How Many IBC Totes Per Pallet & Per Truck
Planning a bulk IBC tote order? Here is how many totes fit on a pallet and on a truck, and what that means for your shipping costs.
Per Pallet
1 IBC tote per pallet position. Each IBC tote sits on its own 48" x 40" pallet. Unlike drums (which fit 4 per pallet), IBC totes are one-to-one with pallet positions because of their size — the entire 48" x 40" footprint is occupied by the tote.
Stacking for Freight
During freight transit, empty IBC totes can be stacked 4 high. This means a single pallet position on a truck can hold up to 4 totes stacked vertically. This stacking is how we achieve 60 totes per full truckload.
Per Truck
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Pallet positions per truck | 15 |
| Totes per pallet position (stacked) | 4 |
| Full truckload capacity | 60 totes |
Cost Implications
The FTL threshold is critical for cost optimization. A full truckload of 60 totes has dramatically lower per-unit freight cost compared to multiple LTL shipments. If you are ordering near the FTL threshold, ordering a few more units to fill the truck often saves money overall.
See Bulk IBC Tote Pricing for volume tier details and LTL vs. FTL Shipping for a mode comparison.