The workhorse

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

Seven in ten containers in this yard are this size, 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, delivery zip — that's all we need for a written number.

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 stock on the ground in Norristown.

Open

275 gal vs five drums

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

Open

A single clean 275 gallon composite IBC tote on a black plastic pallet, showing the steel cage, fill lid and blue-handled discharge valve

The yard

The North American standard

By the numbers

The figures behind this page.

7 in 10: containers in this yard; The North American standard, by a wide margin
5: drums replaced by one tote; Five lifts, five connections and five spill interfaces become one
6–8 min: to gravity drain; 2" butterfly, vented lid, full of water
8 min vs 35: transfer time against drums; About 23 hours a year on one weekly product line

Reference

The detail, in full.

One 275 gallon tote against five 55-gallon drums
Metric	1 × IBC	5 × drums	Winner
Purchase, reconditioned	$140	$225	Tote
Cost per gallon of capacity	$0.51	$0.82	Tote
Handling events	1	5	Tote
Spill interfaces	1	5	Tote
Transfer time, 275 gal	8 min	35 min	Tote
Floor space with access	13.3 ft²	≈22 ft²	Tote
Equipment needed	Forklift	Drum dolly	Drums
Divisible across sites	Poor	Excellent	Drums
Residual value empty	$15–$85	$4–$12 each	Tote
Embodied CO₂e, new	88 kg	≈105 kg	Tote

Loading counts, 275 gallon, by vehicle
Vehicle	Full, 1 high	Full, 2 high	Empty, 4 high	Weight-limited full
53′ dry van	24	48	96	17
48′ flatbed	20	40	80	17
26′ box truck	12	24	48	8
16′ box truck	6	12	24	5
20′ sea container	10	20	40	17
40′ sea container	21	42	84	17

Received wisdom, examined

Four things people believe that are wrong.

“275 and 1,000 litres are different containers.”

They are the same container. 1,000 litres is 264 US gallons, and the nominal 275 designation includes headroom above the fill line. European stock marked 1,000 L and American stock marked 275 gal share a footprint — though older European units may use an S100x8 outlet thread.

“The valve is the bottleneck when draining.”

Usually the lid is. Drain through a fully open 2-inch butterfly with a sealed lid and average flow falls 55%, because the container fights its own partial vacuum. A vented 6-inch lid costs a few dollars and roughly doubles the rate.

“You can fill any product to the top.”

Only up to about 1.15 specific gravity. Beyond that a full container exceeds its 2,800 lb rating and the failure is a slow bulge rather than a burst — which makes it easy to miss until the cage is out of square.

“All 275 gallon cages take the same bottle.”

Grid patterns differ — commonly 54, 60 or 72 apertures on the long face. A mismatched bottle bulges through the wider openings and abrades against the tube edges over months. Count the apertures before ordering a replacement bottle.

Asked and answered.

Further questions

How much does an empty 275 gallon tote weigh?

125 to 135 lb depending on pallet base material. A steel base adds roughly 10 lb over composite; a plastic base saves about 8 lb. That range matters when you are planning a van of empties — 96 of them is about 12,500 lb, which is why empty backhauls are so cheap.

What pressure can a 275 gallon composite tote take?

It is a gravity-discharge container, not a pressure vessel. UN-marked units carry a test pressure of about 3.6 psi, which is a proof test rather than a working rating. Never put shop air into one to accelerate a transfer — polyethylene fails by ductile tearing and compressed air releases its stored energy through that tear all at once.

Can I use one for potable water?

For emergency non-potable supply, a food-grade unit with a new gasket and valve is appropriate. For genuinely potable use, specify a single-trip food-grade container that previously held a water-soluble edible product, plus a sanitising rinse before filling. For a public water system we recommend new and will say so.

How many fit in a shipping container?

Twenty in a 20-foot and 42 in a 40-foot, stacked two high, if they are empty or partially filled. Full of liquid, weight governs at about 17 in either — which is why export shipments of full containers are almost always weight-limited rather than volume-limited.

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

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

Six parts, labelled.

Weight at every fill level.

How many go on what.

Dimensions and duty.

275 gallon IBC — FAQ

Compare to the 330

Buy used 275s

275 gal vs five drums

The figures behind this page.

The detail, in full.

Four things people believe that are wrong.

Asked and answered.

Further questions

Related reading.

Compare to the 330

Totes versus drums

Buy used 275s

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.