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Reference · Glossary
48 terms from the container trade, defined plainly.
Every term used anywhere on this site, explained without assuming you already know what it means. Some are technical, some are yard slang, and a few are words the market uses so loosely that a definition is genuinely useful.
Short answer
From 31HA1 to yield: design-type codes, thread standards, cleaning chemistry, elastomers, freight terms and grading language, cross-linked to the pages that explain them in depth.
- Terms
- 48
- Letters
- 18
- Cross-links
- 17
- Updated
- 2026
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- Bale
- Compressed block of scrap steel produced when a cage is cut up at end of life, sold as mill feed. More →
- Blow moulding
- The process that forms an IBC inner bottle: a molten polymer parison is inflated against a mould, producing a single seamless vessel with no glued seams.
- Bottle
- The inner receptacle of a composite IBC, typically 42 lb of high-density polyethylene on a 275 gallon unit.
- Butterfly valve
- The standard IBC outlet valve: a disc rotating within the bore. Simple and reliable, but the disc restricts flow. More →
- Buttress thread
- An asymmetric sawtooth thread used on IBC outlets and caps, designed to resist axial load in one direction. S60x6 is the common designation.
- Cage
- The welded galvanised steel lattice that carries the load of a composite IBC. Around 88 lb including the pallet frame.
- Camlock
- Cam-and-groove quick-connect coupling. Types A through F describe the combination of male or female and thread or hose end.
- Caustic wash
- Heated alkaline cleaning stage used to break oil films and lift organic residue from a bottle wall. More →
- CIP
- Clean In Place. Cleaning a vessel without dismantling it, usually via a spray ball. Common on stainless IBCs in food and beverage.
- Composite IBC
- An IBC combining a rigid plastic inner receptacle with an outer metal frame — the standard 275 and 330 gallon tote.
- Crazing
- A network of fine cracks in polyethylene caused by solvent exposure or sustained stress. Invisible without a lamp and a reliable sign a bottle is finished. More →
- Cube
- External volume of a container in cubic feet, used for freight classification. About 51 cu ft for a 275 gallon tote.
- Design type
- The approved configuration a UN-rated container was tested and certified as. Repairs that depart from it invalidate the approval.
- Diversion statement
- A document showing how much material was diverted from landfill across reuse, rebottling, repair and reclaim for a given load or period. More →
- Dwell
- The contact time a cleaning chemistry is left in place. The step most often cut short, and the one that does most of the work.
- EPDM
- Ethylene propylene diene monomer. The general-purpose gasket elastomer: good with water, alkalis and glycols, poor with hydrocarbons.
- Ferrous
- Iron-bearing. Ferrous scrap from IBC cages goes to steel mill feed at end of life.
- Fill cap
- The screw closure on top of an IBC, usually 6 inches with a coarse thread. Vented versions prevent bottle collapse as contents cool.
- First flush
- The initial runoff from a roof in a rain event, carrying dust and debris. A diverter routes it away from a harvesting tank. More →
- Flake
- Granulated plastic produced by grinding a retired bottle, washed and sold as recycled HDPE feedstock.
- Food grade
- A container whose bottle is food-contact compliant, whose documented prior contents were edible or potable, which has been segregated from industrial stock, and which sits on a non-wood pallet. More →
- Four-way entry
- A pallet base a forklift can enter from all four sides. Standard on IBC bases.
- Galvanising
- Zinc coating applied to the steel cage for corrosion resistance. Wear at contact points is normal and not structural.
- GMA pallet
- The 48 by 40 inch grocery-industry pallet footprint that IBC bases are built to match.
- Gross weight
- The total permitted weight of a filled container including the container itself. Marked on the plate and not to be exceeded. More →
- HDPE
- High-density polyethylene. The polymer used for IBC inner bottles: tough, chemically resistant to most aqueous chemistry, and fully recyclable.
- Heel
- The residual product left in a container after discharge. Evacuated and captured under containment at intake.
- IBC
- Intermediate Bulk Container. A stackable, forkliftable, refillable vessel holding roughly 120 to 550 gallons. More →
- Leakproofness test
- Pressurising a sealed container with air and holding it to check for decay and leakage. Required periodically on containers in regulated service. More →
- LTL
- Less Than Truckload. Freight shipped in pallet positions rather than as a full trailer. Practical for small tote orders, expensive per unit.
- Manifold
- Linking several containers at the outlet so they fill and draw as a single vessel.
- Packing group
- The danger classification a container is approved for: I high, II medium, III low. Encoded as X, Y or Z in the design-type marking.
- Passivation
- Chemical treatment restoring the protective oxide layer on stainless steel after cleaning or fabrication.
- Pinwheel
- Loading pattern that alternates container orientation to fit more units across a trailer width.
- Rebottled
- A container fitted with a brand-new inner bottle inside a reclaimed and inspected cage and pallet. More →
- Reclaim
- End-of-life material recovery: bottles ground to flake, cages baled as steel, decks separated by material. More →
- Reconditioned
- A container whose original bottle has been washed, pressure tested and resealed, in an inspected and repaired cage. More →
- S60x6
- The common IBC outlet thread designation: roughly 60 mm across the crests with a 6 mm pitch, buttress profile.
- Stress whitening
- Localised pale discolouration in polyethylene indicating the material has been strained past its elastic limit. A rejection trigger.
- Tare weight
- The weight of the empty container. About 145 lb for a composite 275 gallon tote.
- Tote
- Industry shorthand for an intermediate bulk container, especially the 275 or 330 gallon composite type.
- Tri-clamp
- Sanitary ferrule connection used in food, beverage and pharmaceutical service. Quick to release and easy to clean.
- Triple rinse
- Three separate fill-agitate-drain rinse cycles with fresh water. Far more effective than one long rinse. More →
- UN marking
- The stamped design-type code identifying what a container is, what it may carry and when it was built. More →
- Viton (FKM)
- Fluoroelastomer gasket material for hydrocarbons, fuels, oils and aromatics. The correct choice where EPDM would swell.
- Yield
- The proportion of a retired container recovered as usable material. About 38 lb of flake from a 42 lb bottle after wash losses.
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Abbreviations
Codes and acronyms you will meet on paperwork.
| Code | Stands for | Where it appears | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31HA1 | Liquid IBC, composite, plastic inner, metal outer | Design-type plate | The standard composite tote |
| 31A | Liquid IBC, all metal | Design-type plate | Usually a stainless vessel |
| X / Y / Z | Packing group approval | Design-type plate | Which danger classes are permitted |
| PG I / II / III | Packing group | Shipping papers | High, medium or low danger |
| S60x6 | Buttress thread, 60 mm, 6 mm pitch | Outlet | Which adapter fits |
| S100x8 | Buttress thread, 100 mm, 8 mm pitch | Outlet | Larger and older units |
| GMA | Grocery Manufacturers Association pallet | Footprint spec | 48 × 40 inches |
| HDPE | High-density polyethylene | Bottle material | The polymer everything depends on |
| FKM | Fluoroelastomer (Viton) | Gasket spec | For hydrocarbons and aromatics |
| EPDM | Ethylene propylene diene monomer | Gasket spec | The general-purpose default |
| CIP | Clean in place | Food and beverage lines | Cleaning without dismantling |
| LTL | Less than truckload | Freight | Priced by pallet position |
| BOL | Bill of lading | Freight paperwork | Counts and destination |
| SDS | Safety data sheet | Chemistry | The right input for compatibility |
| ESC | Environmental stress cracking | Failure analysis | What causes crazing |
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| US gallons | Litres | 3.785 |
| Litres | US gallons | 0.264 |
| Inches | Millimetres | 25.4 |
| Pounds | Kilograms | 0.4536 |
| Cubic inches | Cubic feet | ÷ 1,728 |
| psi | kPa | 6.895 |
| Feet of head | psi | 0.433 |
| lb per gallon | kg per litre | 0.1198 |
Answered · 5 questions
Questions we get about this
01Why do sellers use the same words differently?
Because almost none of these terms are legally defined. Reconditioned in particular gets applied across a range from a nine-station wash line down to a hose and a sunny afternoon. Ask what a seller means by their own words rather than assuming.
02What is the difference between a bottle and a container?
The bottle is the inner receptacle — the blow-moulded HDPE vessel that holds the liquid. The container is the whole assembly: bottle, cage, pallet and closures. The bottle is the consumable; the cage almost never is.
03What does 31HA1 actually stand for?
31 means an IBC for liquids filled or discharged by gravity or pressure. H means rigid plastic. A means an outer metal frame. 1 identifies the design category. Together: a composite IBC for liquids — the standard tote.
04Is a tote the same as an IBC?
In North American usage, yes, and specifically a composite IBC. Tank and cube are used for the same object regionally. IBC is the formal term and covers a size class rather than one product.
05What is a heel?
The residual product left in a container after normal discharge. Always present, usually a few ounces, and it decides where the container can go and how much handling it needs.
Next step
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