The workhorse

The 275 gallon IBC tote, specified down to the last inch.

This is the most common IBC size in North America, and there is a reason: it is exactly one GMA pallet footprint, exactly one forklift move, and exactly five 55-gallon drums of liquid without five times the handling.

Short answer

A 275 gallon IBC tote measures 48" × 40" × 46", weighs about 130 lb empty and 2,425 lb full of water, holds 1,041 litres, stacks two high loaded, and fits 48 per 53-foot dry van. It is the standard North American bulk liquid container.

Dimensions: 48" × 40" × 46"
Capacity: 275 gal / 1,041 L
Tare / gross: 130 lb / 2,425 lb
Per 53' van: 48

Work order · 90-second form

Price 275 gallon totes

Grade, quantity and ZIP code are enough for a partner supplier to quote.

Anatomy

Six parts, labelled.

Everything on a 275 is standardised, which is why adapters, covers, heaters, spill pallets and racking are all off-the-shelf parts rather than special orders.

Component specification — 275 gallon composite IBC
Component	Specification
Bottle	Blow-moulded HDPE, 38–45 lb, natural or UV-black
Cage	Welded tube steel, galvanised, 54 grid apertures typical
Pallet base	Steel, composite or plastic; 4-way forklift entry
Fill opening	6" coarse thread, vented or solid lid
Discharge	2" butterfly valve, S60x6 outlet with cap
Marking	UN 31HA1 where certified; moulded manufacture date
Working temperature	−4 °F to 140 °F for standard HDPE
Test pressure	≥ 3.6 psi (0.25 bar) for UN-marked units

Fill arithmetic

Weight at every fill level.

Printed here because somebody always asks mid-load, usually with a forklift already under it.

275 gallon IBC — gross weight by fill level and product density
Fill	Gallons	Water (1.0 SG)	Light oil (0.87)	Syrup (1.33)	Brine (1.20)
Empty	0	130 lb	130 lb	130 lb	130 lb
25%	69	705 lb	630 lb	895 lb	820 lb
50%	138	1,280 lb	1,130 lb	1,660 lb	1,510 lb
75%	206	1,850 lb	1,625 lb	2,415 lb	2,190 lb
100%	275	2,425 lb	2,125 lb	3,180 lb	2,880 lb

Freight

How many go on what.

275 gallon IBC — loading counts by vehicle
Vehicle	Full, 1 high	Full, 2 high	Empty, 4 high	Practical weight limit
53' dry van	24	48	96	17 full totes at 2,425 lb
48' flatbed	20	40	80	17 full totes
26' box truck (liftgate)	12	24	48	8 full totes
16' box truck	6	12	24	5 full totes
20' shipping container	10	20	40	17 full totes
40' shipping container	21	42	84	17 full totes

Note the gap between volume capacity and weight capacity. A 53-foot van holds 48 totes by volume, but 48 full water totes is 116,400 lb — nearly three times a legal payload. Full totes ship at around 17 per van; the two-high counts above apply to empties and to partial fills.

275 gallon questions

Dimensions and duty.

275 gallon IBC — FAQ

What are the exact dimensions of a 275 gallon IBC tote?

48 inches long by 40 inches wide by 46 inches tall, on a standard GMA pallet footprint. Small variations of an inch either way exist between manufacturers, mostly in height depending on the pallet base type. Internal bottle volume is 275 US gallons or 1,041 litres to the fill line, with a little freeboard above it.

How much does a full 275 gallon tote weigh?

With water, about 2,425 lb gross: 130 lb of empty container plus 2,295 lb of liquid. For any other product, multiply 275 by 8.34 by the specific gravity and add the tare. Most composite units are rated to a maximum gross mass of 2,800 lb, so anything above roughly 1.15 specific gravity needs a partial fill.

How many 275 gallon totes fit on a pallet rack?

One per pallet position, stacked two high if the beam and the floor allow. The 48 x 40 footprint fits a standard 8-foot beam pair two across with clearance. Two stacked units need 92 inches of clear height plus beam depth, which usually means a 9-foot opening.

Is a 275 gallon tote the same as a 1,000 litre tote?

Effectively yes. 1,000 litres is 264 US gallons, and the nominal 275 gallon designation includes a little headroom above the 1,000 litre fill line. European stock marked 1,000 L and American stock marked 275 gal are the same container with the same footprint, though the outlet thread may differ on older European units.

Compare to the 330

Same footprint, seven inches taller, 20% more product per handle.

Open

Buy used 275s

Grade A, B and C, through partner suppliers.

Open

275 gal vs five drums

Cost per gallon, handling time, spill interfaces and floor space.

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.

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Next step

Reusing a tote avoids making a new one.

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