48x48 containers

Square, and not always a full 48 in

A square bin has no long side, so it can sit either way on a trailer floor or in a cold-room row. The catch is the decimal. The MacroBin 29 Full Vent and the MacroBin 48 Solid measure a full 48.0 x 48.0 in, but the 4848 AgriMax is 47.7 x 47.7 in (IPL's model name says 1213 mm), the MacroBin 26NG is 47.75 in square and the 16NG is 47.13 in. Those fractions decide whether two makers' bins stack together, so match by model, not by the word 48.

Bins near this size are not all square either. IPL also lists the MacroBin 32 Full Vent at 44.75 x 48.25 in and the MacroBin 12 Solid at 45.0 x 48.0 in, which is the automotive 48x45 outline.

Square bins by model

One figure conflicts. A 2016 Fruit Growers News report gave the MacroBin 29 as 48 by 48 by 28 in and 63 lb, made in Union Gap, Washington, for Washington apple growers. IPL's current page says 28.5 in and lists no weight. We quote the current page and confirm tare with the maker. No maker page we read gives a bushel count or a fruit weight for any of these bins, so we do not state one.

Vented or solid: pick by what happens after harvest

Vents are for air and water. IPL says the AgriMax vents give better airflow, tighter control of produce temperature and faster draining, and calls the 29 Full Vent highly ventilated for cooling. That is what a bin needs on its way into a cooler or through a hydro-cooler line.

Solid walls keep fines, juice and wash water in. IPL pitches the 48 Solid, at 53 in tall, for food processing and storage, and says it replaces 4 x 4 x 4 ft metal, corrugated or wood containers; it also calls it the world's largest fixed-wall, high-pressure injection-molded bin, which is the maker's claim, not ours. The 16NG Solid goes the other way, shallow so tender crops are not crushed under their own weight. Our vented vs solid guide goes further.

Getting them on a truck

Inside length on a 53-foot trailer runs about 630 in, and 630 / 48 is 13.1, so 13 rows of full-size square bins fit end to end. The AgriMax at 47.7 in buys a few inches, not another row. The pages we read give no trailer counts or stack limits for these bins, so we take both from the maker per model before quoting a load; empties ship stacked, since these rigid bins do not fold. Our trailer fill page works it per order.

Types and trades on this footprint

Almost everything square at 48 in is a macro bin, with the tall solid models crossing into bulk bins for plant use. Lids sit in dunnage and lids. When fruit moves on to retail, it often changes into hand-held produce crates on the 600x400 mm or 24x20 footprints.

The trades: agriculture, from apples to the citrus, stone fruit, onions, sweet potatoes and nuts IPL names for the AgriMax; and food processing, where solid bins hold product between steps. Washing and pressure-cleaning matter here; IPL says the nonporous surfaces are easy to sanitize.

Used harvest bins, and food contact

IPL says its MacroBins are made from FDA materials, with recycled content on request. That is the maker's statement about new bins. We never call a used bin food safe. A used harvest bin may have carried fruit for years, or chemicals, or scrap after it left the orchard, so we ask the seller for its history and tell you what we learn. Read food contact before you put product in one.

Check rims for cracks that stop the next bin seating, runners and fork pockets for splits, and the floor for gouges that trap debris. Grades A, B and C are set out in used container grades. Growers with surplus bins can sell them through sell harvest bins.

What to tell us

Then use the quote form.

• Crop or product, and whether bins go into a cooler, a wash line or a processor.
• Vented or solid, and the height: shallow 21.5 in, standard 28.5 in, or tall 53 in.
• Whether new bins must stack with bins you already own, and which model those are.
• How bins are emptied: a packing-house bin tipper or rotator grips the base and rim, so its clamp settings should match the model you buy.
• Recycled content, if your own buyers ask for it; IPL offers it on request.
• Lids, branding or tracking: IPL says AgriMax options cover GPS tracking, barcoding and branding.
• Count, delivery point, and for used bins, what you will accept on prior contents.