Low-density freight breaks the usual arithmetic.
Most freight decisions turn on weight. Empty boxes weigh almost nothing and occupy everything, which inverts the normal rules and catches out buyers who are used to shipping dense product.
Price a lane
Tell us origin, destination, size and count — we will quote all three modes side by side.
Straight to the grading floor at 9869 Meeks Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63132.
Or email sales@reboxesmarket.com. We have no phone line — dimensions and counts survive much better in writing.
Not sure of the size?
Fold a box in the browser, read off the cube and pallet fit, and send the spec straight through.
Why freight class hurts here
LTL pricing in the US runs on freight class, which is largely a function of density. Knocked-down corrugated typically lands in class 150 to 250 — near the expensive end — because a pallet of it weighs 300 lb and occupies a full pallet position. You are paying for space while being rated on a system designed around weight.
The result is a steep, non-linear cost curve. Going from two pallets to four rarely doubles the cost; going from six to twelve often costs less per pallet than going from one to two. This is the opposite of most buyers’ intuition.
The crossover
On our Midwest lanes the crossover from LTL to partial truckload usually sits between six and eight pallets. From partial to full truckload it sits between fourteen and eighteen. Both move with fuel, season and lane direction, so we quote all three rather than assuming.
There is also a hidden crossover: at around twenty pallets, a full truckload of knocked-down boxes is frequently cheaper in total than six pallets of erected ones, because of how much more fits. Buying more can genuinely cost less.
Accessorials, which is where LTL quotes go wrong
- Liftgate, if your site has no dock. Commonly $75 – $150.
- Residential or limited-access delivery surcharges.
- Inside delivery, which carriers price aggressively for bulky freight.
- Reclassification, if the carrier re-measures and disagrees with your density.
- Redelivery, if nobody can receive a 26-foot trailer on a Tuesday.
We quote delivered, including accessorials, precisely so this list is our problem rather than a surprise on your invoice.
What we recommend, in practice
If you need boxes continuously, take a full truckload on a standing order and let us hold the balance in our yard until you call releases. You get truckload economics on LTL-sized consumption, and we get predictable grading capacity. It is the single most common arrangement we have with repeat customers.
- Under 6 pallets: LTL, and watch the accessorials
- 6 – 14 pallets: get partial truckload quoted
- Over 14: full truckload almost always wins
- Continuous need: standing order, released from our yard
- Always: knocked down, never erected
The same 2,000 boxes, three ways.
18" × 18" × 18" double-wall used shippers, St. Louis to Indianapolis. Illustrative figures, but the shape of the answer is real.
| Mode | Shipments | Pallets | Relative total cost | Transit | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LTL, four releases | 4 | 5 each | 1.00× | 2 – 4 days each | Flexible, most expensive |
| Partial, two releases | 2 | 10 each | 0.68× | 2 – 3 days each | Good middle ground |
| Full truckload, one load | 1 | 20 | 0.44× | 1 day | Cheapest if you have space |
| Truckload held in our yard | 1 + releases | 20 | 0.49× | Next-day on call | Best for continuous need |
Costs normalised against the LTL option. The fourth row adds a small holding cost and removes your storage problem entirely, which is why most repeat customers choose it.
Freight, specifically.
Can you ship to a site with no dock?
Yes, with a liftgate on LTL or a straight truck on local lanes. Tell us before we quote — adding it afterwards is how a cheap quote becomes an expensive invoice.
Do you ever ship boxes erected?
Only for small quantities where erecting is genuinely a labour problem for you, or for lidded gaylords going into immediate service. We will show you the cube difference first.
What about nationwide lanes?
Full truckload only outside the Midwest and Mid-South. Beyond roughly 900 miles, LTL on low-density freight usually makes reuse uneconomic and we will say so rather than quote it.
Who handles a damage claim?
We do. We quote delivered, so a damaged pallet is ours to resolve. You should not be arguing with a carrier you never selected.
Can we use our own carrier?
Of course. We will band and cube-optimise to your carrier's requirements and give you the exact dimensions and class to book against.
What actually fits in the truck.
Every cube figure we quote is calculated against these, at a realistic 72% packing efficiency rather than a theoretical 100%.
| Unit | Inside dimensions | Volume | Pallet positions | Payload | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53' dry van | 630" × 100" × 110" | 3,489 ft³ | 26 | 45,000 lb | Our standard outbound unit |
| 48' dry van | 576" × 99" × 108" | 3,100 ft³ | 24 | 44,000 lb | Older fleet, still common on LTL |
| 28' pup | 330" × 100" × 108" | 1,750 ft³ | 12 | 22,000 lb | LTL linehaul segment |
| 26' straight truck | 306" × 96" × 96" | 1,700 ft³ | 12 | 10,000 lb | Liftgate deliveries to sites without docks |
| 40' container | 474" × 92" × 94" | 2,390 ft³ | 20 | 59,000 lb | Export; corrugated avoids ISPM 15 |
| 40' high cube | 474" × 92" × 106" | 2,694 ft³ | 20 | 58,000 lb | Preferred for low-density freight |
Eight decks, and what sits on them.
Specify your container to the pallets you actually own, not to the standard. A 48 × 40 GMA pallet in the real world runs anywhere from 47.5 to 48.5 inches.
| Footprint | Construction | Typical use | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48" × 40" GMA, 4-way | Stringer, notched | North American standard | Real examples run 47.5 – 48.5 inches. Measure yours. |
| 48" × 40" block | Block, 4-way true | Automated handling | Better for AS/RS and robotics |
| 48" × 48" drum | Stringer | Chemical, octabins | Suits the 41-inch octabin footprint |
| 42" × 42" | Stringer | Beverage, telecom | Common in soft-drink distribution |
| 48" × 45" | Stringer | Produce field pack | Matches vented produce bins |
| 36" × 36" half | Block | Retail display | Store-level display base |
| 1200 × 1000 mm | Block | International | The closest metric equivalent to GMA |
| 1200 × 800 mm EUR | Block | Europe | Too narrow for most US bulk containers |
| Pattern | Compression retained | Stability | Wrap needed | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Column (aligned) | Up to 100% | Low | Required | Heavy uniform loads into racking |
| Brick (offset rows) | ~60% | Good | Recommended | Mixed weight, manual handling |
| Pinwheel | ~60 – 70% | Highest | Recommended | Odd footprints with a centre void |
| Full interlock | ~45% | Highest | Optional | Light loads where toppling is the risk |
Ten conversions we use every day.
None of these are difficult. All of them are regularly got wrong, usually by a factor of 1,728.
| From | To | Factor | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubic inches | Cubic feet | ÷ 1,728 | 48 × 40 × 36 = 69,120 in³ = 40.0 ft³ |
| Square inches | Square feet | ÷ 144 | 13,528 in² = 93.9 ft² |
| Pounds per ft² | Board weight | × area in ft² | 93.9 ft² × 0.55 = 51.7 lb |
| Pounds | Kilograms | × 0.45359 | 51.7 lb = 23.5 kg |
| Inches | Millimetres | × 25.4 | 48" = 1,219 mm |
| Cubic feet | Cubic metres | × 0.02832 | 40.0 ft³ = 1.13 m³ |
| Short tons | Metric tonnes | × 0.90718 | 11,800 tons = 10,705 tonnes |
| Loose OCC volume | Weight | × 80 lb/yd³ | 40 yd³ ≈ 3,200 lb |
| Baled OCC volume | Weight | × 700 lb/yd³ | 2 yd³ bale ≈ 1,400 lb |
| Trailer volume (53') | Usable | × 0.72 | 3,489 ft³ → 2,512 ft³ |
Why empty packaging rates so badly.
LTL pricing keys off density. Knocked-down corrugated weighs almost nothing and occupies a full pallet position, so it lands near the expensive end of a scale designed around weight.
| Class | Density | Typical commodity | Where packaging sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50+ lb/ft³ | Bricks, steel bar | Rarely packaging |
| 55 | 35 – 50 | Hardwood flooring | Dense palletised goods |
| 60 | 30 – 35 | Car accessories | Heavy cartoned goods |
| 65 | 22.5 – 30 | Bottled beverages | Full case packs |
| 70 | 15 – 22.5 | Food in cartons | Typical dense distribution |
| 85 | 12 – 15 | Crated machinery | Palletised assemblies |
| 92.5 | 10.5 – 12 | Computers, monitors | Cushioned electronics |
| 100 | 9 – 10.5 | Boat covers, canvas | Light bulky goods |
| 125 | 7 – 8 | Small appliances | Void-filled cartons |
| 150 | 6 – 7 | Auto sheet metal | Erected boxes start here |
| 175 | 5 – 6 | Clothing, couches | Knocked-down heavy board |
| 200 | 4 – 5 | Aircraft parts | Knocked-down double wall |
| 250 | 3 – 4 | Mattresses, plasma TVs | Knocked-down single wall |
| 300 | 2 – 3 | Wood cabinets, tables | Erected gaylords |
| 400 | 1 – 2 | Deer antlers | Erected light bulk |
| 500 | < 1 | Gold dust, ping-pong balls | Loose void fill |
Note the two rows that matter here: knocked-down board is class 150 – 250, erected containers are class 300 – 400. That gap is the entire argument for banding everything flat.
Seven things about your dock that change the quote.
Declared before the quote these are free to plan around. Discovered on delivery day they are the single most common reason a cheap quote becomes an expensive invoice.
| Item | Specification | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dock height | 48 – 52" typical | Below 44" a standard trailer needs a leveller or a ramp |
| Dock leveller capacity | 20,000 – 30,000 lb | Loaded gaylords on a pallet truck approach the limit |
| Door width | 8 – 9 ft | Double-stacked knocked-down bundles are wide |
| Apron depth | 100 – 130 ft | A 53-foot trailer needs room to square up |
| Liftgate requirement | If no dock | Add $75 – $150; declare it before the quote, not after |
| Receiving window | 3-day window ideal | Lets us consolidate; worth more than a volume discount |
| Forklift availability | 3,000 lb minimum | A loaded gaylord plus pallet exceeds many electric walkies |