Choosing a
used tote.
Work through the six questions below and the form will take you about ninety seconds. Answer the first one in the message field and we can do the rest.
Six questions in this order: what goes in it, how hot does it get, how will it move, what must it prove, what does it cost delivered, and how many do you need. Price is the fifth question, not the first. Getting the order right is worth more than any amount of shopping around, because questions one and two eliminate most of the market before price enters the picture.
Question 1 — what goes in it?
The product, not the container spec. This single answer sets the grade:
- Anything edible or potable → food grade or rebottled. Non-negotiable.
- Fertiliser, glycol, industrial chemistry, anything you cannot afford to lose → Grade A.
- Water, ballast, dust control, wash water, compost → technical grade.
- Nothing liquid at all — planters, shelving, barriers → cage only.
Also check compatibility. HDPE handles acids, alkalis, salts, alcohols and glycols well; it does not handle aromatic or chlorinated solvents, ketones or strong oxidisers. If you are in that territory you need stainless, and no grade of poly will do.
Question 2 — how hot does it get?
140 °F is the line. Above it, HDPE softens and creeps, and a filled bottle will permanently deform against the cage under its own hydrostatic load. Hot fills, steam-in-place cleaning and heated processes mean stainless. Below 140 °F, poly is fine and the question is irrelevant.
Question 3 — how will it move?
This is where dimension problems get caught before they cost you money:
- Doorway or clearance height? Add four to six inches for forks. Design to 47 in for a 275 and 54 in for a 330.
- Forklift capacity at your load centre? A filled 275 of water is 2,330 lb; of corn syrup, 3,170 lb.
- Floor loading? 175 lb/sq ft filled, 350 stacked two high. Many mezzanines cannot take it.
- Four-way fork entry needed? Steel and composite bases usually yes, all-plastic often no.
Full numbers on weight and load ratings.
Question 4 — what must it prove?
Do you need documentation, and of what? A prior-contents record and a wash certificate for a food audit. A current UN 31HA1/Y marking for regulated transport — which effectively means new, because reconditioning does not preserve an assembly rating. An air-hold test result for anything you cannot afford to leak. A manufacturer warranty, if your insurer insists.
Each of those is a real constraint with a real cost. None of them should be bought speculatively.
Question 5 — what does it cost delivered?
Never compare ex-yard prices. Freight on a single used tote can exceed the tote. Indicative, 500 miles: one unit LTL $150–$240; ten units $55–$90 each; forty-eight on a truckload $18–$34 each. See the freight guide, and always ask about liftgate and limited-access charges before you commit.
Question 6 — how many, and how often?
If you fill the same tote four or more times a year over three years, buy. If demand is seasonal — eleven weeks on, nine months of storage — look at leasing instead, because owning for peak means owning idle containers. And if you generate empties continuously, set up a buyback programme on the same call so the containers come back round.
Then, and only then, inspect
Once you know the grade, the size and the delivered number, print the 27-point checklist and check what arrives against what you ordered. You have five business days under our terms; use them.
The decision, condensed
| If it holds… | Buy… |
|---|---|
| Drinking water or food | Food grade / rebottled |
| Fish or edible plants | Food grade / rebottled |
| Fertiliser or nutrients | Grade A |
| Glycol or heat transfer | Grade A |
| Industrial chemistry | Grade A, check compatibility |
| Non-potable water | Technical |
| Ballast or dust control | Technical |
| Soil, compost, grain | Technical, top-cut |
| Nothing — it is a structure | Cage only |
| Solvents or over 140 °F | Stainless |
Five questions to ask any seller
- What is your published grade standard?
- What were the prior contents, by serial number?
- Was it pressure tested, and can I see the result?
- What is the delivered price including accessorials?
- What is the inspection and rejection window?
A seller who cannot answer all five in writing is selling you adjectives.
Let the decoder answer question one
Food-grade reuse is on the table.
An edible prior content plus a documented wash is the only path we will sell into potable or edible service. You get the prior-contents record, the wash ticket and photographs of the data plate with the unit.
Read the Food Grade specBuying questions
What is the single most common mistake?
Choosing by price and then discovering a grade or a dimension problem. Price is the sixth question, not the first. The first is what goes in it, because that determines grade, and grade determines a price band far more than haggling does.
Should I buy local or buy cheap and ship?
Compare delivered cost, always. A tote that is $40 cheaper 800 miles away is $140 more expensive by the time it arrives LTL. The crossover is quantity: below ten units, local almost always wins; above thirty, a dedicated truck from a better-stocked yard frequently wins even at distance.
How do I know a seller's grade claim means anything?
Ask what it commits them to. A published grade standard with testable criteria — air-hold result, cage geometry, data plate legibility — is a claim you can check on a receiving dock. 'Good condition' is not. Also ask for the five-day inspection window in writing; a seller who will not give you one does not believe their own grading.
Answer question one in the message field
Tell us what goes in the tote and we will handle questions two through five for you.