Answers
Straight answers about IBC totes.
Common questions, grouped by what you are trying to decide. Where the honest answer is “ask the supplier”, we say so and tell you what to ask.
The short answer
Buying · grading · cleaning and reconditioning · food safety · UN compliance · pickup and delivery · selling totes · how the referral service works. If your question is not here, send it with a quote request and a partner supplier follows up.
Buying
What is the difference between rebottled and reconditioned?
Reconditioned keeps the original HDPE bottle — washed, tested and re-valved. Rebottled fits a brand-new bottle into the original cage and pallet. Rebottled looks new inside and removes the prior-contents question. Reconditioned keeps more of the original material in use. Ask the supplier what testing and any warranty apply to the specific units quoted.
What does a used IBC tote cost?
Pricing is by quote from partner suppliers. It depends on grade, quantity, prior contents, location and delivery. Ask for delivery as a separate line so you can compare landed cost between quotes.
Can I buy a single tote?
You can request any quantity. Delivery cost per unit usually falls as an order fills a pallet position or a truck, so it is worth telling the supplier whether your quantity is flexible.
Will I see photos of the actual totes?
Ask for them. Cage corners, valve, label and bottle interior of the specific lot quoted tell you far more than a grade letter or a stock image.
Is there a warranty on a used tote?
That depends on the partner supplier and the grade. Ask what is covered, for how long, and whether chemical incompatibility is excluded — it usually is, so check compatibility before ordering.
How fast can I get totes?
It depends on the supplier, the stock they have, and the distance. A partner supplier follows up on your request with availability and delivery options.
Can I inspect before buying?
Some suppliers allow it. Mention it in your request. If you do inspect, bring a tape measure and a flashlight and look at the cage corners, valve and bottle interior.
Is there volume pricing?
Larger orders often cost less per unit, mostly because delivery consolidates better. The partner supplier quotes it for your quantity.
Grades and condition
Is IBC grading standardised?
No. There is no governing body and no published standard. Grade A means whatever the seller decided it means. Always ask for written criteria — a seller who cannot produce them is telling you something.
What do grades usually mean?
Commonly, Grade A is clear to very light haze, no crazing, no stress-whitening, no odor and a straight cage. Grade B allows light staining or a color shadow and minor cage straightening. Grade C has visible staining and scuffing but is functionally sound. Ask each supplier for their own written definitions.
Is staining a defect?
Not by itself. Staining is dye or pigment that has migrated into the polyethylene wall and no wash will reach it. It matters if your customer sees the container or you judge fill level visually. Otherwise it is a cosmetic issue.
What is crazing and why does it matter?
A network of fine surface cracks, visible when you tilt the wall against a directed light. It means the polymer has been stressed and failure has begun. It is permanent and progressive, and a crazed bottle should be replaced rather than reused.
Should I ever buy Grade C?
Often. For brine, stormwater, wash water, dust suppression or construction water, a sound Grade C unit can do the job, and paying for Grade A appearance gains you nothing.
Does grade tell me if a tote is food safe?
No. Grade describes physical condition. Food suitability is about documented prior contents and material compliance. A pristine Grade A that held an unknown industrial chemical is not food grade.
Cleaning and reconditioning
What does reconditioning usually include?
Typically: capturing any residue, a hot wash, rinsing, drying, a leak test, a new valve seat and cap gasket, cage straightening and pallet repair, then grading. Processes vary, so ask the supplier what their reconditioning includes and whether it is documented per unit.
Will washing remove staining?
No. Staining is inside the wall. A good wash removes free liquid, film and odor; it does not change the color of the plastic.
Can I have my own totes washed?
Some partner suppliers offer washing of customer-owned totes. Mention it in your request, along with the prior contents.
Can a supplier wash to our written spec?
Send the spec with your request and ask the supplier to confirm in writing whether they can meet it as written.
How is cleanliness verified?
Common checks are a directed-light visual inspection, an odor check at the cap and a wipe test. For food-grade or high-purity work, ATP swabs or rinse-water conductivity against a written limit are used. Ask which method was used and whether it is recorded.
What chemistry is used?
Commonly a caustic (sodium hydroxide) wash for hard residues, a surfactant for oils and films, and several rinses. The right chemistry depends on the residue — see the cleaning guide, and always follow the product's safety data sheet.
Food safety
Can a used IBC tote be food grade?
Only with documented food-grade prior contents, or with a new bottle made for food contact. No wash converts an industrial container into a food-grade one. Ask the supplier for documentation and check current regulations for your use.
Is there an FDA approved IBC tote?
The FDA regulates food-contact materials rather than approving containers, so treat "FDA approved tote" as a phrase to question. Ask what the bottle is made of, what documentation backs it, and check current regulations.
What documentation should come with a food-grade unit?
Ask for the prior-contents record or a certificate of conformity, a wash record for that unit, a statement of the gasket and valve materials, and photographs. Keep copies with your own records.
Which gasket for food work?
EPDM is a common default for water, dairy, juices and other aqueous products. Viton is used where fats, oils or certain flavor compounds are involved. Silicone suits high temperature. Confirm compatibility with your product and your auditor.
Do I need a new bottle for organic certification?
Often, or a documented dedicated-service history. Ask your certifier what they require and include it in your quote request.
UN markings and compliance
What does UN31HA1/Y mean?
UN: made to a design type tested under the UN recommendations for dangerous goods. 31: an IBC for liquids. HA: plastic inner receptacle with a steel outer casing (a composite IBC). 1: the construction category. Y: the packing groups it is approved for. The decoder guide goes character by character.
Do UN-rated IBCs need retesting?
Yes. UN-rated IBCs used for dangerous goods are subject to periodic tests and inspections, with dates on the data plate. Check the dates on the unit and current regulations before shipping regulated product.
Do I need a UN rated tote?
Generally only if the product ships as regulated hazardous material, or a customer specification requires it. Check current regulations for your product.
Is a UN rated tote food safe?
They are unrelated questions. UN marking covers transport of dangerous goods; food grade covers material compliance and contamination history.
Pickup and delivery
How many totes fit in a 53-foot trailer?
Typically about 26 single-stacked empties, or about 52 double-stacked. Loaded totes of water weigh roughly 2,400 lb each, so loaded trucks reach the weight limit long before they run out of floor space.
How much does delivery cost?
Pickup and delivery are available through partner suppliers and priced by quote, depending on distance, quantity and access. Ask for it as a separate line.
Do I need a forklift to receive?
A forklift, a dock or a liftgate delivery. A loaded 275 of water weighs over 2,400 lb, which can exceed a liftgate's rating, so describe your receiving situation in your request.
Can totes be double-stacked?
Empty, cage-sound units can be stacked within the limit on their marking. Loaded units should not be stacked in transit.
Can totes ship full?
Most quotes are for empty totes. Shipping loaded totes depends on the product — many liquids require hazmat documentation, a correctly rated UN container and a qualified carrier. Check current regulations.
Selling used totes
What are used totes worth?
It depends on grade, prior contents, quantity and location, and partner suppliers quote it. Clean, cage-straight 275s with readable markings and documented history are worth the most, and larger lots in one place are easier to place.
Are there totes suppliers will not take?
Often. Totes that held pesticides, aromatic solvents, polymerizing resins or regulated waste, or that have no label and no paperwork, may be declined or accepted only for recycling. Say what they held in your request.
Is there value in damaged totes?
Sometimes for recycling. HDPE bottles and steel cages are recyclable where facilities accept them, which can be better than paying for disposal.
Who pays for pickup?
That is part of the supplier's quote and depends on lot size and distance. On small lots far from a buyer, pickup can cost more than the totes are worth.
How do I get paid?
Payment terms are set by the partner supplier who buys the totes. Confirm them, and what happens if the lot grades differently from your photos, before pickup.
About the referral service
Who is RE:IBC Totes?
A referral service. We do not own a yard, wash line or trucks. You send a quote request, and we match it with a partner supplier in our network who quotes and fulfils it.
Where do you operate?
We take requests from across the United States. Availability depends on partner suppliers near you.
How do I reach you?
Use the quote form on any page or on the contact page. A partner supplier follows up on your request.
Does a quote request cost anything?
No. It is a free, no-obligation quote request.