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Industry

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Tell us what you have or what you need. A real person in Houston reads every one of these — usually within a couple of hours during dock time.

Several bulk bins on pallets outside the yard building, with stacks of wooden pallets behind them — Out on the yard on E Richey Rd, staged for the next route.

Knocked-down corrugated boxes banded into flat bundles and stacked on pallets — Knocked down and banded. Roughly four times as many per trailer as assembled.

3 posts

In Industry

June 16, 2026

Why the used packaging market has a reputation, and what fixes it

Buyers arrive at used bulk packaging expecting disappointment, usually because they have been disappointed. Three causes and four fixes.

Tom Brennan · 6 min

November 11, 2025

Who pays when packaging fails, and what your paperwork should say

A collapsed stack raises an awkward question nobody wants after the fact. How responsibility gets allocated, and five clauses that decide it.

Tom Brennan · 7 min

August 15, 2023

Why 48 × 40 became the default, and what it cost everyone else

The standard gaylord box footprint is 48 by 40 inches because a grocery trade group standardised a pallet in the 1960s. Why that still matters.

Tom Brennan · 6 min

Ready to move some boxes?

Send the form once. We answer in writing with grades, quantities, sizes and freight — no phone tag, because we don't even have a phone number.

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Every number on this site, on one screen

The numbers we get asked for most

Standard size: 48" × 40" × 36"

Standard volume: 40 cu ft nominal

Usable volume: 80–85% of nominal

Capacity range: 900 – 4,500 lb

Per 53′ trailer, KD: ≈ 480 boxes

Per 53′ assembled: 26 pallet positions

Overhang penalty: ≈ 20% per inch

Humidity at 90% RH: ≈ 50% strength

Trips per box: 3–6 when handled well

New box CO₂e: ≈ 13 lb

Reuse cycle CO₂e: ≈ 1.2 lb

OCC per 53′ trailer: ≈ 20 tons

Stocked sizes, capacities and truckload counts

Inside dimensions	Volume	Capacity	Per 53′ KD	Stock
48″ × 40″ × 36″	40 cu ft	1,200 – 2,800 lb	480	Deep stock
48″ × 40″ × 30″	33.3 cu ft	1,000 – 2,000 lb	540	Deep stock
48″ × 40″ × 24″	26.7 cu ft	900 – 1,800 lb	600	Regular stock
48″ × 40″ × 42″	46.7 cu ft	1,800 – 3,000 lb	420	Regular stock
48″ × 40″ × 48″	53.3 cu ft	2,500 – 4,000 lb	360	Regular stock
40″ × 48″ × 45″	50 cu ft	2,400 – 3,400 lb	390	Seasonal
41″ × 28″ × 25″	16.6 cu ft	700 – 1,400 lb	900	Regular stock
30″ × 30″ × 30″	15.6 cu ft	500 – 900 lb	1100	Regular stock
45″ × 30″ × 45″	35.2 cu ft	1,500 – 2,200 lb	560	Seasonal
47″ × 38″ × 44″	45.5 cu ft	2,000 – 3,000 lb	400	Seasonal
48″ × 48″ × 40″	53.3 cu ft	2,800 – 4,500 lb	320	Made to order
48″ × 40″ × 40″	44.4 cu ft	2,500 – 4,000 lb	400	Regular stock

Inside dimensions. Outside runs ½″ to 1½″ larger per dimension depending on wall count — use OD for racking and trailer clearances. Full size chart →

Wall count and load ratings

Walls	Static load	Stack	Typical ECT
2-wall	1,000–1,200 lb	2 high	48–61 lb/in
3-wall (tri-wall)	1,800–2,000 lb	2–3 high	71–82 lb/in
4-wall	2,500–3,000 lb	3 high	90–110 lb/in
5-wall	4,000 lb+	3–4 high	120+ lb/in

Ratings assume dry, aligned, fully supported, short duration. Derating explained →

Grades, at a glance

Grade	Condition	Trips left
1A	Straight from the corrugator, unused, printed or plain.	4–6 trips typical
A	One fill, clean, no repairs, no cuts. The sweet spot.	3–5 trips typical
B	Two or three uses. Up to two clean repairs. Structurally honest.	2–3 trips typical
C	Working boxes. Cosmetically rough, structurally usable, cheap.	1–2 trips typical
SCRAP	End of life as a container. Beginning of life as fiber.	Reborn as new liner within weeks

Every pass/fail threshold →

Derating factors — apply all that fit, multiplied

Condition	Factor	Why
Storage under a month	×1.0	No creep adjustment needed
One to six months loaded	×1.4	Corrugated creeps under sustained load
Over six months loaded	×1.6	Long-term storage
Dry warehouse	×1.15	Mild humidity exposure
Open dock, no A/C	×1.3	Most of Houston, most of the year
Outdoors or cooler	×1.5	Needs a lid as well

Required load = full box weight × (stack − 1) × creep × humidity. Run it automatically →

Service area and turnaround

Area	Turnaround	Region
Houston	Same day, most ZIPs	Harris County
Pasadena & Deer Park	Same day	Ship Channel East
Conroe & The Woodlands	Same day	Montgomery County
Beaumont & Port Arthur	Next day, scheduled routes	Golden Triangle
Dallas–Fort Worth	Scheduled backhaul lanes	North Texas
San Antonio & Austin	Scheduled lanes, 2–4 days	I-35 Corridor

Yard: 1050 E Richey Rd, Houston, TX 77073
Email: info@gaylordboxestx.com
Monday – Friday: 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM CT
Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
Sunday: Closed
Telephone: None — every quote is issued in writing
Quote turnaround: One business day