48 x 45 x 40 gaylord box: specs and uses
A 48 x 45 x 40 gaylord has a footprint a little wider than the 48 x 40 pallet and about 50 cubic feet of room. One used listing describes it as five-ply with partial bottom flaps and slip sheets.
A wider footprint
Typical gaylord footprints are 48 x 40, 48 x 48 or 48 x 45 inches, with sidewalls usually 24 to 50 inches high. The 48 x 45 sits in the middle: wider than the standard pallet by five inches, narrower than the 48 x 48 square. Research on pallets points the other way from a wider box, though: effective compression strength falls as a box overhangs its pallet, so match the footprint to the pallet you really use.
What one used listing shows
A used listing for this size describes five-ply construction with partial bottom flaps and slip sheets, and notes that the boxes had carried plastic components once. That is a typical used-gaylord story: a stout box from a clean load, sold with the slip sheets it was meant to use. It is one listing, not a rating, and we treat it as an example of the type.
Partial bottoms, used properly
A partial flap bottom leaves a gap, and the slip sheet covers it. It suits bagged or bulky loads, and it does not suit loose hardware. If your parts are loose, ask for a full flap bottom instead. The bottoms guide compares the two.
Stack arithmetic for the 48 x 45 x 40
One standing 48 x 45 x 40 takes 50 cubic feet. Ten of them take 500 cubic feet, or 18.52 cubic yards, which is why a short run of empties from a 48 x 45 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.
| Boxes | Standing, cu ft | Standing, cu yd | Flat, cu ft | Flat stack, in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 1.85 | 2.1 | 1 |
| 5 | 250 | 9.26 | 10.3 | 4.8 |
| 10 | 500 | 18.52 | 20.7 | 9.6 |
| 25 | 1,250 | 46.3 | 51.7 | 24 |
| 50 | 2,500 | 92.59 | 103.3 | 48 |
Questions
- Does 48 x 45 fit a standard pallet?
- It overhangs a 48 x 40 pallet by five inches on one side. Overhang reduces effective box strength, so match the pallet to the footprint if you can.
- Is five-ply the same as five-wall?
- In used-box listings the terms are used for the same construction; check the wall count in the request so we are talking about the same box.
Sources
Each read on November 11, 2026.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Footprint | 48 x 45 footprint |
| Inside size, inches | 48 x 45 x 40 |
| Volume | 50 cubic feet |
| Cubic yards | 1.85 |
| Listed capacity | five-ply, used listing |
| Typical loads | plastic components, bagged goods, light assemblies, and packaging materials |