Tote sizes and types

Sizes and types side by side

The 0.3% limit, size by size

The one-inch test works on any caged tote with a floor of about 48 by 40 inches. The Empty Check runs both. A 275 gallon tote is equal to five 55-gallon drums, and a 330 gallon tote to six, according to the IBC specifications page.

Which one to ask about

Ask about the size you have. If you have a mix, say so on the request and give the count of each. If the tote is not caged, an all-plastic, metal or bag-in-box tote, the type page says how it goes and whether we take it.

Choosing between caged and the rest

Four types are on the list, but this site works mainly with caged totes. The other three are described so a reader can tell what they have. If you have a metal, all-plastic or bag-in-box tote, ask rather than assume.

Where each type is described further

The caged tote page explains the plate and the stacking rules. The all-plastic page explains the wall. The metal page covers flammables. The bag-in-box page covers the liner. Each links back here, so the table above is the map.

Reading the table with a tote in front of you

Measure the base first. A base of 48 by 40 inches with a steel cage is a caged tote. Then measure the height: 46 inches suggests 275 gallons, 53 inches suggests 330. A tote with no cage and a thick molded wall is all-plastic. Anything made of steel sheet is metal. A cardboard cradle with a liner is bag-in-box.

In this section

• 275 gallonA 275 gallon tote is 48 by 40 by 46 inches. Its RCRA-empty limit is one inch or about 6.9 pounds of water-weight residue by the 0.3% test.
• 330 gallonA 330 gallon tote is 48 by 40 by 53 inches, about 1,250 liters. Its 0.3% RCRA-empty limit is about 1 gallon. See how it recycles.
• CagedA caged IBC tote is an HDPE bottle in a galvanized steel cage on a 48 by 40 inch pallet. See how it splits into regrind and steel.
• All-plasticAn all-plastic IBC tote is rotationally molded polyethylene with a half-inch wall and no steel cage. See how it recycles as regrind.
• MetalA metal IBC tote is carbon or stainless steel, often UL 142 approved. See how it goes to scrap metal, and how it differs from caged totes.
• Bag-in-boxA bag-in-box tote is an inner liner in a cardboard cradle, up to 950 liters, single use. See what recycles and what does not.