Understand packaging. Make better decisions. Stay ahead of what changes.
Bulk industrial packaging, explained
Every bulk format. The physics, the cost, the rules.
Pails, sacks, drums, IBCs, bulk bags, bulk boxes, flexitanks, ISO tanks and the pallets under them. How each works, what it costs, and which rules apply. Free and neutral.
Explore every formatWhat changed in bulk packaging this week
All changesThe formats
All formats- Rigid IBCsCaged composite, steel and stainless totes, roughly 1,000 L.
- FIBCs and bulk bagsWoven polypropylene bags for powders and granules, Types A to D.
- Industrial drumsSteel, plastic and fibre drums, tight-head and open-head, around 200 L.
- Corrugated bulk and octabinsHeavy-wall fibreboard bins and bag-in-box IBCs for dry and liquid product.
- Intermodal bulkFlexitanks and dry bulk liners that turn a shipping container into one large package.
- Pails, jerricans and small packsSteel and plastic pails, jerricans and combination packs up to about 60 L.
- Multiwall paper and woven sacks25–50 kg paper, woven polypropylene and PE sacks for powders and granules.
- Collapsible bulk containers and plastic bulk boxesRigid plastic pallet boxes and foldable bulk bins built for many trips.
- Tank containers and tankersISO tank containers, road tankers and rail tank cars for full loads of liquid or gas.
- Crates, wooden boxes and metal stillagesTimber and plywood crates, wire mesh pallets and steel stillages for heavy parts.
- Gas cylinders and pressure receptaclesCylinders, bundles and tubes for compressed, liquefied and dissolved gases. Overview only.
- Pallets, film, strapping and dunnageThe secondary packaging that turns any bulk pack into a safe, stable load.
Ways to work
- 01Decision engineAnswer a few questions about what you package. See which formats fit, and why the others don't.Open the engine
- 02CalculatorsFreight, reuse payback, storage, heel loss, EPR fees, UN marking and printable checklists.Run a calculation
- 03FundamentalsPackaging 101, a glossary and short answers on ratings, closures, liners, reuse and freight.Learn the basics
- 04ComparisonsFormat against format, side by side: capacity, empty volume, handling, reuse and end of life.Compare formats
- 05Applications & lifecyclePackaging by product, plus how to reduce, reuse, recycle and ship it better.Browse applications
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What this site is
- Objective explanations and plain data.
- The trade-offs stated, including where a cheaper option falls short.
- Educational only — not engineering or regulatory advice.