Euro stacking containers

The module behind the box

A 1200x800 mm Euro pallet divides cleanly into 600x400 mm quarters, and each quarter splits again into 400x300 mm halves. Euro containers are sized to those fractions. SSI Schaefer describes its polypropylene Euro range as running from 200 x 150 mm up to 800 x 600 mm at the base, designed to match Euro pallets, for manual, semi-automated and fully automated storage.

The payoff is mixing. A 400x300 box stacks on a 600x400 box of the same family, so a picker can build one column from two sizes without overhang. In North America you'll see this footprint on automotive parts from European suppliers and in automated systems built by European engineering firms. Our size pages cover 600x400 mm and 400x300 mm in depth.

KLT, Euro box and Galia: what the names mean

KLT is the German abbreviation for small load carrier. IPL Schoeller says its R-KLT line is standardized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), and labels the deeper version "RL-KLT according to VDA norm 4500". The point of a shared standard is that boxes built to it behave alike on racks, conveyors and pallets, whoever molded them; still, confirm interlocking with samples.

Euro container is the general name for a straight-sided box on the module. IPL Schoeller groups VDA KLT and Galia boxes under automotive logistics standards and lists its Euro containers separately as Euro pallet compatible. Galia is the French automotive counterpart of the VDA standard; when a customer specifies either, give us the full designation printed on the drawing.

Euro container models with inch conversions

Metric names don't always round neatly to inches. IPL Schoeller's 600x400 KLT lists as 23.4 x 15.6 in outside, slightly under the nominal module. ORBIS designed its GS6040 tote on a metric footprint, publishes it as 23.6 x 15.8 in, and warns that the model name does not correspond to inches. Measure before mixing lots.

Load and temperature: read the line, not the headline

IPL Schoeller states that "The R series has a maximum load of 20kg/container." That is about 44 lb, modest next to many US hand-held totes, so heavy castings may need a different box. The same product page carries two temperature statements that disagree: the text says the KLT stays dimensionally stable from -20 to +100 C, while the spec line gives an operating range of -4 F to 104 F (-20 to 40 C). If your process runs hot, ask for the maker's written figure for that exact part number.

Closed walls keep small parts and fluids in. Perforated or grid walls let wash water drain and air move, which suits parts washing and some food uses. The R-KLT boxes above have drain holes in the base even with solid sides. Our guide to vented versus solid walls covers the trade-off.

Lids, metric totes and automated storage

Covers are sized to the module too. IPL Schoeller's RD43 lid, listed at 15.6 x 11.7 x 1.1 in, is made for its 400x300 KLT series, both R-KLT and RL-KLT. A lid keeps dust off machined parts in a supermarket rack and lets a column ship as a sealed unit. Lids rarely cross brands, so name the box model when you ask for one, or see lids, dividers and dunnage.

Not every metric box is straight-sided. ORBIS builds a stack-and-nest tote on a metric base, which gives the pallet fit of the module with the empty savings of a tapered wall. For shuttle, miniload or robot cells, the outside dimensions, base design and label position are dictated by the system integrator; bring their drawing, since a few millimetres of bulge or a ribbed underside can stop a box from running.

Where Euro containers are used

If a program only needs a durable stacking tote and doesn't run on metric equipment, an inch-footprint stacking crate may be simpler to source in the US.

• Automotive supply chains that follow VDA or Galia packaging specs
• Manufacturing kitting, line-side bins and work-in-process
• Distribution sites with shuttles, conveyors or automated storage
• Export programs shipping to or from European plants

Used Euro boxes and what to send for a quote

Used KLTs appear when a European-sourced part program ends. Check that base feet still lock into the box below, that drain holes are clear, and that label holders are intact, since automated systems often read those labels. Grades are explained in used container grades, sourcing on buying used.

• Metric size (length x width x height in mm) and any VDA or Galia designation
• Closed, perforated or grid walls; lid needed or not
• Load per box and stacking height
• Automation or conveyor use, label holder needs
• Quantity, new or used, and food contact needs