IBC tote questions, answered straight.

An Intermediate Bulk Container is a large, stackable, reusable vessel for storing and moving liquids and flowable solids in bulk. The workhorse version is a caged HDPE bottle sitting on a pallet, holding 275 or 330 gallons. It fills the gap between a 55-gallon drum and a full bulk tanker — hence "intermediate."

Both share the same 40 × 48 inch pallet footprint, so they palletize and ship identically. The 330 is simply taller (roughly 53 inches versus 46) and holds about 55 more gallons. If floor space is your constraint and you want more volume per square foot, go 330; if you stack under a low ceiling or ship weight-limited freight, the 275 is often the smarter pick.

Both. We happily sell one tote to a homebrewer and three hundred to a food processor on a standing contract. Tell us your quantity in the form and we quote accordingly — no artificial minimums.

Used totes typically run 40–70% below new, depending on grade and volume. Rinsed and as-is totes are the most economical; food-grade reconditioned totes cost more but still beat new. We break the trade-offs down in Used vs New IBC Totes.

Buy new when a spec sheet or auditor demands a virgin bottle with full traceability — certain pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or first-fill food applications, or when you need a specific valve, UN rating, or color you can't source used. For the vast majority of jobs, a properly reconditioned used tote performs identically.

Yes. We log prior contents, cleaning steps, and condition photos for stock we sell, and for larger orders you are welcome to arrange an inspection at our San Jose yard on Charcot Ave. We would rather you know exactly what you are getting than guess.

Valves, camlock and garden-hose adapters, dust caps, lids, gaskets, and replacement cages — see Accessories & Parts. If you tell us your fitting and the downstream equipment, we will spec the adapter so it arrives ready to connect.

We do — it is half of what we exist to do. Idle totes cluttering a yard are cash and carbon waiting to be recovered. Start on We Buy Your Totes.

Price depends on condition, prior contents, quantity, and location. Clean, food-grade-eligible totes with intact cages and good valves fetch the most; damaged or unknown-content totes less. Send quantity, photos, and prior contents in the form and we will quote by email within one business day.

We take a wide range — from near-mint to well-worn. Even totes too far gone to redeploy have value: we harvest usable cages, valves, and pallets and recycle the HDPE responsibly. The key detail we need up front is what the tote last held.

We pick up. Our trucks run statewide, so in most of California you never have to move a tote yourself. See Transport & Logistics for coverage.

Still call us. Damaged totes get reconditioned or parted out; totes with residual chemical can often be cleaned. Truly spent totes go through responsible recycling & disposal rather than a landfill. The wrong answer is letting them sit and degrade.

Food grade (triple-washed, previously food-safe contents), technical (non-potable industrial use), rinsed (water-rinsed, budget), and as-is (uncleaned, lowest cost). Full definitions live on Grades Explained.

Three things: the bottle only ever held food-safe contents, it has been cleaned and sanitized to a documented standard, and that history is traceable. We walk through the details in Food-Grade IBC Totes Explained.

Reputable sellers track it — we do. We will not sell a food-grade tote that carried non-food chemicals, full stop. If prior contents are unknown, the tote is sold as technical or as-is, never as food-grade. Ask any seller for prior contents in writing; a shrug is a red flag.

Yes, when inspected and cleaned to the right grade. We check the bottle for cracks, bulging, and stress whitening, pressure-check the valve, inspect cage welds, and confirm the pallet. Match the grade to the job and a reconditioned tote is every bit as safe as new.

Only in a verified food-grade tote with known, food-safe prior contents that has been properly cleaned and sanitized. Never assume — confirm the grade and history first. This is general guidance, not regulatory or legal advice; your specific application may carry its own rules.

Our standard is a triple wash: hot caustic or detergent cycles, a high-pressure rinse, and a final potable rinse for food grade, with inspection and testing between stages. The full walkthrough is in How IBC Totes Are Reconditioned.

Recycling melts a tote down and spends energy remaking something; reuse keeps the tote whole and skips nearly all of that. A reused tote avoids roughly 22 kg of CO₂e versus manufacturing new. Reuse sits above recycling on the waste hierarchy for exactly this reason — more on Sustainability.

Roughly 22 kg CO₂e per tote when you reuse instead of buying new — mostly the avoided HDPE and steel. Across a fleet that adds up fast. Run your own numbers in the Impact Calculator or read the full carbon-footprint breakdown.

Yes — buying reconditioned and returning spent totes for reuse are genuine, defensible reductions in your Scope 3 (purchased goods) footprint, and diverting steel and HDPE from landfill is a reportable waste win. We can provide quantities to support your reporting.

It gets disassembled: cages and pallets are refurbished, valves salvaged, and clean HDPE baled for recycling into new products. Landfill is the last resort, not the default. Details on Recycling & Disposal.

Yes — statewide, from the Bay Area to SoCal and up and down the Central Valley. We are based in San Jose. Coverage and lead times are on Transport & Logistics.

Because we keep inspected stock on hand, used totes usually ship in days rather than the weeks a new-tote order can take. Rush needs happen — tell us your date and we will tell you straight whether we can hit it.

Totes ship on their own integrated pallets. A standard 53-foot dry van holds roughly 40–48 totes on the floor, more if double-stacked (empty, and when the tote and load allow). We optimize the load so you are not paying to ship air.

Caged IBCs are designed to stack, but safe stack height depends on the tote condition, contents, and manufacturer rating. As a rule, do not stack more than two high when full, keep the cage and pallet sound, and never stack a bulging or damaged tote. When in doubt, store single-high.

We run on email so every quote and spec is in writing and nothing gets lost on a call. Use the form on this page or head to Contact — we reply within one business day.

Three things together: the bottle only ever held food-safe contents, it has been cleaned and sanitized to a documented standard, and that history is traceable. Miss any one and it is not food grade. A tote is not food grade just because it looks clean.

Only in a verified food-grade or rebottled tote with known, food-safe prior contents that has been properly cleaned and sanitized. Never store potable water in a technical, rinsed, or as-is tote. This is general guidance, not a substitute for your own regulatory requirements.

Virgin HDPE (resin code #2) is a food-contact-safe material, which is why it is the standard for the bottle. Food safety in a used tote is therefore about prior contents and cleaning, not the plastic itself — the material was always fine.

Our standard is a triple wash: hot caustic or detergent cycles, a high-pressure rinse, and a final potable rinse, with inspection and testing between stages. Valves and gaskets are replaced as needed. Rinsing alone does not achieve food grade.

No. Rinsing a tote that held chemicals does not restore food-grade status, and re-grading yourself is how contamination happens. Proper re-grading is a controlled, documented process — that is what our reconditioning service exists for.

A lingering odor means residue is still present — it is a hard stop for food use and a red flag for any sensitive product. Tell us what you smell; often it points to prior contents that were not disclosed, and we would rather re-clean or re-grade than risk it.

For food and pharma, insist on a plastic or clean composite pallet base — non-absorbent and easy to sanitize — rather than wood, which is porous. We note the base type on every listing, and we confirm it in writing on request.

Fill to about 95% to leave headspace for thermal expansion and safe transport, use a vented cap if the product off-gasses or the tote will see temperature swings, and keep the fill port and area clean during filling. Clean promptly between products so residues never cure.

Yes. We log prior contents, cleaning steps, and condition for food-grade stock, and we provide that record so it stands up in an audit. If prior contents are unknown, the tote is sold as technical or as-is — never dressed up as food grade.

It is the UN performance marking for a composite IBC rated to carry regulated liquids. Read left to right: 31 = IBC for liquids, H = plastic inner receptacle, A = steel outer cage, 1 = composite with a rigid outer. It is followed by the packing-group letter, specific gravity, test pressure, and date of manufacture.

They are the hazard tiers a tote is approved for. X covers Packing Groups I, II, and III (most demanding, rare on IBCs), Y covers II and III, and Z covers III only. A higher rating always covers the ones below it, so a Y tote can carry PG III liquids.

Only when you ship DOT/UN-regulated (hazardous) liquids. Regulated IBCs need a periodic inspection every 2.5 years and a full leakproofness retest every 5 years. For non-regulated water, feed, or cleaning solutions, the retest date is irrelevant.

Not at all. An expired retest date only means the tote can no longer legally carry regulated goods until it is requalified. It is still perfectly good for water, agriculture, storage, and any non-regulated use. Send us a photo of the plate and we will read it for you.

Generally no. Plain water, most liquid fertilizers, and cleaning solutions are not DOT-regulated for transport, so a UN rating is not required to haul them. Always confirm your specific product's classification, but the vast majority of ag and water jobs need no UN plate.

ISPM-15 is the international standard for heat-treating wood packaging to prevent pest spread. It matters only if your tote sits on a wood pallet and the shipment crosses a border — the wood must carry the heat-treatment (HT) stamp. Plastic and steel bases are exempt.

For anything hazardous, place totes in a bunded pallet or curbed area rated for at least 110% of a single tote's volume — about 300 gallons for a 275. Follow the SDS for temperature, separation, and ignition-source rules, and keep flammables in rated storage.

Check the SDS and a chemical-compatibility chart before filling. HDPE resists a huge range of liquids but not all — some strong oxidizers and solvents need a fluorinated bottle. When in doubt, tell us the exact product and we will confirm whether a standard tote suits it.