Never-filled containers

New IBC totes, when new is the right call.

Some specifications, some liquids and some auditors leave no room for a used container. When that is the case, request quotes for new totes from partner suppliers in our network.

Short answer

A new IBC tote has a never-filled HDPE bottle, a new steel cage and a new pallet base. Ask for new when a specification, food or potable use, or regulated transport requires it; otherwise a used or rebottled tote usually costs less.

Bottle: Never filled
Cage: New
Pricing: By quote
Fulfilled by: Partner suppliers

Work order · 90-second form

Specify a new tote order

Tell us what the totes are for and any specification you need to meet.

What a new tote includes

A new 275 gallon composite IBC typically comes with a never-filled HDPE bottle, a new welded tube-steel cage, a steel, composite or plastic pallet base, a factory-fitted discharge valve, a fill lid and a marking plate.

Making a new tote takes plastic, steel and energy. If your use does not need a new container, a reused one avoids that. When a new tote is finished with, it can be sold on, reconditioned or rebottled rather than thrown away.

Configurations to ask about

275 gal (1,000 L) and 330 gal (1,250 L) composite.
Natural translucent or black UV-stabilised bottle for outdoor use.
Butterfly, ball or camlock discharge; vented or solid fill lids.
Marking suitable for your liquid, if you transport regulated goods.

New composite IBC — typical 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
Stack load (full)	2 high	2 high

Decision guide

Four questions that tell you whether new is required.

If the answer to all four is no, ask for a used or rebottled quote as well.

Does a written specification name a new container?

Specifications are often inherited. Ask whether reconditioned units were ever actually excluded.

Is the liquid regulated for transport?

Then the container must be suitable and correctly marked for it. Check current regulations.

Will it hold food or drinking water?

Then use a new container suited to that use, and check current regulations.

Will it be inspected on export?

Some destinations reject reconditioned units. Check before you ship.

New tote questions

Asked and answered.

New IBC totes — FAQ

When do I actually need a new IBC tote?

Common reasons: a customer specification that names a new container, food or drinking-water use, a high-purity supply chain, or regulated transport where a reconditioned unit is not acceptable. Check current regulations for your use. Outside those cases, used or rebottled totes are often the better buy.

Is a new tote worth it for site water or storage?

Usually not. For site water, nutrient storage, dust suppression or non-hazardous storage, a washed used tote does the same job for less, and reusing it avoids making a new one. Ask for both quotes and compare.

What is a UN marking on an IBC?

A UN marking is a code on the container that identifies its type and the conditions it was approved for. Composite IBCs for liquids commonly carry a 31HA1 designation. Rules on service life and re-testing apply to regulated transport — check current regulations before relying on a marking.

How fast can new totes be supplied?

It depends on configuration and the supplier's stock. A partner supplier will give a lead time with the quote.

The middle option

A never-filled bottle on an inspected, reused cage.

Open

Used totes

Grade A, B and C for non-food duty.

Open

Selling totes later

Request an offer when you are finished with them.

Open

IBC reference · on every page

Reference sheets for the numbers people ask about most.

Specifications, grade descriptions, thread standards, weights, gasket selection, freight limits and conversions. Open what you need; none of it is gated.

Container specs14 rows

Typical dimensions for the two common composite sizes. Check the plate on a specific unit.

The two common composite IBC sizes
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
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

Grade descriptions6 rows

How grades are commonly described. Ask each supplier for their own written definition.

Common used-tote grade descriptions (definitions vary by supplier)
	Grade A	Grade B	Grade C
Cleaning	Washed or rinsed	Washed	Rinsed or as-is
Bottle	Clear to translucent	Light haze permitted	Staining likely
Odour	None	Faint, product-typical	May be present
Prior contents	Known, benign	Known	May be unknown
Cage	Square, little rust	Sound, cosmetic dents	Cosmetic damage
Typical use	Clean-water and general storage	Industrial and agricultural	Non-potable water, waste, rough duty

Threads & adapters9 rows

The outlet thread decides which adapter you need.

Threads and adapters
Fitting	Specification	Typical use
3" butterfly	3" flange, PP body	Batch dumping, viscous liquids
2" butterfly	S60x6 outlet, EPDM seat	Standard discharge
2" camlock	S60x6 → 2″ male cam	Pump and transfer hose
2" NPT	S60x6 → 2″ male NPT	Rigid plumbing
1" camlock	S60x6 → 1″ male cam	Controlled filling
3/4" GHT	S60x6 → garden hose	Irrigation, wash-down
1/2" spigot	S60x6 → spigot	Hand filling
S60x6	60 mm OD, 6 mm pitch buttress	Common modern outlet thread
S100x8	100 mm OD, 8 mm pitch	Older or European valves — 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 selection9 rows

General guidance only. Confirm compatibility with the product's SDS and your supplier.

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
Flavour, essence, botanical	Viton	Stainless	316L bin	Poly bottles

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

Conversions10 rows

The arithmetic that comes up daily.

Common conversions for IBC totes
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

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 — a never-filled interior on a reused frame.
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.
Reuse: Putting a container back into service instead of making a new one. It avoids the materials and energy a new container would need.

Full glossary

How quotes work

IBC Totes PA is a referral service. Send a request through the form and a partner supplier in our network follows up with pricing and availability for your area of Pennsylvania.

Request a quote

Next step

Reusing a tote avoids making a new one.

Request a quote Sell your empties