Guides to choosing a new tote
Each guide answers one question in its first sentence, gives the rule or the published figure behind the answer with a link to it, and ends with the totes it bears on. They are grouped by the question you are most likely to have.
Is a new tote what I need, and what do the marks on it mean?
Start here if you are comparing new with rebottled or reconditioned totes, or if you ship regulated liquids and need to read the plate: the UN code, the packing group, the specific gravity and the dates that start the retest clock.
- New, rebottled or reconditioned: what each one isWhat each grade replaces: new bottle, cage and pallet against a new bottle in a used cage, or a cleaned and retested used tote.
- What is an intermediate bulk container?An IBC in plain words: the types (composite, plastic, metal), the UN codes, the common sizes and what each is used for.
- Reading the UN marking on a toteRead a tote's UN marking part by part: design code 31HA1, packing group letter, date of manufacture, country, maker, stacking load and gross mass.
- Specific gravity ratings on UN totesWhat the specific gravity number on a UN-rated tote limits, how to find your product's, and which rating to ask for.
- Retest and inspection dates on a toteThe 2.5-year leakproofness test and inspections under 49 CFR 180.352, and why a new tote starts with the whole window.
- UN31A and the metal IBCWhat UN31A means, which liquids need a metal IBC, and how a steel IBC's marking differs from a caged tote's.
Will it fit, and how heavy will it be?
Measurements, capacities and weights for each size, with the published figures and the working for a full tote, so you can check doorways, racking, forklifts and floors before you order.
- IBC tote dimensionsFootprint, height and capacity for 135, 275, 330 and 550 gallon IBCs in inches, millimetres, gallons and litres, with sources.
- Choosing an IBC tote size135, 275, 330 and 550 gallon IBCs compared by footprint, height, drums replaced and totes per trailer.
- IBC tote capacityHow much a 135, 275, 330 or 550 gallon tote holds in gallons, litres and drums, and the fill limit to leave for expansion.
- IBC tote weight, empty and fullTare weights of new 275 and 330 gallon totes and steel IBCs, and how to work out a full tote’s weight for freight and stacking.
- 330 or 275 gallon?Same footprint, different height: what the extra 55 gallons costs in height, weight and stacking, and when it pays.
Which valve, outlet and cap?
The fittings decide whether a tote connects to your line on arrival. Valve type and size, camlock or NPT, gasket material, vents, and how to match the totes you already run.
- Valves and fittings on a new toteButterfly, ball and cylinder valves, 2 and 3 in outlets, camlock and NPT, EPDM and Viton: choosing the fittings on a new tote.
- Butterfly, ball or cylinder valveThe common valve types on new totes compared: butterfly, ball and cylinder valves, how each opens, seals and cleans.
- 2 in or 3 in outletMost totes drain through a 2 in (DN50) valve; some take 3 in (DN80). When the larger outlet helps and how to ask for it.
- Camlock or NPT: picking the outletHow a camlock coupling and a threaded NPT outlet differ, which hoses and pumps each suits, and how to name it on a quote.
- Caps, lids and vents on a toteThe 6 in fill cap, vented and unvented lids, and gaskets on a new tote, and when a product needs a vented cap.
- Identifying common tote makesHow to identify the common composite tote makes by cage, pallet and valve so a new tote matches the ones you run. No affiliation.
Which tote suits my product?
Food and water need a clean bottle with no history; flammable liquids need steel; corrosive products and sanitary processes have their own answers. These guides give the rule behind each one.
- Food-grade or not: how to tellWhat food grade means for a tote: the bottle resin, the gaskets and the history, and why a new bottle is the clean case.
- Flammable liquids: which IBCWhy plastic and composite totes are kept off Class I flammables, what Class II and III allow, and when a steel IBC is the answer.
- A new tote for drinking waterWhy a new food-contact tote is the safe choice for stored drinking water, what CDC advises, and keeping it clean.
- Collecting rainwater in a new toteSizing a tote for roof runoff, screening the openings against mosquitoes, and why a new tote keeps chemicals out of garden water.
- All-plastic or caged compositeAll-plastic rotomolded IBCs against bottle-in-cage composite totes: build, rating, weight and when each is chosen.
- Stainless or carbon steel304 stainless against carbon steel IBCs: corrosion, sanitary use, weight and cost drivers for flammable and food liquids.
How is it priced and delivered?
What moves the delivered price of a new tote, how many fit on a trailer, and how to plan repeat loads.
Every guide closes with the totes it bears on. To skip straight to a price, request a quote or browse the range.