New totes for plastics processors and compounders
Plastics processors and compounders take liquid additives, colour and process fluids by the tote and dose them straight into the line, so they need clean new totes whose valve and outlet match the dosing pump, with a gasket that the additive doesn’t attack.
What goes in the totes
Liquid colour concentrates, plasticizers, liquid stabilizers and antioxidants, slip and release agents, foaming agents, coupling agents, and cooling tower and chiller water treatment. Some plants also ship liquid resins and dispersions.
The tote and the rule
Most plastics additives are non-hazardous or combustible; check the SDS for flash point and packing group. A tote that feeds a dosing pump directly is usually ordered with an NPT outlet or a camlock matched to the pump hose. Plasticizers and many oils swell EPDM, so ask for Viton or another resistant gasket. Leftover product in a used tote contaminates a new colour, which is a reason to start each product in a new tote.
Where the industry is
Plastics product manufacturing employed 575,006 people at 12,344 establishments in 2025: Ohio 42,286, Texas 40,945, California 35,933, Pennsylvania 34,094 and Indiana 33,122 (BLS QCEW 2025). The counties along I-94 held 43,057 plastics jobs. In New Hampshire plastics is the most concentrated of the industries in our data.
Dosing straight from the tote
For a tote that feeds a pump, the outlet height matters. It sets the pump's suction head, and it differs between designs by an inch or two. If you are matching totes already in service, send the outlet height and fitting. See identifying tote makes and camlock or NPT.
Totes we would quote
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. New 275 gallon IBC tote
The standard for additives dosed at volume; ask for the outlet your pump takes.
- 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. New 135 gallon IBC tote
For costly colour or additives used slowly, so the tote empties before the product ages.
- Capacity
- 135 gal / about 511 L
- Build
- Caged composite
- Rating
- UN Y1.6 or Y1.9 by design
- Per trailer
- 56 to 84 short IBCs
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. Caged composite IBC totes, new
The build, and natural or black bottles.
- Bottle
- HDPE
- Cage
- Galvanized steel
- UN code
- 31HA1
- Sizes
- 135, 275, 330 gal
Illustrative image, generated. Not a photograph of our stock or deliveries. UN-rated chemical totes
For regulated additives and water treatment chemicals.
- UN code
- 31HA1/Y
- Packing groups
- II and III
- Specific gravity
- 1.6 or 1.9
- Retest
- every 2.5 years
Questions from plastics buyers
- Can a dosing pump draw straight from the tote?
- Yes. Connect the pump suction to the bottom valve with an adapter that matches its thread, and vent the cap so the bottle does not pull in as it empties.
- Can colour concentrate be drawn from the bottom valve?
- Yes, by gravity or by a pump on the outlet. Thick pastes drain slowly; a 3 in valve and a warm room help.
- Which outlet for a dosing pump?
- Usually a 2 in NPT or a camlock that matches the pump’s suction hose. Send a photo of the hose end.
- Can colour concentrate go in a used tote?
- Residue of another colour will show. Start each colour in a new tote or one used only for it.
- Which gasket for a plasticizer?
- Many plasticizers swell EPDM; Viton or another resistant compound is the usual choice. Check the SDS.
Also read: Camlock or NPT, Valves and fittings, Telling tote makes apart, Ohio. All industries.
Quote totes for plastics
Give the additive, the pump’s connection, the gasket, the size, how many and the plant ZIP.