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Guide · Buying
Twenty-two checks, ten minutes, in this order.
This is the sequence our graders use on inbound loads, written out so you can use it on ours or on anyone else's. The order is deliberate: paperwork first, because a container that fails section A cannot be rescued by a perfect physical condition, and there is no point inspecting a bottle you are not allowed to use.
Short answer
Four sections in order: A paperwork and provenance, B the inner bottle, C cage and base, D closures and logistics. Section A decides whether the rest matters.
- Checks
- 22
- Time
- ~10 min
- Sample
- 5–6 units
- Start with
- Paperwork
Form 01 · Spec request
Want us to grade it for you?
Every container we sell is graded against this list before it ships, and defects are described before you pay. Ask for the grade split on any load.
A
Paperwork and provenance
Do this first. If it fails, nothing else matters.
- A1Prior contents are documented, not described from memory
- A2For food service: prior contents are edible or potable, and evidence exists
- A3The UN design-type plate is present and fully legible, if the container will carry regulated cargo
- A4Manufacture date on the plate is recorded and the periodic-test clock is understood
- A5Last leakproofness test date is known, where regulated service is intended
- A6The seller can state the grade definition they are using — A, B, C or reconditioned
B
The inner bottle
A torch through the fill opening finds most of it.
- B1No crazing — the fine crack network that indicates solvent or stress damage
- B2No stress whitening at corners or around the outlet boss
- B3No permanent deformation from a hot fill or a freeze cycle
- B4No residual odour after the container has been open for a few minutes
- B5No greasy film returning on the wall as it dries
- B6Staining noted but not treated as a defect — it is colour, not contamination
C
Cage and base
Structural, and the part most likely to be repairable.
- C1Bars straight; note any that are bowed or previously straightened
- C2Welds intact at the corners and at load-bearing joints
- C3Galvanising largely intact, with no corrosion through the tube
- C4Base feet not crushed, spread or torn
- C5Deck sound, with no split boards or delamination
- C6Container sits level on flat ground without rocking
- C7Fork pockets undeformed and clear
D
Closures and logistics
Cheap to fix, expensive to discover late.
- D1Valve present and operating through its full travel
- D2Outlet cap present, with a gasket in serviceable condition
- D3Fill lid present, and vented or solid as your application needs
- D4Outlet thread identified and confirmed to match your equipment
- D5Height confirmed against your doors, racking and vehicle
- D6Delivery access, forklift availability and receiving hours agreed in writing
Questions
Inspection, answered.
01How long does this take?
About ten minutes for a representative sample, and you should not need to inspect every unit in a load. Check five or six across the pallet range; if the sample is consistent, the load usually is.
02What if I am buying sight unseen?
Ask for photographs of a representative sample including one plate, and ask the seller to answer sections A and D in writing. A seller who will not do that is telling you something.
03Which check matters most?
Section A, without question. Prior contents determine what the container may legally and safely be used for, and no amount of physical inspection substitutes for it.
04Can I skip the interior inspection?
No. Crazing and stress whitening are invisible from outside and are the two defects that most reliably end a container's working life. A torch through the fill opening takes fifteen seconds.
Field reference
Defect recognition, in one table.
What each defect looks like, what causes it, whether it is recoverable and what it should do to the price.
| Defect | Where to look | Appearance | Cause | Recoverable? | Effect on price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crazing | Corners, outlet boss, shoulders | Silvery frost at a shallow light angle | Chemistry plus sustained stress | No | Bottle is finished |
| Stress whitening | Corners, base area | Pale chalky patches | Strained past the elastic limit | No | Bottle is finished |
| Permanent deformation | Overall geometry | Walls no longer parallel | Hot fill or freeze | No | Not stackable, not rated |
| Retained odour | Open cap after 24 h | Smell of prior product | Absorbed chemistry | No | Reuse only for non-critical duty |
| Persistent film | Wall as it dries | Returning sheen | Absorbed or heavy residue | Sometimes | May recover on a second cycle |
| Colour staining | Anywhere | Permanent colour | Dyes, iron, organics | N/A — cosmetic | Grade only |
| Bowed cage bar | Any bar | Visible bend | Forklift contact | Yes, jig | Minor |
| Cracked weld | Corner joints | Line at a joint | Impact or fatigue | Usually | Minor to moderate |
| Through-corrosion | Undersides, joints | Perforation, flaking scale | Trapped water | Localised only | Significant |
| Crushed feet | Base | Splayed or flattened | Drop or overload | Usually | Moderate |
| Split deck | Base deck | Cracked or missing boards | Overload | Yes, re-deck | Minor |
| Illegible plate | Cage frame | Painted, blasted, missing | Careless cleaning | No | Ends regulated use permanently |
| Load size | Units to inspect | Where from | What consistency tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 | 3 | Spread across the stack | Whether it was graded |
| 10–40 | 5 | Different stacks and heights | Whether the grade claim holds |
| 40–80 | 6–8 | Include the back of the load | Whether it is single-source |
| 80+ | 8–10 | Random across the whole load | Whether the seller sorts |
| Sight unseen | Photographs of 5–6 | Ask for a spread | Whether the seller will provide them |
Next step
Or let someone else run the checklist.
Every container we ship has been through this list and its defects are described before you pay. That is what grading honestly means.