600x400 mm containers

Metric first, inches second

The size is defined in millimetres, so inch figures vary by a tenth depending on who converts and whether they measure the rim or the base. IPL Schoeller lists its VDA R-KLT 6422 at 23.4 x 15.6 in; Tosca gives its produce crates as 23.6 x 15.7 in; ORBIS publishes its GS6040 totes as 23.6 x 15.8 in and notes the model name does not correspond to inches because the system was designed on a metric footprint. All of them are the same 600 x 400 module.

It is not a 24x15. A 24x15 tote is 0.4 in longer and 0.7 in narrower, cut to tile the 45 x 48 in automotive pallet instead of a metric one. Do not expect the two to share a stack or a lid.

How it tiles a pallet

This is the module's whole purpose, and the arithmetic is tidy. On a 1200 x 800 mm Euro pallet, two crates along 1200 and two along 800 make four per layer, edge to edge. On a 1200 x 1000 mm pallet, three crates turned lengthwise (3 x 400 = 1200, 600 deep) plus two the other way (2 x 600 = 1200, 400 deep) fill 1200 x 1000 exactly, five per layer.

On a US 48 x 40 in pallet, which is about 1219 x 1016 mm, that same five-crate pattern fits with a little to spare. ORBIS confirms it for one model: its AF2416-13 bail-arm tote, 23.6 x 15.8 in, fits 5-up on a 40 x 48 pallet. SSI Schaefer describes its euro containers as designed to match Euro pallets, in base sizes from 200 x 150 up to 800 x 600 mm.

Heights and models on 600x400

The KLT sheet is worth reading closely. IPL says the boxes resist oils, acids and alkalis, absorb noise, and drain extinguishing water through base holes in a fire. The RL-KLT's one-wall design adds up to 25 percent effective volume, and map pockets and label fields suit electronic identification. One caution: the same page says the R-KLT stays dimensionally stable from -20 to +100 C while its spec line gives an operating range of -4 to 104 F, so we confirm temperature limits with IPL per model.

Five families in one footprint

• Euro containers and KLT: the VDA R-KLT and RL-KLT, standardized by the German automotive association, with integrated label holders, drain holes and a 15 mm stacking immersion depth.
• Foldable crates: IPL's PreLog, which IPL says saves up to 85% of space folded on the product page (its other pages say 82 and 84).
• Produce crates: Tosca's Active Lock RPCs with interlocking stacking and a retail-ready design.
• Attached-lid containers: Kaiman and Integra NG, security seals as accessories.
• Nest-stack totes: ORBIS GS6040 and GA6040, turned 180 degrees to stack.

Industries on the euro module

IPL says the R-KLT is used primarily in the automotive and supplier industry for storing, staging and moving parts in production and assembly, and that it works with automated handling. Foldable crates are, in IPL's words, common in the food sector, and it makes them for large pooling companies; that is the grocery and retail produce loop, fed by growers. Lidded totes like the Integra NG serve distribution and e-commerce.

On food contact, the makers speak for themselves: IPL says its PreLog crates are naturally food approved, ORBIS says GS6040 totes are available in FDA-approved material, and Tosca says its produce RPCs are cleaned under an ISO 22000 program. We make no such claim for anything we sell, new or used. Ask for the maker's papers and see food contact.

Used 600x400 crates and totes

Pooled crates are the trap in this size. Produce RPCs and folding crates often circulate in pools; IPL says it makes foldable crates for the large pooling companies. A pooled crate belongs to its operator, not to whoever ends up holding it. We do not quote anything that looks like pool stock. Unbranded KLTs, stack-nest totes and ALCs from retired programs are fair game; we grade them A, B or C with photos.

Check the fold hinges on folding crates and the lid hinges on ALCs, label holders on KLTs, and the stacking rim on all of them. A KLT that no longer seats its 15 mm stacking immersion may not run reliably on an automated line. Prior contents matter as much as condition; see buying used.

What to send us

Tell us the family (KLT, folding crate, RPC, ALC or stack-nest), the height in mm or inches, the pallet you load on (1200 x 800, 1200 x 1000 or 48 x 40), any automated conveyor or AS/RS the boxes must suit, lids or seals, and the count. Half-size boxes are on the 400x300 mm page; inch-native totes of similar size on 24x20. Then use the quote form.