Plastic crates and bulk bins in South Carolina

Inland Port Greer and the I-26 link

The South Carolina Ports Authority runs Inland Port Greer in the Upstate, served by Norfolk Southern with an overnight express rail shuttle to the Port of Charleston six days a week. Charleston ranked 27th among US ports by 2023 total trade. For the containers we quote, the practical route is I-26, which runs from Charleston through Columbia to Spartanburg, where it crosses I-85.

That rail and road setup moves export vehicles, import parts and international containers between the coast and the Upstate plants. Returnable packaging moves in the same lanes. A supplier in Spartanburg shipping parts to a plant near Charleston and getting empties back is running a closed loop of roughly 200 miles each way, which is where nested or folded containers start to save money on the return.

Plants across the state

BMW builds vehicles in Greer, Mercedes-Benz builds vans in Ladson near Charleston, and Volvo Cars builds in Ridgeville. Freightliner Custom Chassis builds in Gaffney, up I-85 from Spartanburg. Each plant draws on tiers of suppliers that ship in returnable containers.

The bulk footprint for most programs is 48x45. ORBIS calls its 48x45 BulkPak the AIAG standard and offers 17 heights from about 19 to 50 inches at 1,500 to 2,000 lb. Two drop doors on the long side let a line worker reach parts at the bottom, a picture-frame base rides smoothly on roller conveyors, and a lid keeps dust off. Small parts go into hand-held euro containers sized in millimeters, often with fitted dunnage.

What South Carolina buyers ask for

Import parts and repacking near Charleston

Plants close to a seaport receive many parts from overseas. Those parts often arrive in expendable packaging, cardboard or wood, then get repacked at a nearby warehouse into returnable containers that suit the assembly line. That repack step is a steady buyer of euro containers, collapsibles and dunnage.

European-built programs often specify containers sized in millimeters rather than inches: 600x400, 400x300 and 300x200 footprints, with heights that suit flow racks. Those modules fit evenly onto a 1200x800 or 1200x1000 pallet, and also onto a 48x40 when arranged with a little overhang or gap. If your program uses a European standard such as the VDA small-load carrier family, send the type number and we'll match it.

Matching a supplier program

Every program writes its own packaging spec, and receiving docks reject boxes that don't match. When you ask for a quote, send the spec or the existing container's maker and model. We'll quote that container or a close equivalent and list any differences: height, door position, base style, tare weight, lid type, placard holders or color.

Used and refurbished collapsibles suit many programs and cost less than new. We grade them A, B or C and say what that means for each unit, from cosmetic scuffs to welded repairs. Dunnage is part-specific, so we quote shells and inserts separately; many suppliers reuse shells across programs and buy new dunnage each time. Read used container grades for detail.

Peaches and poultry

Peaches were South Carolina's second-largest crop in 2025 at about $131 million in value of production, and the state produced about 237 million broilers. Peaches bruise under their own weight, so growers pick into shallow vented crates or low bins and cross-stack them so the upper crate rests on the rim, never the fruit. Poultry plants need washable lugs and combo bins with smooth interiors and resin that handles cold rooms. For product contact we never call a used box food-grade; ask the maker's papers and tell us what it held.

LTL, truckload and selling surplus

I-85 crosses the Upstate from Georgia to Charlotte, I-26 drops to Charleston, I-95 runs the eastern half of the state, I-20 links Columbia to Florence and Augusta, and I-77 heads north from Columbia to Charlotte. A few pallets of euro bins ship LTL; a program launch of collapsibles is a truckload. ORBIS lists 240 folded GP4048-34 containers per 53-foot trailer versus 90 assembled.

When a program ends, we buy the surplus: collapsibles with or without dunnage, euro bins, crates and totes. Send counts, model, grade and location. Start at sell collapsibles.