Products · Used IBC Totes

Used IBC totes:
the easiest carbon
you'll ever save.

The single highest-volume product we move. One previous fill, rinsed, graded, and ready for the next chapter — at roughly half the cost of a new tote and roughly a third of the embodied carbon.

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275 gallon

The standard short footprint

Capacity: 275 US gallons / 1,041 L
Footprint: 40" × 48" (standard pallet)
Height: 46"
Empty weight: ~125 lb
Cage: Galvanized steel tube cage
Valve: 2" ball valve · cam-lock outlet
Pallet: Composite, steel, or wood

330 gallon

The full-volume favorite

Capacity: 330 US gallons / 1,249 L
Footprint: 40" × 48" (standard pallet)
Height: 53"
Empty weight: ~145 lb
Cage: Galvanized steel tube cage
Valve: 2" ball valve · cam-lock outlet
Pallet: Composite, steel, or wood

What "used" actually means at our yard

Three things we promise about every used tote.

One previous fill, declared. Every used tote has had one previous product. We declare what it was if we know it, and grade it "Unknown prior" if we don't.
Rinsed before resale. Every unit is water-rinsed at intake. This is not the same as a wash bay reconditioning — that's a separate product line — but it does mean no visible residue or pooled liquid.
Photographed on request. Tell us your order, and we'll send a photo of the actual pallet before shipment. No stock photos.

Common uses

What used totes are great for.

Liquid fertilizer storage on ag operations
Rainwater catchment (gravity feed or pumped)
Bulk solvent, coolant, and lubricant storage
Aquaponics and aquaculture cascade systems
Off-road diesel and jobsite fuel storage
Animal trough, mineral mix, and feed-additive storage
Hydroponic and greenhouse nutrient mixing

When to choose reconditioned instead

When used isn't enough.

Used totes are exceptional value, but they are not food-grade. If your application requires a documented wash record — anything human or animal edible, anything pharmaceutical, anything where the previous-contents declaration matters legally — go with reconditioned.

If you need brand-new (regulatory mandate, contract requirement, or pure preference) we carry those too in our new totes line.

See the full size guide →

The eco footnote

Each used tote you buy saves ~720 lb CO₂e vs. a new equivalent.

That number assumes you would have otherwise bought a new tote. It also doesn't count the freight savings from sourcing locally. Take it to your sustainability team — we'll provide a per-order footnote on request.

See the math →

Prior contents

What our used totes have actually held.

Roughly 80% of the used totes that come through our yard fall into these eight categories. We label every intake with what we know about the prior product. If we don't know, we say so.

~22% of intake

Food-grade syrups & sweeteners

Corn syrup, agave, molasses, fruit concentrate. The cleanest used intake we get — these go into the recon queue.

~14%

Edible & vegetable oils

Soybean, canola, refined coconut. Rinse well; great for fuel-storage repurposing once cleaned.

~12%

Liquid fertilizers

28-0-0 UAN, 32% solution, micronutrient blends. Ideal for downstream ag reuse.

~10%

Glycols & coolants

Propylene and ethylene glycol. Compatible with HVAC and antifreeze loop refills.

~8%

Industrial cleaners & detergents

Surfactants, alkaline degreasers, citric blends. Rinse, then ag or jobsite reuse.

~7%

Lubricants & cutting fluids

Hydraulic oil, way oil, water-soluble cutting fluid. Industrial reuse only.

~5%

Adhesives & coatings

Water-based adhesives, latex resin. Often graded as-is — residue can be persistent.

~22% mixed

Other / unknown declared

Long tail of one-offs. Always labeled with what we know — and clearly marked "unknown prior" when we don't.

Applications by industry

How customers actually put used totes to work.

Agriculture

The bread and butter of used totes.

Liquid fertilizer staging at the field edge. Mineral and molasses lick-tank supply. Sprayer fill stations with a 12V transfer pump. Calf-feeder gravity supply. Greenhouse nutrient mix tanks. The 275-gallon footprint fits a 4×4-foot stall — built for ag, basically.

Most ag customers buy 3–10 totes at a time and run them for 5–8 years. Bulk discount kicks in at 5 units.

Food & beverage

When rinsed is not enough — go reconditioned.

For anything human-edible, please don't use a rinsed-only tote — go reconditioned food-grade. Rinsed used totes do find a home in beverage cleaning, sanitizer dilution stations, and CIP solution holding — non-product-contact uses, in other words.

Industrial

Coolant, solvent, lube, parts wash.

Machine shops use rinsed used totes for coolant changeouts (drain old, fill new from a bulk delivery), parts wash solution storage, and waste-oil consolidation prior to recycler pickup. Compatibility check the prior contents — HDPE doesn't love long-term aromatic solvent contact.

Homestead & off-grid

Rainwater, gray water, fire reserve.

Connect five 275-gallon totes with a 2" PVC manifold and you've got 1,375 gallons of catchment for roughly $700 in tote cost. Add a 12V pump, a sediment filter, and a frost-break valve cover for winter. We sell every part. See accessories.

Jobsite & construction

Off-road diesel, dust water, concrete cure.

Roadbuilding crews use used totes for off-road diesel (lockable valve cover, please), dust-suppression water on grading days, and curing-water reservoirs on concrete pours. Often abandoned at job end — we'll buy them back if you're within 300 miles.

Emergency & municipal

Potable cache, ag spray, fire reserve.

Rural fire departments stage used totes filled with water at remote tap points. County highway departments use them for brine pre-mix in winter. For potable storage, please use a reconditioned food-grade tote, not rinsed-only.

Pricing tiers

What used totes actually cost.

Tier	Per-tote price range	What you get	Best for
Premium rinsed	$120–$160	Known food-grade prior, no cosmetic issues, composite pallet, fresh gaskets visually	Long-life ag, premium rainwater, jobs you want to forget about
Standard rinsed	$80–$120	Known non-food prior, minor cosmetic blemishes, mixed pallet types	Industrial storage, jobsite, homestead
Budget rinsed	$60–$90	Heavier cosmetic wear, possible cage dings, wood pallet	One-shot use, gravity fill, water-only storage
As-is (unwashed)	$35–$70	Sold as-found, prior contents declared if known, no rinse	Buyers who plan to wash on site or have matched-product reuse
Recycle-only	$15–$30	By the pallet, EOL units for granulation	HDPE recyclers, scrap processors

Prices fluctuate with HDPE resin market, freight diesel, and seasonal demand. Spring fertilizer season tightens supply; late fall is the cheapest time to buy. We hold prices for 14 days after a written quote.

Inspect on receipt

Six things to check the day your totes arrive.

Step 01

Count the pallet.

Sounds dumb. Count anyway. LTL drivers occasionally drop a unit. Mark the BOL before you sign, even if you're going to call us either way.

Step 02

Walk the cages.

Look for dented top frames (forklift kisses), rust at base welds, missing crossbars. Minor dings are cosmetic. A bent corner that splays the bottle is a return.

Step 03

Check the pallets.

Composite pallets should be uncracked. Wood pallets may have one cracked deck board — that's normal. Three cracked boards is a return.

Step 04

Open the top cap.

You're smelling and looking — not for cleanliness (these are rinsed, not washed) but for surprises. A used tote should smell faintly of its prior product or of clean water. A sharp solvent smell on a tote sold as food-syrup prior is a call to us.

Step 05

Crack the valve.

Open the ball valve a quarter turn dry. It should move smoothly. A stuck valve is replaceable — see accessories — but you should know what you've got.

Step 06

Pressure-test with water before product.

Always. Fill with water first, let it sit 12 hours under a tarp, check the floor underneath. Pinhole leaks are rare on rinsed used totes but they do happen. Catching it with water beats catching it with $400 of fertilizer.

Lifetime maintenance

Keep a used tote in service for a decade.

Gaskets are the wear item.

The 6" cap gasket and the 2" outlet gasket are EPDM rubber. They harden with time, UV, and chemical exposure. Replace both every 2–3 years on outdoor totes, every 5 years indoors. Replacement gaskets are about $4 each — see accessories.

UV is the silent killer.

HDPE in direct sunlight will chalk and embrittle in 3–5 years. A UV-blocking cover extends life to 15+ years. If you can't cover the tote, position the long side north-south so half the bottle is shaded most of the day, and rotate the tote 180° annually so wear is even.

Freeze the contents, not the bottle.

HDPE handles freezing fine. The bottle itself can take a few freeze-thaw cycles. What cracks is the outlet valve and the cap. A frost-break valve cover (jacketed insulator) keeps the metal valve body above freezing on most Missouri winter nights — drop the valve below 20°F and the brass ball can stick or the polypro adapter can crack.

Drain fully between products.

If you're switching contents, drain the tote completely, triple-rinse with warm water, and let the inside air-dry with the cap off for 24 hours before refilling. The 2" valve drains the last gallon or two slowly — tilt the tote with a forklift to chase it out.

Track every tote.

Number your totes with a paint marker on the cage. Keep a one-page log per tote: prior contents, current contents, gasket replacement dates, inspection notes. When one fails, you'll know whether it was the third refill or the thirtieth.

Freight planning

What it actually costs to get totes to your door.

Most used-tote orders ship LTL on a flatbed or van. The math gets better the more totes you order — empty IBCs are bulky but light, so freight is rated by space, not weight. A typical LTL truck holds 18–20 IBC totes single-stacked.

Order size	Truck type	Approx. freight, 500 mi	Approx. freight, 1,000 mi
1 tote	LTL pallet	$180–$260	$280–$420
4 totes	LTL pallet quad	$280–$380	$430–$580
10 totes	LTL half-truck	$380–$520	$580–$780
20 totes	Full flatbed	$520–$720	$780–$1,150
40+ totes	Two-stacked load	$680–$980	$1,050–$1,650

Pickup at our Columbia, MO yard is always free, of course. We'll help you stage the load to a trailer at no charge.

Customer scenarios

Three orders we shipped this month.

Scenario 01

The orchard expansion

12 standard-rinsed 275s shipped to a small apple operation outside Rolla. Prior contents: fruit concentrate. Going into spring fertigation. Freight: $410 LTL.

Scenario 02

The roadbuilding crew

8 budget rinsed 275s picked up by the customer's trailer in Columbia. Going into off-road diesel staging on a US-63 widening job. Lockable valve covers added. Bought back at end of season for 60% of purchase.

Scenario 03

The homestead rainwater build

5 premium rinsed 275s, garden hose adapters, two 12V pumps, and a UV cover for each. Shipped to southern Indiana. Customer's catchment array is online now and feeds 1,375 gallons to a small orchard.

FAQ · Used IBC totes

What customers actually ask before they buy.

Is a rinsed used tote safe for drinking water?

Honestly — no, not from us. We rinse to remove pooled product and visible residue, but we do not certify rinsed totes for potable use. If you want to store drinking water, buy a reconditioned food-grade tote with a wash record. The cost difference is about $40–$70 per tote and the peace of mind is worth it.

What if the prior contents are listed as "unknown"?

We sell those at a discount and clearly mark them. Generally fine for water storage, gravel-and-water mixes, non-product-contact uses. Not fine for anything sensitive. If unknown-prior matters, pay the small premium for a known-prior tote.

Can I store gasoline or diesel in a used HDPE tote?

Off-road diesel: commonly done, technically still requires UN-rated fittings and proper labeling in many jurisdictions, and you should check local fire code. Gasoline: please don't. The vapor pressure and ignition characteristics make HDPE the wrong material — use a steel UN-rated container for gasoline.

How heavy is a full tote? Can my trailer handle it?

A 275-gallon tote of water weighs about 2,420 lb. A 330-gallon tote of water weighs about 2,895 lb. Add the empty tote weight (~125–145 lb). Most half-ton pickups can carry one 275; a 3/4-ton can carry two. Trailer ratings vary — check yours. We move stacked-2-high on a 26' gooseneck routinely.

Do you grade strictly or loosely?

Strictly. We'd rather call a tote "standard" and have you happy than call it "premium" and have you mad. If you see a tote that looks better than its grade, that's the system working. If you see one that looks worse, call us — we'll make it right.

How do I clean a used tote on my end?

Drain fully. Pressure-wash the inside with hot water and a non-foaming food-safe detergent. Rinse three times. Air-dry with the cap off for 24 hours. For solvent prior contents, use the appropriate compatible cleaner — call us if you're unsure. Or save the hassle and buy reconditioned.

Can I see the actual totes before I buy?

Yes. Pickup customers see everything before they load. For freight orders, we'll photograph your specific pallet on request before it ships. We don't use stock photos.

What's your return policy?

If a tote arrives meaningfully worse than its grade, we'll refund the unit price or send a replacement on our next freight to your area. Freight back is generally not worth it — bulky empty totes cost more to return than they cost to replace.