48x45 containers

The footprint: which side is which

The 48 in side is the length; the 45 in side is the width. ORBIS spec sheets read 48 outside length and 45 outside width, yet the same pages call it a 45 x 48 footprint, so both names point at one box. Inside, ORBIS lists 44.5 x 41.5 in for its HDR4845 models and Buckhorn gives the same 44.5 x 41.5 in for the BN48453420. Walls and corner posts take about 3.5 in off each axis.

Doors follow the long side. On the HDR4845-25, ORBIS offers 0 or 2 access doors on the 48 in side only. The taller HDR4845-34 adds a V-shape 45 in door or wing walls, up to four doors in all. Buckhorn's BN48453420 comes with 0 or 2 drop doors on the length. If your line picks from the narrow end, say so early, because not every height takes a door there.

Heights and models makers list

Same footprint, different numbers. Two 34 in boxes from two makers do not share one capacity, tare or return ratio, so we quote per model and name the maker. ORBIS says its 4548 series runs to 17 SKUs from 19 to 50 in tall at 1,500 to 2,000 lb. Buckhorn rates its 48 x 45 line at 2,000 to 2,500 lb and sells 7 and 10 in extension rings for the BN484525 and BN484534 boxes.

Stack limits and the 53-foot trailer

Capacity is only half the rating. ORBIS puts the loaded HDR4845-25 at 6 high static and 4 high dynamic, the -34 at 6 static and 3 dynamic, and the fixed-wall HDRS4845-21 at 6 and 6. Those figures assume uniform loads; ORBIS notes that load spread, handling, door count and temperatures outside 0 to 120 F all change them. Our stacking limits guide covers how to read static against dynamic.

A 53-foot trailer is about 630 in long inside. Run the 48 in side down the trailer and 630 / 48 gives 13 rows with roughly 6 in spare; two across makes 26 floor spots. That math is ours, but it squares with the sheets: 78 HDR4845-34s is 26 spots three high, 104 HDR4845-25s is four high, and 130 fixed-wall HDRS4845-21s is five high.

Folded, ORBIS lists 208 of either collapsible per trailer and Buckhorn 234 of its BN48453420, so the empty leg carries two to three times as many boxes. A 2015 Logistics Management column put return freight as a major cost beyond roughly 500 miles, which is where folding walls earn their keep. See return ratio and trailer fill for mixed loads.

Container types made in 48x45

• Collapsible bulk containers: ORBIS HDR4845 and Buckhorn BN, BH and BR models. Walls fold onto the base; drop doors optional.
• Fixed-wall bulk bins and transport tubs: ORBIS HDRS4845 at 19.2, 21.2 and 24.9 in on an all-plastic picture-frame base, which ORBIS says suits heavy, dense components; Buckhorn BF4845 tubs from 12 to 26 in.
• Macro bins: IPL Schoeller lists the MacroBin 12 Solid at 45.0 x 48.0 x 17.0 in, a shallow harvest bin on this footprint.
• Straight-wall totes: ORBIS sizes StakPak and folding totes to the 45 x 48 pallet; six 24x15 totes make one layer.
• Lids and dunnage: the ORBIS CHDR4845 cover (48.9 x 45.8 x 3.7 in, 26.8 lb) fits HDRS4845-19/21/24 and HDR4845-25 through -50. Buckhorn pairs the BN48453420 with a TS48450300 lid and a DY48450900 steel dolly.

Who runs this footprint

Automotive first. ORBIS says its HDR series is used extensively by carmakers because it meets AIAG specifications, and that unitized loads go straight to the line with no unwrapping or unbanding. Buckhorn names automotive assembly, power equipment and appliance plants for the BN48453420. See automotive and manufacturing.

Off the plant floor, 48x45 boxes cycle through 3PL cross-docks feeding those plants, and the shallow macro bin version goes to growers. For food or beverage on GMA pallets, the 48x40 is usually the closer fit; our 48x40 vs 48x45 guide sets the two out side by side. Longer parts move up to 56x48; small dense ones drop to 32x30.

Buying used 48x45 containers

Used 48x45 collapsibles mostly come out of retired part programs, often a trailer of one model at a time. We grade every lot A, B or C and say what the letter means for that box; ORBIS itself grades returnables by condition rather than retiring them by age. More at used collapsible bulk containers and used container grades.

• Fold every wall once. A wall that will not lock upright will not hold a dynamic stack.
• Open and shut each drop door; check the hinge knuckles for cracks first.
• Look at the deck around the center foot (HDR) or along the picture-frame rails (HDRS) for star cracks.
• Check fork entries for gouges, and old ID plates or placards that show the box belongs to someone's pool.
• Selling idle ones instead? Start at sell collapsible bulk containers.

What to tell us for a 48x45 quote

Send it through the quote form. We answer with a model, the maker's own figures and freight quoted per load.

• Height, or the tallest part going in. ORBIS product clearance is 14.5 in on the HDRS4845-21, 18.4 in on the HDR4845-25 and 27.2 in on the -34.
• Collapsible or fixed wall, and doors on the 48 in side, the 45 in side, or none.
• Weight per full box and how high you stack, in storage and on the truck.
• New, used or refurbished, and the lowest grade you will accept.
• Count in boxes or trailers, the delivery ZIP, and what the boxes will carry.