Sizes · 1250 litre
330 gallon IBC tote: 20% more liquid on the same square footage
The 330 suits anyone whose floor space is tight and whose ceiling is not. Identical 48 × 40 inch footprint, seven extra inches of height, and 55 more gallons per unit.
Request a quote on 330 gallon units
330s are less common than 275s in the used market. Tell us your quantity and timeline; a partner supplier follows up on availability.
Specification table
| Parameter | Imperial | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal capacity | 330 US gal | 1,250 L |
| Length × width | 48 × 40 in | 1,200 × 1,000 mm (metric builds) |
| Overall height | about 53 in | about 1,350 mm |
| Typical empty weight | 140–175 lb, depending on pallet type | 64–79 kg |
| Gross weight @ SG 1.0 | ≈2,905 lb | ≈1,318 kg |
| Gross weight @ SG 1.2 | ≈3,457 lb | ≈1,568 kg |
| Gross weight @ SG 1.4 | ≈4,008 lb | ≈1,818 kg |
| Fill opening | 6 in lid; larger lids on some designs | 150 mm |
| Discharge outlet | 2 in valve; larger outlets on some designs | 50 mm |
| Footprint area | 13.3 sq ft | 1.2 m² |
| Floor loading when full of water | ≈218 lb/sq ft | ≈1,065 kg/m² |
| Typical UN marking | 31HA1/Y | — |
Gross weights assume a 152 lb tare; use the actual tare of your unit, and compare against the maximum permissible gross mass on its UN marking.
330 versus 275: the real trade-off
Same floor, different everything else.
Choose the 330 when
- ＋Floor space is your binding constraint and ceiling height is not.
- ＋You want fewer changeovers and pick-ups for the same volume.
- ＋Your product is light: a low specific gravity keeps gross weight sensible.
- ＋You are dispensing by gravity — the extra height gives more head.
- ＋Your racking beams are rated for two full 330s per level (about 5,810 lb with water).
Choose the 275 when
- −Any clearance on the route in is under about 56 inches.
- −You need to double-stack empties for return freight.
- −Your liquid is heavy — dense products get close to the gross mass limit faster at 330 gallons.
- −Availability matters: used 275s are far more common.
- −Your pallet jack or mezzanine floor is near its rating.
The height problem, spelled out
Seven inches sounds trivial until it meets infrastructure. Here is where the 330 actually bites.
- Trailer double-stacking. Two 330s stack to about 106 in. A 53-foot dry van has roughly 108–110 in of interior height, which leaves no practical room for dunnage or strapping.
- Roller-shutter doors and sprinklers. A 330 on a jack is about 56 in to the lid. Walk it through a 60 in shutter opening and the margin disappears.
- Racking bay heights. Beam spacing that takes a 275 comfortably may not take a 330. Measure beam-to-beam clear, not nominal.
- Mixing and decanting. If you draw product with a top-entry pump, the pump tube has to be about 7 in longer. Obvious, and constantly forgotten.
Availability in the used market
Fewer 330s are built and fewer come back, so the used pool is thinner. If you need a matched set by a date, send the request early so partner suppliers have time to source it.
Questions people actually ask
How tall is a 330 gallon IBC tote?
About 53 inches (1,350 mm), seven inches taller than a 275 gallon unit on the same 48 × 40 inch footprint.
Can you double-stack 330 gallon totes?
Filled, only within the stacking load on the UN marking — two full units of water put about 2,905 lb on the bottom cage and stand about 106 inches. Empty in a dry van, two high leaves almost no headroom, so most loads are planned single-stacked.
Are 330 gallon totes more economical than 275s?
Per unit of floor space, yes: about 20% more volume on the same footprint. Availability is the practical limiter in the used market. Pricing is by quote from partner suppliers.
Where seven extra inches actually bites
A 330 gallon tote is a 275 with more height. These are the places that height matters.
| Situation | 275 gal | 330 gal | Problem? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall height | 46 in | 53 in | |
| On a pallet jack | ≈49 in | ≈56 in | Shutter doors under 60 in |
| Two empty, stacked | ≈92 in | ≈106 in | Dry van interior is about 108–110 in |
| Two full, stacked | ≈92 in | ≈106 in | Bottom cage carries ≈2,905 lb of water-filled tote |
| Rack beam clear height | ≈50 in needed | ≈57 in needed | Measure your bays |
| Top-entry pump tube | Standard length | ≈7 in longer | Frequently forgotten |
| Gravity dispensing head | Baseline | +7 in of head | An advantage, for once |
| Floor loading, full of water | ≈182 lb/sq ft | ≈218 lb/sq ft | Mezzanines and timber floors |
| Rack bay load, two full of water | ≈4,840 lb | ≈5,810 lb | Check the beam rating |
The volumetric argument, done properly
The case for the 330 is usually made as "20% more product on the same floor space", which is true and incomplete.
What you gain
- 55 extra gallons per unit. Across 40 units that is 2,200 gallons of additional capacity with no additional floor area.
- Fewer changeovers. A plant using 3,000 gallons a month makes about 10 tote changes with 330s instead of about 11 with 275s — real but modest.
- Fewer containers to track, label, wash and dispose of. About 17% fewer for the same volume.
- More gravity head, which genuinely helps drip and low-pressure dispensing.
What you give up
- Availability. Used 330s are less common than 275s.
- Somewhat more tare to move empty.
- Practical double-stacking for return freight.
- Height clearance in every building you move through.
The honest conclusion
If floor space is your binding constraint and your ceiling is not, the 330 is a strong choice. If return freight on empties matters a lot, the 275 usually wins because it stacks.
330 gallon questions
Why are used 330 gallon totes harder to find?
Fewer are built, so fewer enter the used market. Expect thinner supply than for 275s; pricing is by quote from partner suppliers.
Can I mix 275 and 330 gallon totes in one rack?
Not on the same level if the beams are set for the shorter unit. Mixed fleets often keep the 330s on the floor and rack the 275s.
Do 330 gallon totes use the same pallet?
Same footprint, and bases are often interchangeable on the same design family. The cage and bottle are not interchangeable with a 275.
Is the 330 available food-grade?
Sometimes, as used units with a documented food history or as rebottled units. Send the request early for a matched set, confirm documentation with the supplier, and check current regulations for your product.
When the 330 pays and when it costs
Same question, eight different operations.
| Operation | Binding constraint | Verdict | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse, tall ceilings, tight floor | Floor area | Yes | 20% more per square foot |
| Plant with 54 in shutter doors | Height | No | About 56 in on a jack |
| Fleet with heavy return freight | Return logistics | No | Empties barely double-stack |
| Gravity dispensing operation | Head pressure | Yes | Seven extra inches of head |
| Racked storage, 48 in beam spacing | Rack geometry | No | Needs about 57 in clear |
| Dense product, SG above 1.4 | Gross weight | No | About 4,000 lb full |
| Buying used at short notice | Availability | No | Far fewer in the used market |
| Long production runs, few changeovers | Handling time | Yes | About 17% fewer container changes |
Living with a mixed 275 and 330 fleet
Many operations end up here by accident. A few practical rules make it work.
Rack the 275s, floor the 330s. Beam spacing set for the shorter unit will not take the taller one, and re-beaming a rack is a project.
Label the pump tubes. A top-entry pump sized for a 275 will not reach the bottom of a 330, and nobody notices until a batch is short.
Keep spares separate. Bottles, cages and top rails are not interchangeable between the sizes. Valves, lids and gaskets often are — check the design.
Mark the fill levels. A 330 filled to a 275 procedure is under-filled by 55 gallons; a 275 filled to a 330 procedure overflows.
Plan freight around the 275s. Return loads are where mixed fleets get awkward, because 330s barely double-stack and take more trailer space.
Clean them the same way. The process is the same, and both usually take the same spray head through a 6 inch lid.
The honest summary
A mixed fleet is workable and slightly annoying. If you are starting from scratch, pick one. If you have inherited both, the rules above cover most of the friction.
More 330 gallon questions
Is a 330 just a taller 275?
Essentially, yes — same footprint, usually the same fittings, about seven inches more height and somewhat more tare. Everything that differs follows from the height.
Do 330s cost more to ship?
Per unit, often, because you lose practical double-stacking of empties on return legs. Freight is quoted per job; pricing is by quote from partner suppliers.
Are 330 gallon totes available in food grade?
Sometimes, as used units with a documented food history or as rebottled units. Send the request early for a matched set, confirm documentation with the supplier, and check current regulations.
What is the gross weight limit on a 330?
Read the maximum permissible gross mass on the unit’s UN marking. At SG 1.4 a full 330 with a 152 lb tare is about 4,010 lb (about 1,820 kg), so dense products may need a reduced fill.
Where people go from here
Reuse first, then recycle.