Macro bins and harvest bins

Where the name comes from

In the trade, "macro bin" is used loosely for any large plastic harvest bin of this size. MacroBin, written as one word, is also a product name from Macro Plastics. The macroplastics.com site now redirects to IPL Schoeller, which lists the MacroBin range on its own pages. In this guide, MacroBin with a capital M means the maker's models; macro bin means the type.

A 2016 Fruit Growers News report said the MacroBin 29 was designed for Washington State apple growers and made at the company's Union Gap, Washington plant. If you grow or pack there, our Washington page covers the state in more detail.

How a harvest bin is built

One piece. A macro bin is molded as a single shell with no hinges or loose walls, so it shrugs off the knocks of a tractor-drawn trailer and a packhouse dumper. IPL Schoeller notes one-piece construction on its MacroBin 16NG Solid.

Vents. Full-vent models have large openings through the walls and floor. IPL Schoeller calls the MacroBin 29 Full Vent highly ventilated for cooling and says its 4848 AgriMax has vents for airflow and faster draining, useful when bins go through a hydrocooler or a wash flume. Solid models keep juice, soil and small product in; see vented or solid.

Stacking. Bins interlock top to base so a column stays put in a cold room. The 2016 report quoted Macro Plastics on the MacroBin 29's interlocking stacking and large vents. Depth. IPL Schoeller says the shallower MacroBin 16NG Solid is ideal for tender fruits and vegetables, which bruise under their own weight in a deep bin.

Macro bin models and sizes

IPL Schoeller lists MacroBin models 12, 14, 16NG, 24, 26, 26NG, 28, 29, 32, 32NG, 33, 34, 44 and 48, most in Full Vent and Solid versions. The table gives the ones whose dimensions we read; the 48x48 size page has more on this footprint. Heights are maximum external figures from the maker.

Weight, height and the figures we leave out

Published numbers drift. The 2016 report gave the MacroBin 29 as 48 by 48 by 28 in and 63 lb; IPL Schoeller's current page says 28.5 in and lists no weight. The same report quoted Macro Plastics saying the bin was approximately 30 lb lighter than comparable plastic harvest bins, a 2016 maker claim rather than a test we've seen. We quote the current maker page and note when an older figure differs.

You'll notice we don't give bushel equivalents or pounds of fruit per bin. None of the maker pages we read publish either, and fill weight depends on the crop, the grade and how full the picker goes. Your packer or co-op sets the fill standard; give us that and the bin model, and we'll work from there.

Who buys macro bins

Tree-fruit and vegetable growers, packers, cold stores and processors in agriculture. IPL Schoeller names citrus, peaches, pears, onions, sweet potatoes and pistachios for the AgriMax. Solid bins also move into food processing for staging and storage; for bins built mainly for plant use, see plastic bulk bins. Bins often travel by the truckload, since a grower filling an orchard block or a packer stocking a cold store tends to need them in volume.

On materials, IPL Schoeller says the MacroBin 29 Full Vent is "Made from FDA materials and also available with recycled content upon request." That describes new bins from the maker. We don't certify any bin for food, and a used one's history matters more than its original resin.

Used harvest bins: checks and losses

Used macro bins change hands when growers replant, change crops or merge operations, and many are sound for years. Bins also wander: a 2005 USDA marketing rule for South Florida avocados cited a committee estimate of more than 700 plastic field bins lost in a season. Branded or stamped bins are easier to recover, and ownership marks are something we check before we quote a used lot. Grades are set out in used container grades; see also used bulk bins and, to sell, selling harvest bins.

• Fork pockets and feet. Cracks here come from forks and dumpers. Look underneath.
• Vent bridges. The plastic between vents can split; a cracked bridge catches fruit.
• Stacking lugs. Worn lugs let a column shift in the cold room.
• Residue and history. Soil, rot and chemical residue: ask what the bin held and how it was washed.

What to send for a quote

Send it all through the quote form.

• Model if you know it, or outside size and height
• Full vent or solid, and the crop
• Packhouse dumper or line constraints
• Quantity (bins usually go by the truckload), new or used
• Food contact needs, and prior use for used bins