of that away, so the real capacity is less than the arithmetic.

Stack arithmetic for the 46 x 38 x 36 Octagon

One standing 46 x 38 x 36 Octagon takes 36.4 cubic feet. Ten of them take 364 cubic feet, or 13.48 cubic yards, which is why a short run of empties from a 48 x 40 pallet, eight-sided 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.