When only virgin will do

New totes. Sold reluctantly, supplied properly.

We are a reuse yard, and we will tell you plainly when new is the wrong purchase. But some specifications, some regulated liquids and some auditors leave no room — and when that is genuinely the case, you should buy the new container from people who understand the whole lifecycle of it.

Short answer

A new IBC tote has a virgin HDPE bottle, a new steel cage and a current UN 31HA1 marking, typically $420–$560 for 275 gallons. Buy new when a specification, a regulated transport or an export inspection requires it — otherwise rebottled or used stock costs less and emits far less.

Marking: UN 31HA1
Price band: $420 – $560
Lead time: 5–15 business days
Buy-back: Offered at end of life

Work order · 90-second form

Specify a new tote order

Tell us what's driving the new requirement — if there's a cheaper compliant route we'll say so before quoting.

What you get, and what it costs the planet

A new 275-gallon composite IBC arrives with a virgin, never-filled HDPE bottle, a new welded tube-steel cage, a new steel or composite pallet base, a factory-fitted 2" discharge valve with S60x6 cap, a 6" fill lid and a current UN marking plate. It is a genuinely good container and it should be — it consumed roughly 88 kg of CO₂e, 190 gallons of process water, 10 gallons of crude-oil feedstock and 420 kWh to exist.

We list that burden here, on the page where we sell the product, because an honest supplier should. It is also the reason we offer a buy-back on every new tote we sell: when you are done with it, it comes back here and re-enters the loop rather than becoming 1.4 cubic yards of somebody's landfill.

Configurations we supply

275 gal (1,000 L) and 330 gal (1,250 L) composite, steel or composite pallet base.
Natural translucent or black UV-stabilised bottle for outdoor duty.
Food-grade FDA resin or standard industrial resin.
UN 31HA1 marked for packing groups II and III liquids.
Butterfly, ball or camlock discharge; vented or solid fill lids.
Antistatic and conductive configurations for flammable service.

New composite IBC — standard specification
Attribute	275 gallon	330 gallon
Capacity	275 gal / 1,000 L	330 gal / 1,250 L
Footprint	48" × 40"	48" × 40"
Height	46"	53"
Tare weight	125 lb	145 lb
Max gross mass	2,800 lb	3,300 lb
Test pressure	≥ 3.6 psi (0.25 bar)	≥ 3.6 psi (0.25 bar)
Stack load (full)	2 high	2 high
Marking	UN 31HA1	UN 31HA1
Regulated service life	5 years from manufacture	5 years from manufacture

Decision tree

Four questions that tell you whether new is required.

Answer no to all four and you should be buying used or rebottled. Most people answer no to all four.

Does a written customer specification name a new container?

Specifications are often inherited and rarely re-examined. Ask whether reconditioned units were ever actually excluded, or just never considered.

Is the liquid regulated for transport under DOT / UN rules?

If yes, the assembly needs a legible, in-date UN marking. A reconditioned tote can carry one, but it must be documented and re-tested.

Is it a pharma, infant or high-purity supply chain?

Then new, and usually stainless. We will quote it rather than talk you into risk.

Will it be inspected on export at a foreign port?

Some inspection regimes reject visibly reconditioned units outright, regardless of documentation.

New tote questions

Including the awkward one.

New IBC totes — FAQ

When do I actually need a new IBC tote?

Four situations: a customer specification that names a new container, a regulated hazardous transport where the UN marking must be current and traceable, a pharmaceutical or infant-nutrition supply chain, and export shipments where the receiving country's inspection regime rejects reconditioned units. Outside those, used or rebottled stock is almost always the better purchase.

Do you try to talk customers out of buying new?

Often, yes. If the duty is site water, nutrient dosing, dust suppression or non-hazardous storage, a new tote is three to four times the price and four times the embodied carbon for no functional gain. We would rather sell you forty washed Grade B totes and keep you as a customer than sell you ten new ones once.

What is a UN 31HA1 marking?

It is the designation for a composite IBC with a rigid plastic inner receptacle and an outer steel cage, approved for liquids. The stamped marking encodes the type, the packing group, the test pressure, the gross mass, the year of manufacture and the approving authority. It has a service life for hazardous transport — typically five years for the assembly — after which the unit must be re-tested and re-marked or retired from regulated service.

How fast can you supply new totes?

Usually five to fifteen business days depending on configuration and current mill lead times. Rebottled stock ships in three to seven and used stock in one to three, which is another reason we ask what the new requirement is actually driven by.

The middle option

Virgin bottle, proven cage, 38% less carbon and a third off the price.

Open

Reading a UN marking

What every character on the plate means and when the tote falls out of regulated service.

Open

End-of-life buy-back

Every new tote we sell comes back here when you're finished with it.

Open

Rows of washed white IBC totes in steel cages on black plastic pallets, stacked two high in a sunlit yard

The yard

Virgin stock, sold reluctantly

By the numbers

The figures behind this page.

4: situations that genuinely require new; Outside them, used or rebottled wins
88 kg: CO₂e per new container; Which is why we list it on the page where we sell it
5 yr: regulated service life; From manufacture, for hazardous transport
100%: carry a buy-back; Written into the quote, costs you nothing

Reference

The detail, in full.

The four questions that decide whether new is required
Question	If yes	If no
Does a written customer specification name a new container?	Buy new — but check it was a decision rather than an inheritance	Used or rebottled
Is the liquid regulated for transport?	Needs a legible in-date UN marking; reconditioned can carry one	Marking irrelevant — buy on condition
Is it pharma, infant nutrition or high-purity?	New, and usually stainless	Used or rebottled
Will it be inspected at a foreign port?	Some regimes reject visibly reconditioned units	Used or rebottled

New composite specification
Attribute	275 gallon	330 gallon
Capacity	275 gal / 1,000 L	330 gal / 1,250 L
Tare	125 lb	145 lb
Max gross mass	2,800 lb	3,300 lb
Test pressure	≥3.6 psi	≥3.6 psi
Marking	UN 31HA1	UN 31HA1
Regulated life	5 years	5 years
Bottle options	Natural, black UV, FDA, antistatic	Same
Lead time	5–15 business days	5–15 business days

Received wisdom, examined

Four things people believe that are wrong.

“New is always safer.”

Safer than an ungraded container. Not safer than a washed, leak-tested, documented Grade A with a known prior-contents record — the risk lives in the documentation, not the age.

“Specifications that say new were carefully considered.”

Most were inherited. Ask whether reconditioned units were ever actually excluded or simply never considered; in our experience it is the second about four times out of five.

“A new container has no environmental cost.”

88 kg of CO₂e, 190 gallons of process water, 10 gallons of crude-oil feedstock and 420 kWh before it holds a drop of anything. We publish that on this page because an honest supplier should.

“You cannot get new units quickly.”

Five to fifteen business days depending on configuration. If that is too slow, it is another sign the requirement is worth re-examining — rebottled ships in three to seven and used in one to three.

Asked and answered.

Further questions

Do you really try to talk people out of buying new?

Often. If the duty is site water, nutrient dosing, dust suppression or non-hazardous storage, a new container is three to four times the price and four times the embodied carbon for no functional gain. We would rather sell forty washed Grade B units and keep the customer.

What is the buy-back commitment?

Every new container we sell carries a standing offer to buy it back or collect it for reconditioning when you are finished with it. It is written into the quote, costs you nothing, and it is the only way selling new fits the rest of what we do.

Can I get antistatic or food-grade bottles?

Both, specified at quote time. Antistatic is a bottle specification with a conductive additive package and cannot be retrofitted, so it must be decided before the unit is built.

Go deeper

Twelve reference sheets, because you should not have to ask us for a number.

Specifications, grading definitions, prices, thread standards, flow rates, weights, gasket selection, wash chemistry, freight limits, circular-route arithmetic, failure modes and conversions. Open what you need; none of it is gated and none of it changes depending on who is asking.

Container specs16 rows

Every dimension for the two sizes that make up 93% of the market.

The two sizes that are 93% of the market
Attribute	275 gallon	330 gallon
Capacity	275 gal / 1,041 L	330 gal / 1,249 L
Footprint	48" × 40"	48" × 40"
Height	46"	53"
Tare weight	125–135 lb	140–155 lb
Gross, water	≈2,425 lb	≈2,900 lb
Max gross mass	2,800 lb	3,300 lb
Bottle mass	38–45 lb HDPE	45–52 lb HDPE
Cage + base mass	≈55 lb steel	≈62 lb steel
Stack, full	2 high	2 high
Stack, empty	4 high	4 high
Two-high stack height	92"	106"
Per 53′ van, volume	48	40
Per 53′ van, weight-limited	17 full	14 full
Fill opening	6" vented or solid	6" vented or solid
Discharge	2" butterfly, S60x6	2" butterfly, S60x6
Forklift entry	4-way	4-way

Grading standard10 rows

Our written definitions — the same ones printed on every quote.

Our written grading standard, in one table
	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C	Food grade
Wash	Documented	Documented	Rinse only	Documented + sanitise
Bottle	Clear–translucent	Light haze permitted	Heavy staining	Clear, odour-free
Odour	None	Faint, product-typical	May be present	None
Prior contents	Documented, benign	Documented	May be absent	Edible only, documented
Cage	Square, no node rust	Sound, cosmetic dings	Cosmetic damage OK	Sound
Gasket	New	New	As-is	New, FDA EPDM
Leak test	Passed, recorded	Passed, recorded	Not tested	Passed, recorded
Food contact	Only if food prior	No	Never	Yes
Price band, 275 gal	$165–$225	$110–$165	$60–$95	$225–$300
Share of our sales	18%	58%	17%	7%

2026 price bands8 rows

Published rather than extracted through a contact form.

2026 Mid-Atlantic price bands, 275 gallon
Type	Single unit	Pallet (4+)	Truckload (48)	Lead time
Grade C as-is	$60–$95	$56–$88	$52–$78	1–2 days
Grade B washed	$110–$165	$102–$152	$95–$140	1–3 days
Grade A rinsed	$165–$225	$153–$208	$140–$190	1–3 days
Food grade	$225–$300	$210–$278	$195–$260	2–5 days
Rebottled	$250–$340	$236–$316	$220–$295	3–7 days
New composite	$420–$560	$400–$530	$380–$500	5–15 days
Cage only	$35–$65	$32–$60	$30–$55	1–3 days
We pay you for empties	$15–$85	$20–$85	$28–$85	Collection ≤2 weeks

Threads & flow9 rows

Measured on our own line: full tote of water, vented lid, valve open.

Threads, adapters and gravity flow
Fitting	Specification	Initial flow	Time to empty 275 gal	Typical use
3" butterfly	3" flange, PP body	128 gpm	3.5 min	Batch dumping, viscous
2" butterfly	S60x6 outlet, EPDM seat	70 gpm	6.5 min	Standard discharge
2" camlock	S60x6 → 2″ male cam	62 gpm	7.2 min	Pump and transfer hose
2" NPT	S60x6 → 2″ male NPT	58 gpm	7.9 min	Rigid dosing plumbing
1" camlock	S60x6 → 1″ male cam	22 gpm	19.6 min	Drum filling, controlled
3/4" GHT	S60x6 → garden hose	9 gpm	45.8 min	Irrigation, wash-down
1/2" spigot	S60x6 → spigot	4 gpm	105 min	Hand filling, troughs
S60x6	60 mm OD, 6 mm pitch buttress	—	—	Modern standard outlet
S100x8	100 mm OD, 8 mm pitch	—	—	Legacy / EU — use a bushing

Weights by product10 rows

gallons × 8.34 × specific gravity + tare. The number people skip.

Gross weight by product — the calculation people skip
Product	SG	275 gal gross	330 gal gross	Stack?
Ethanol	0.79	1,940 lb	2,310 lb	Yes
Diesel / fuel oil	0.85	2,080 lb	2,480 lb	Yes — steel bin only
Vegetable oil	0.92	2,240 lb	2,670 lb	Yes
Water	1.00	2,425 lb	2,900 lb	Yes
Latex emulsion	1.05	2,540 lb	3,040 lb	With care
Brine 23%	1.20	2,880 lb	3,450 lb	No
Liquid fertiliser 28-0-0	1.28	3,065 lb	3,670 lb	No
Corn syrup 42 DE	1.33	3,180 lb	3,810 lb	No — partial fill
Sulphuric acid 50%	1.40	3,340 lb	4,000 lb	Partial fill
Sodium hydroxide 50%	1.52	3,615 lb	4,335 lb	Partial fill

Gasket selection10 rows

The cheapest decision in the specification, and the one most often wrong.

Gasket and wetted-part selection
Product family	Gasket	Valve body	Container	Avoid
Water, brine, glycol	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	—
Dilute acids	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	Brass, carbon steel
Caustics	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	Aluminium
Alcohols under 20% ABV	EPDM	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	—
Alcohols over 20% ABV	Viton	Stainless	Stainless bin	Poly bottles
Vegetable and mineral oils	Viton	Polypropylene	Poly IBC	EPDM gaskets
Fuels, diesel, kerosene	Viton	PP or stainless	Steel bin	Poly bottles
Aromatic solvents	Viton	Stainless	316L bin	All poly parts
Food ingredients	EPDM (FDA)	PP (FDA)	Food-grade poly	Non-FDA elastomers
Flavour, essence, botanical	Viton	Stainless	316L bin	Poly bottles

Wash cycles8 rows

The cycle follows the residue. A default cycle is how you get a clean-looking tote that smells.

Wash cycle by residue class
Residue	Cycle	Temp	Chemistry	Water	Cost	Outcome
Water-soluble benign	Cold triple rinse	Ambient	None	22 gal	$18–$28	Grade A/B
Sugars, syrups	Hot caustic + sanitise	148–156 °F	1.5% NaOH	45 gal	$35–$55	Food grade if prior allows
Proteins	Hot caustic + sanitise	150–158 °F	2% NaOH	48 gal	$40–$58	Food grade if prior allows
Oils, fats	Degrease + hot rinse	135–150 °F	Alkaline surfactant	52 gal	$45–$70	Grade A/B
Surfactants	Extended rinse + defoam	Ambient–120 °F	Defoamer	40 gal	$30–$48	Grade B only
Latex, emulsions	Mechanical + strip	125–140 °F	Alkaline	50 gal	$50–$75	Grade B/C
Acids, caustics	Neutralise + rinse	Ambient	Counter-agent	35 gal	$32–$50	Grade B
Unknown	Triple rinse, downgrade	Ambient	None	22 gal	$20–$30	Grade C only

Freight limits8 rows

Volume capacity and weight capacity are different numbers, and weight wins.

What fits on what — volume and weight limits
Vehicle	Full, 2 high	Weight-limited full	Empty, 4 high	Liftgate
53′ dry van	48	17	96	No
48′ flatbed	40	17	80	No
26′ box truck	24	8	48	Yes
16′ box truck	12	5	24	Yes
Sprinter van	4	2	8	Yes
20′ sea container	20	17	40	No
40′ sea container	42	17	84	No
Drop trailer, 53′	48	17	96	No

Circular routes7 rows

Ranked by burden avoided. Landfill is not on the list.

The seven circular routes, ranked by burden avoided
#	Route	CO₂e avoided	Water avoided	% of new-unit burden	Share of intake
1	Reuse as-is after rinse	88 kg	190 gal	100%	60.9%
2	Wash and return to service	83 kg	163 gal	94%	22.3%
3	Rebottle	55 kg	118 gal	62%	6.0%
4	Salvage cage for another unit	36 kg	76 gal	41%	3.0%
5	Upcycle into a built product	31 kg	66 gal	35%	0.9%
6	Granulate to HDPE regrind	30 kg	62 gal	34%	6.9%
7	Landfill	0 kg	0 gal	0%	0%

Failure modes8 rows

What actually retires a container and where each one goes afterwards.

What actually retires a container, and whether it is fixable
Failure	Where it starts	Share of retirements	Fixable?	Route
Bottle stress cracking	Base radius	41%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Freeze split	Mid-height, at the old liquid line	16%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Contamination beyond wash	Absorbed into the wall	14%	No	Granulate bottle, keep cage
Bottle deformation	Whole wall, from overfill or heat	11%	No	Rebottle
Cage node corrosion	Welded intersections, corner columns	10%	Sometimes	Mill the steel
Missing prior-contents record	Paperwork, not the container	8%	No	Grade C only
Base rail damage	Fork pockets	—	Yes, on steel	Repair or replace base
Gasket failure	Outlet and lid seals	—	Always	Replace, $4

Delivery corridors7 rows

If you sit on a route we already run, small loads become viable.

Scheduled corridors from 800 River Rd
Corridor	Key stops	Frequency	Minimum load	Buy-back
I-76 West	Conshohocken, King of Prussia, Reading, Harrisburg	2× weekly	4 units	Yes
I-95 South	Philadelphia, Chester, Wilmington, Baltimore	2× weekly	4 units	Yes
I-95 North	Trenton, New Brunswick, Newark, Elizabeth	Weekly	6 units	Yes
NE Extension	Lansdale, Quakertown, Allentown, Bethlehem	Weekly	6 units	Yes
US-30 West	West Chester, Downingtown, Lancaster, York	Weekly	6 units	Yes
US-202 North	Doylestown, New Hope, Flemington	Weekly	4 units	Yes
Delmarva	Dover, Salisbury, Easton	Fortnightly	10 units	By arrangement

Conversions12 rows

The arithmetic that comes up daily.

Conversions used every day in this yard
From	To	Multiply by	Worked example
US gallons	Litres	3.785	275 gal = 1,041 L
Litres	US gallons	0.2642	1,000 L = 264 gal
US gallons of water	Pounds	8.34	275 gal = 2,294 lb
Pounds	Kilograms	0.4536	2,425 lb = 1,100 kg
Inches	Millimetres	25.4	48" = 1,219 mm
Cubic feet	US gallons	7.481	51 ft³ = 381 gal
Cubic yards	Cubic feet	27	1.4 yd³ = 37.8 ft³
psi	Feet of head (water)	2.31	1.7 psi = 3.9 ft
Feet of head	psi	0.433	24 in stand = 0.87 psi
gpm	Litres per minute	3.785	70 gpm = 265 L/min
kg CO₂e	Miles not driven	2.5	88 kg = 220 miles
kg CO₂e	Mature trees, one year	0.0476	88 kg = 4.2 trees

Vocabulary, in twelve lines

IBC: Intermediate bulk container — anything between a drum and a tanker, in practice 110–550 gallons on a forkliftable base.
Composite IBC: An HDPE bottle inside a welded steel cage on a pallet base. The 275 and 330 gallon workhorses.
Tare: Empty weight of the container: 125–135 lb for a 275, 140–155 lb for a 330.
Gross mass: Container plus contents. Most 275s are rated to 2,800 lb; exceed it and the bottle bulges rather than bursts.
Node: A welded intersection in the cage where load actually transfers. The correct place to inspect.
S60x6: The standard outlet thread: 60 mm OD, 6 mm pitch buttress. Hand tight only.
Prior contents: What the container last held, logged against the original label. The single most consequential fact about any used tote.
Rebottle: A new HDPE bottle fitted into an inspected existing cage — virgin interior, 38% less embodied carbon than new.
Food grade: FDA-compliant resin plus an edible-only prior history plus a documented wash. All three, together.
UN 31HA1: Marking for a composite IBC approved for liquids. Belongs to the assembly and carries a service life.
Regrind: Granulated recycled HDPE. Post-industrial IBC regrind goes to pipe, conduit, pallets — never food contact.
Avoided burden: Environmental cost that did not occur because a container was reused instead of manufactured. Not an offset.

All 58 terms

The yard, in numbers

18,412: containers returned to service, rolling 12 months
91.9%: of intake leaves as a container, not as feedstock
1.62M kg: CO₂e avoided against a new-container baseline
543,000 lb: HDPE granulated into clean regrind in 2025
318,000 lb: steel baled to a regional mill in 2025
0 yd³: container material landfilled — six consecutive years
2,600: containers on the ground at the January peak
11%: of offered loads refused, and referred on
22: people at the Norristown yard, four of them drivers
6: states served by our own trucks

Where and when

IBC Totes PA LLC
800 River Rd
Norristown, PA 19406
hello@ibctotespa.com
quotes@ibctotespa.com
No telephone line — written quotes only.

Opening hours
Mon	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Tue	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Wed	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Thu	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Fri	7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Sat	8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sun	Closed

Next step

Every tote we keep alive is one that never gets made.

Get a written quote Sell us your empties

New totes. Sold reluctantly, supplied properly.

What you get, and what it costs the planet

Configurations we supply

Four questions that tell you whether new is required.

Does a written customer specification name a new container?

Is the liquid regulated for transport under DOT / UN rules?

Is it a pharma, infant or high-purity supply chain?

Will it be inspected on export at a foreign port?

Including the awkward one.

New IBC totes — FAQ

The middle option

Reading a UN marking

End-of-life buy-back

The figures behind this page.

The detail, in full.

Four things people believe that are wrong.

Asked and answered.

Further questions

Related reading.

The middle option

Reading the plate

End-of-life buy-back

Twelve reference sheets, because you should not have to ask us for a number.

Every tote we keep alive is one that never gets made.