New totes for paint, coating and adhesive makers
Coatings plants fill both water-based and solvent-borne products, so they need composite totes with large valves for latex paints, resins and water-based adhesives, and steel IBCs for anything with a Class I flash point.
What goes in the totes
Latex and acrylic emulsions, alkyd and epoxy resins, solvent-borne paints and thinners, primers, water-based and solvent adhesives, pigment dispersions and additives. Plants also take in raw resins and solvents by the tote.
The tote and the rule
Water-based products go in UN-rated or standard composite totes; check the specific gravity, since pigmented products are dense. Solvent-borne coatings and thinners are often Class I flammable liquids and must go in metal IBCs (IBCTanks.com on NFPA guidance), with bonding and grounding during transfer (49 CFR 173.35(k)). Thick products drain better through a 3 in ball valve.
Where the industry is
Paint, coating and adhesive manufacturing employed 65,368 people at 2,596 establishments in 2025. Ohio led with 8,770, then Texas 6,381, Illinois 4,881, Michigan 4,624 and California 4,589 (BLS QCEW 2025). Cuyahoga County, Ohio had 3,256 of those jobs, Cook County, Illinois 1,973 and Los Angeles County 1,728.
Skins, settling and the valve
Paints and adhesives skin over where air reaches them and settle when they stand. Size the tote so it empties before that matters, keep the cap tight between draws, and choose a valve with a full bore so settled product drains. A ball valve shuts firmly between draws, and a 3 in outlet drains thick product much faster (2 in or 3 in).
Totes we would quote
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. New 275 gallon IBC tote
For latex paints and water-based adhesives; ask for a 3 in ball valve on thick products.
- Capacity
- 275 gal / 1,040 L
- Footprint
- 48 x 40 in
- Height
- about 46 in
- UN code
- 31HA1/Y
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. UN-rated chemical totes
For regulated water-based products, rated at Y1.9 for dense pigmented ones.
- UN code
- 31HA1/Y
- Packing groups
- II and III
- Specific gravity
- 1.6 or 1.9
- Retest
- every 2.5 years
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. Carbon steel and metal IBCs
For solvent-borne coatings and thinners with a Class I flash point.
- Build
- Carbon steel shell
- UN code
- 31A
- Approval
- often UL 142
- For
- Class I flammables
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. 550 gallon IBCs
For plants moving large batches of one resin or solvent in steel.
- Capacity
- 550 gal / about 2,082 L
- Build
- Stainless or carbon steel
- UN code
- 31A
- Per trailer
- about 30 large IBCs
Questions from coatings buyers
- Can coatings be stirred in the tote?
- Many plants stir settled paint with a tote mixer lowered through the top opening. Tell us if you use one so the fill opening and cap suit the mixer, and say whether it is air or electric driven, which matters near solvent vapour.
- Will latex paint freeze in a tote?
- Water-based coatings can freeze and be ruined in an unheated store or trailer in winter. Ask for heated freight or store the totes indoors.
- Can solvent-borne paint go in a plastic tote?
- Not if it is a Class I flammable liquid, as many are. Use a steel IBC.
- Which valve for a thick resin?
- A 3 in ball valve: full bore, nothing in the flow path, firm shut-off.
- Is latex paint heavy for a tote?
- Pigmented paints are often well above water’s density. Check the specific gravity on the SDS against the tote’s rating and gross mass.
Also read: Flammable liquids, Butterfly or ball valve, 2 in or 3 in outlet, Ohio. All industries.
Quote totes for coatings
Give the product, whether it is water-based or solvent-borne, its flash point and specific gravity, the valve size, how many and the plant ZIP.