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Size · 275 gal / 1000 L
The 275 gallon tote is the default for a reason.
It fits a GMA pallet footprint, clears almost every dock door in North America, racks in a standard bay, weighs under two and a half thousand pounds full of water, and loads fifty to a trailer. Every other format is a deviation from this one, and most of the time the deviation is not worth it.
Short answer
48" L × 40" W × 46" H, 145 lb tare, 2,500 lb gross rating, ~51 cubic feet, 45–52 per 53-foot van. Standard 2" outlet and 6" fill cap.
- Dimensions
- 48 × 40 × 46"
- Tare
- 145 lb
- Gross
- 2,500 lb
- Per trailer
- 45–52
Form 01 · Spec request
Price 275 gallon stock.
The most commonly stocked format in every grade we carry. Tell us grade, quantity and postal code for a delivered price.
Specification
The complete data sheet.
| Attribute | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal capacity | 275 US gallons / 1000 litres | Includes headspace; working fill is slightly less |
| External length | 48 inches | GMA pallet dimension |
| External width | 40 inches | GMA pallet dimension |
| External height | 46 inches | Allow 48 inches of clearance for cap and variance |
| External cube | ~51 cubic feet | Freight class planning figure |
| Tare weight | 145 lb | Composite cage, bottle and pallet |
| Gross weight rating | 2,500 lb | Check the plate; some designs differ |
| Full of water | ~2,435 lb | 8.34 lb per gallon |
| Inner bottle | 42 lb blow-moulded HDPE | Natural or black UV-stabilised |
| Cage & pallet | 88 lb galvanised steel | Composite, all-steel or all-plastic base |
| Fill opening | 6 inch coarse thread | Vented or solid cap |
| Outlet | 2 inch butterfly valve | 3 inch available on some units |
| Stacking, empty | 3 high | Level ground, aligned frames |
| Stacking, full | 2 high where rated | Never on a damaged cage |
| Typical UN marking | 31HA1/Y | Where rated for regulated liquids |
| Fluid | Approx. density | Weight of 275 gal | Gross with container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 8.34 lb/gal | 2,290 lb | 2,435 lb |
| Diesel fuel | 7.1 lb/gal | 1,950 lb | 2,095 lb |
| Motor oil | 7.4 lb/gal | 2,035 lb | 2,180 lb |
| Liquid fertiliser (28% UAN) | 10.7 lb/gal | 2,940 lb | 3,085 lb — exceeds rating |
| Brine (23% NaCl) | 9.9 lb/gal | 2,720 lb | 2,865 lb — exceeds rating |
| Corn syrup | 11.7 lb/gal | 3,215 lb | 3,360 lb — exceeds rating |
In context
How it compares.
Toggle the other formats to see the height difference to scale.
Compare
275gal / 1000 L
- L × W × H
- 48" × 40" × 46"
- Tare
- 145 lb
- Gross max
- 2,500 lb
The default. Fits 20 to a 53-ft van, two-high stacked.
330gal / 1250 L
- L × W × H
- 48" × 40" × 53"
- Tare
- 165 lb
- Gross max
- 3,000 lb
Same footprint, seven inches taller. Watch your dock door.
550gal / 2100 L
- L × W × H
- 48" × 46" × 65"
- Tare
- 285 lb
- Gross max
- 5,100 lb
Oversize. Usually steel-caged and shipped flatbed.
Choose 275 when
It is almost always the right answer
- You have standard racking, standard doors and standard forklifts
- The fluid is dense enough that a 330 would exceed its rating anyway
- You want maximum grade and stock availability — this is the format everyone has
- You need to double stack empties in a trailer or a warehouse
- The container will be handled by people who have handled thousands of them
Consider another
When a 275 is the wrong pick
- Light fluid and a shortage of floor space — a 330 gives 20% more volume on the same footprint.
- Very high volumes with flatbed access — 550 gallon reduces handling events.
- Solvents, aromatics or hot fills — go to stainless.
- Sites with genuinely tight clearance where even 46 inches is a problem — smaller formats exist.
Questions
275 gallon totes, answered.
01How tall is a 275 gallon IBC tote?
About 46 inches including the integrated pallet, with the fill cap adding another inch or two. Individual manufacturers vary by an inch either way, so allow 48 inches of clearance rather than 46 when planning a doorway or a rack bay.
02How much does a full 275 gallon tote weigh?
With water, roughly 2,435 pounds — 2,290 pounds of water plus about 145 pounds of container. Denser fluids reach the 2,500 pound gross rating before the tote is full, so check density before you fill.
03Why is it called 275 gallons when 1000 litres is 264?
The nominal figure includes headspace and reflects the total internal volume rather than the working fill. The container is designed in metric as a 1000 litre unit and marketed in the US as a 275, which is close enough for ordering and wrong enough to matter if you are calculating a batch.
04How many fit on a truck?
Forty-five to fifty-two floor loaded on a 53-foot van, and up to eighty double stacked when empty. That makes a full trailer the natural buying quantity for anyone with the space.
05Is a 275 the same footprint as a standard pallet?
Yes — 48 by 40 inches, matching a GMA pallet. That is deliberate; it means IBCs handle on the same equipment and rack in the same bays as everything else in a US warehouse.
Extended data
Handling, storage and freight figures for the 275.
| Configuration | Height | Floor area | Units per 1,000 sq ft | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, floor | 46 in | 13.3 sq ft | ~56 | Allow aisles |
| Two high, empty | 92 in | 13.3 sq ft | ~112 | Level ground, aligned frames |
| Three high, empty | 138 in | 13.3 sq ft | ~168 | Check building clear height |
| Two high, full where rated | 92 in | 13.3 sq ft | ~112 | Never on a damaged cage |
| Racked, single bay | 46 in + beam | — | By rack design | GMA footprint fits standard bays |
| Equipment | Floor loaded | Double stacked empty | Full of water | Limiting factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 ft dry van | 45–52 | Up to 80 | 18 | Space empty, weight full |
| 48 ft dry van | 40–46 | Up to 72 | 18 | Same |
| 26 ft box truck | 18–22 | Up to 34 | 8–10 | Interior height and payload |
| 53 ft flatbed | 45–50 | Not advised | 18 | Strapping and weather |
| LTL, 4 pallet positions | 4 | 8 | 4 | Pallet positions |
| Attribute | Typical | Range seen | Why it varies |
|---|---|---|---|
| External height | 46 in | 45–48 in | Cage design and base type |
| Tare weight | 145 lb | 132–165 lb | Base material, cage gauge |
| Gross rating | 2,500 lb | 2,200–2,700 lb | Design type and test regime |
| Bottle mass | 42 lb | 38–46 lb | Wall thickness and resin grade |
| Outlet size | 2 in | 2 or 3 in | Design family |
| Fill opening | 6 in | 6 or 9 in | Legacy designs use 9 in |
Extended FAQ · 6 questions
More questions, answered
01How tall is a 275 gallon container exactly?
About 46 inches including the integrated pallet, with the fill cap adding an inch or two. Manufacturers vary by an inch either way, so plan against 48 inches of clearance rather than 46.
02How much does a full 275 weigh?
With water, roughly 2,435 pounds — 2,290 pounds of water plus about 145 pounds of container. Denser fluids reach the 2,500 pound gross rating before the container is full.
03How many fit on a truck?
Forty-five to fifty-two floor loaded on a 53-foot van, up to eighty double stacked when empty. Full of water, weight caps a load at about eighteen units.
04Is the footprint the same as a standard pallet?
Yes — 48 by 40 inches, matching a GMA pallet. That is deliberate: it means containers handle on the same equipment and rack in the same bays as everything else in a US warehouse.
05What varies between manufacturers?
Height by an inch or two, tare from about 132 to 165 pounds depending on base material and cage gauge, gross rating from 2,200 to 2,700 pounds, and occasionally a nine-inch fill opening on legacy designs. Read the plate on any rated unit.
06Why is the 275 the default format?
It fits a GMA footprint, clears almost every dock door in North America, racks in a standard bay, weighs under two and a half thousand pounds full of water, and loads fifty to a trailer. Every other format is a deviation from it.
Next step
The most available format we stock.
Every grade, usually in quantity. Tell us the grade and the postal code and we will quote delivered.