Sizes & specs · 03
Everything is 48 by 40 until it isn't.
Ask about a specific size
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The full chart
Eight capacities, honestly labelled.
Two of these you will see constantly, three occasionally, and three almost never — but when you do meet a 793-gallon tank on a skid it helps to know it is not a tote and should not be handled like one.
| Capacity | Litres | L × W × H (in) | L × W × H (mm) | Tare | Max gross | Pallet | Per 53′ trailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120 gal | 454 L | 40 × 48 × 32 | 1016 × 1219 × 813 | 88 lb | 1,150 lb | Composite or plastic | 48 |
| 180 gal | 681 L | 40 × 48 × 39 | 1016 × 1219 × 991 | 104 lb | 1,750 lb | Composite or steel | 44 |
| 220 gal | 833 L | 40 × 48 × 42 | 1016 × 1219 × 1067 | 115 lb | 2,100 lb | Composite or steel | 40 |
| 275 gal | 1041 L | 48 × 40 × 46 | 1219 × 1016 × 1168 | 130 lb | 2,650 lb | Steel, composite or wood | 40 |
| 330 gal | 1249 L | 48 × 40 × 53 | 1219 × 1016 × 1346 | 148 lb | 3,000 lb | Steel or composite | 40 |
| 350 gal | 1325 L | 48 × 40 × 55 | 1219 × 1016 × 1397 | 158 lb | 3,200 lb | Steel | 40 |
| 550 gal | 2082 L | 66 × 46 × 54 | 1676 × 1168 × 1372 | 245 lb | 5,100 lb | Integrated skid | 20 |
| 793 gal | 3002 L | 78 × 52 × 62 | 1981 × 1321 × 1575 | 320 lb | 7,400 lb | Integrated skid | 14 |
120 gal · 454 L
Half-height. Popular where a forklift-free doorway or a 36-inch bench height decides everything.
180 gal · 681 L
Uncommon new, but turns up constantly in the used market from flavour and fragrance houses.
220 gal · 833 L
The compromise size for dense product — a full 220 of 1.4 SG acid still fits a standard pallet position.
275 gal · 1041 L
The North American default. If someone says “a tote” with no other qualifier, this is what they mean.
330 gal · 1249 L
Same footprint as the 275, seven inches taller. Free capacity if your door height and your racking allow it.
350 gal · 1325 L
Rare. Usually a European import on a 1200 × 1000 mm base — measure before you commit to racking.
550 gal · 2082 L
Beyond caged-composite territory. Almost always a cross-linked or HDPE tank on a steel skid.
793 gal · 3002 L
A 3,000-litre bulk tank. Handle it as a tank, not a tote: it needs a 6,000 lb forklift and a level pad.
The calculation people get wrong
A tote's capacity is not the same as what you may put in it.
Gallons measure volume. Gross-mass markings measure weight. For anything denser than water those two numbers stop agreeing, and the marking wins.
| Product | Specific gravity | Full weight | Within a 2,650 lb marking? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water / most aqueous cleaners | 1.00 | 2,425 lb | Yes |
| Ethanol, IPA, most solvents | 0.79 | 1,943 lb | Yes |
| Used cooking oil | 0.92 | 2,241 lb | Yes |
| Latex paint | 1.28 | 3,067 lb | No — over by 417 lb |
| Sodium hydroxide 50% | 1.53 | 3,641 lb | No — over by 991 lb |
| Sulphuric acid 93% | 1.83 | 4,330 lb | No — over by 1,680 lb |
| Liquid fertiliser 10-34-0 | 1.38 | 3,297 lb | No — over by 647 lb |
| Glycerine | 1.26 | 3,022 lb | No — over by 372 lb |
The formula
Full weight in pounds = gallons × 8.345 × specific gravity + tare. A 275 of 93% sulphuric acid comes to roughly 4,330 lb, which is 1,680 lb over a typical 2,650 lb marking. This is exactly why dense products ship in 220s and 120s rather than 275s — the container runs out of permitted mass long before it runs out of volume.
Go deeper
Five reference pages, all of them useful.
Most common
275 Gallon IBC Tote
The 1,041-litre North American standard: dimensions, weights, stacking, fittings and what it actually costs used.
Full spec
High volume
330 Gallon IBC Tote
Same footprint, seven inches taller, 55 gallons more per pallet position. When that is free capacity and when it is a doorway problem.
Full spec
Reference
Dimensions & Weight Chart
The printable master table: every capacity, both unit systems, tare, gross, pallet type and truck count.
Open the chart
Free tool
UN Marking Decoder
Paste the stamp off the side of any tote and read every field back in plain English. Our signature tool.
Decode a marking
Detail
Pallet Types Compared
Steel, composite and wood bases — durability, export rules, food suitability and what each does to the tare.
Compare bases
Reference
Gallons ↔ Litres
The conversion table, plus why a “1,000 litre” tote is sold as 275 gallons when the maths says 264.
Convert
Spec questions
The ones that come up constantly.
What are the dimensions of a 275-gallon IBC tote?
48 inches long by 40 inches wide by 46 inches high (1219 × 1016 × 1168 mm), on a standard 48×40 pallet footprint. Empty weight is about 130 lb with a steel pallet base, and the usual maximum gross mass marking is 2,650 lb.
What is the difference between a 275 and a 330 gallon tote?
Only the height. Both sit on the same 48 × 40 inch footprint, so they occupy identical floor space and truck positions. The 330 is roughly seven inches taller and about 18 lb heavier empty. If your door height, racking and forklift mast allow it, the extra 55 gallons per position is free capacity.
How much does a full IBC tote weigh?
For water, a full 275-gallon tote weighs about 2,425 lb including the container. Multiply the specific gravity of your product by 2,295 lb and add the 130 lb tare. A tote of 93% sulphuric acid at 1.83 SG comes to roughly 4,330 lb — well over the usual 2,650 lb gross-mass marking, which is exactly why dense products go in smaller totes.
What does UN 31HA1 mean?
31 means a rigid IBC intended for liquids. H means the inner receptacle is plastics. A means the outer casing is steel. The trailing 1 means the inner receptacle is rigid. Together: the standard caged composite tote — an HDPE bottle inside a welded galvanised steel cage. Paste your full marking into our decoder and it will read every field back to you.
How many totes can I stack?
Read the stacking test load off the UN plate and divide by the gross mass of one filled tote, then subtract one for the unit on the floor. A plate reading 2,500 kg stacking load with 1,200 kg filled units gives you two high. A stacking load of 0 means nothing may go on top of it in transport, full stop.
Still not sure which size?
Tell us the product, its specific gravity and where it has to fit. Sizing a tote badly is expensive in a way that only shows up on the third delivery.
