Size & Spec Guide
Everything you wanted
to measure about a tote.
Capacity, footprint, height, weight empty, weight full, pallet style, fill height, discharge height, headspace. The numbers you actually need before you tell the forklift driver to pick it up.
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Capacity reference
| Common name | US gallons | Liters | Cubic feet | Cubic meters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 gal IBC | 120 | 454 | 16.0 | 0.454 |
| 210 gal IBC | 210 | 795 | 28.1 | 0.795 |
| 275 gal IBC | 275 | 1,041 | 36.7 | 1.041 |
| 330 gal IBC | 330 | 1,249 | 44.1 | 1.249 |
| 350 gal SS IBC | 350 | 1,325 | 46.8 | 1.325 |
| 550 gal SS IBC | 550 | 2,082 | 73.5 | 2.082 |
Dimensions (most common variants)
| Tote | L × W (pallet) | Height | Empty wt. | Full wt. (water) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 275 gal HDPE caged | 40 × 48 in | 46 in | ~135 lb | ~2,425 lb |
| 330 gal HDPE caged | 40 × 48 in | 53 in | ~150 lb | ~2,900 lb |
| 275 gal composite | 40 × 48 in | 47 in | ~165 lb | ~2,455 lb |
| 275 gal SS | 42 × 48 in | 49 in | ~240 lb | ~2,530 lb |
| 550 gal SS | 46 × 50 in | 72 in | ~480 lb | ~5,070 lb |
Things to check before you commit to a size
- Door height. A standard 275 gal tote will not fit through every doorway. 46" + pallet height ≈ 52" total. Roll-ups and double doors are fine; some interior doors aren’t.
- Floor load. Full 275 gal of water is ~2,425 lb on a 13.3 ft² footprint — that’s ~182 lb/ft². Most warehouse slabs handle it. Mezzanines often don’t.
- Forklift class. 4-way pallet entry on most models. A 4,000 lb-class forklift is plenty. Walkies will struggle with a fully filled tote.
- Density of liquid. If your liquid is heavier than water (sulfuric acid is 1.84 SG), upgrade to composite. Don’t treat “275 gal” as “always 275 gal of anything.”
- Headspace. Hot products need headspace for thermal expansion. Plan ~3–5% headspace for warm fills.
Pallet types we stock
The base under the bottle matters more than people think.
- Steel pallet. Heaviest, toughest, most reusable. Best for industrial repeat-use.
- Composite pallet. The lightweight modern default. FDA-friendly for food applications.
- Plastic pallet. Lighter still. Common on first-generation totes. Cracks under repeated forklift abuse.
- Wood pallet. Increasingly rare. Heat-treated stamps required for some food/cosmetic shipments.