IBC ToteTexas

Reuse ledger, year to date: 41,200 totes diverted from Texas landfills this year. 2,060k lb of HDPE kept in service. 1,772k lb of steel cage recovered. 3,140 tons of CO₂e avoided. 92% of our wash water recycled on site. 68 Texas counties served from one Austin yard. Full methodology at /sustainability/reuse-ledger.

Deep catalog · not in the main menu

Sun, heat
and what
leaks out.

Three problems, three product families. Block the light so the tote does not grow anything, slow the heat so the product survives the trip, and contain the spill so it never becomes an incident.

Wide view of a warehouse hall filled with reconditioned IBC totes on polished concrete

The short answer

Outdoors in Texas, an unprotected tote has two enemies: UV and heat. A UV-stable opaque cover solves algae and slows bottle degradation; an insulated jacket buffers temperature-sensitive product; a bunded containment pallet handles the regulatory side. All three fit standard 275 and 330 gallon units.

Spec covers and containment

Tell us tote size, quantity, and whether the units live indoors or out.

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From the yard

Close-up of a single 275 gallon IBC tote showing its capacity label, UN placard and blue ball valve
A 275 with the plate, the capacity label and a standard 2-inch ball valve.
Rows of used 275 gallon composite IBC totes stacked two high in an outdoor yard under a blue sky
Graded stock on the outdoor rows, stacked two high and waiting on a grade tag.

Catalog

What we stock

Covers, lids, jackets and containment
ProductFitsPurposeNotes
UV-blocking cover275 / 330 galBlocks light to stop algae and slow bottle degradationUV-stabilised, elasticated hem, cut-outs for lid and valve access
Reflective sun jacket275 / 330 galReduces solar gain on product held outdoorsMeaningful surface temperature reduction on the sun-facing side
Insulated thermal jacket275 / 330 galBuffers temperature-sensitive product in transit or short-term storageTypically holds a 4°C product within 3°C across eight hours
Heating blanket275 / 330 galKeeps viscous product pourable in winterThermostat-controlled; requires 120V or 240V on site
6 in vented lidStandard fill openingPrevents vacuum collapse when pumpingThe single cheapest insurance policy on this page
6 in solid lidStandard fill openingSeals for transport and isolates product from airCrack it open before pumping
9 in lidLarge fill openingViscous product and cleaning accessCommon on food-grade units
Bunded containment pallet1 or 2 totesSecondary containment for chemical and oil serviceSized to hold 110% of the largest container's volume
Spill deck / drip traySingle toteCatches valve drips and transfer spillsNot a substitute for full containment where regulations apply

Light

Why blocking light matters more than you think

A translucent HDPE bottle transmits enough light to support algal growth in any nutrient-bearing water, and Texas sun is abundant year-round. The visible result is green water in two to three weeks. The invisible result is slow photo-oxidation of the bottle itself, which shortens its service life and eventually shows up as crazing at the shoulder.

Blocking light fixes both. It also, incidentally, stops the level strip working, which is why our covers have a viewing slot rather than being a plain bag.

For anything holding water in open sun, buy the pre-wrapped configuration rather than retrofitting later.

Heat

Thermal management, realistically

A jacket does not refrigerate. What it does is slow the rate of heat exchange between 2,300 lb of liquid and the air around it — and because that thermal mass is so large, slowing the exchange is usually enough.

In practice: a chilled product loaded at 4°C and jacketed will typically arrive within three degrees after an eight-hour Texas transit. An unjacketed tote on the same run can gain fifteen degrees or more on the sun-facing side.

In the other direction, heating blankets keep syrup, molasses and heavy oils pourable through a Central Texas cold snap. Without one, a January discharge that normally takes twenty minutes can take all afternoon.

Containment and what Texas actually requires

Two frameworks matter for most Texas operations. TCEQ rules generally require secondary containment for bulk chemical storage at permitted facilities, sized to hold the volume of the largest single container plus a rainfall allowance for outdoor installations. Federal SPCC rules apply to oil storage above threshold quantities and demand containment capable of holding the largest container's full volume.

A bunded containment pallet sized for 110% of a single 275-gallon tote satisfies the usual single-tote case. Multi-tote installations are better served by a shared basin or a curbed and sealed floor area, which is cheaper per tote and easier to inspect.

If your site sits over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone — which includes much of the I-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio — treat containment as mandatory regardless of volume. See the San Marcos and New Braunfels page for local notes.

Questions people actually ask

+Will painting the tote work as well as a cover?
For light blocking, yes — two coats of exterior latex on a clean, dry bottle blocks light effectively and costs almost nothing. What paint does not give you is thermal buffering or a removable surface, and it makes the level strip unreadable, which is a real loss.
+How much does an insulated jacket actually help?
On a full tote, a lot. The thermal mass of 2,300 lb of liquid is enormous; the jacket's job is to slow heat exchange rather than maintain a temperature. Typical performance is holding a 4°C product within about three degrees across an eight-hour transit.
+Do I need a containment pallet?
If you are storing bulk chemical at a permitted facility in Texas, TCEQ generally requires secondary containment, and an SPCC plan requires it for oil service. For water and non-regulated product it is optional but cheap insurance against a cracked valve.
+Are covers UV stable?
Ours are. A tarp from a hardware store will chalk and shred in one Texas summer. Specify a UV-stabilised cover rated for outdoor service or you will be buying two.

Related

Next

Quick reference

Numbers worth having open in another tab

The figures that come up in almost every conversation, whichever page you arrived on.

275 gallon · 1040 L

48×40×46

Tare
130 lb
Gross, water
2,425 lb
Stack full
2 high
Stock
Always in stock

330 gallon · 1250 L

48×40×53

Tare
160 lb
Gross, water
2,915 lb
Stack full
2 high
Stock
Always in stock

264 gallon · 1000 L

48×40×46

Tare
125 lb
Gross, water
2,325 lb
Stack full
2 high
Stock
Usually in stock

350 gallon · 1325 L

48×40×56

Tare
175 lb
Gross, water
3,095 lb
Stack full
2 high
Stock
Order in

Outlet thread

S60x6 — 60 mm coarse buttress. Not 2" NPT.

Grades published

N, R, F, A, B, C, X — applied at the wash bay.

Wash standards

W1 rinse through W4 caustic CIP at 160°F.

UN retest

Leakproofness 2.5 yrs, requalification 5 yrs.

From the yard notes

Longer reading on this

32 articles written by the people who wash, grade, weld and dispatch. No marketing copy in any of them.

All 32 articles

On the yard this week

Rows of used 275 gallon composite IBC totes stacked two high in an outdoor yard under a blue sky
Graded stock on the outdoor rows, stacked two high and waiting on a grade tag.
Wide view of a warehouse hall filled with reconditioned IBC totes on polished concrete
Covered inventory. What you see on the rack is what goes on your truck.

More answers

While you're here

Pulled from the full FAQ, which runs to forty-plus answers across buying, grades, food safety, sizes, selling, compliance, delivery and care.

Read the full FAQ

Where we are
3505 Montopolis Dr, Austin, TX 78744
Yard hours
Mon–Thu 7:30a–5p · Fri 7:30a–4p · Sat 8a–12p · Sun closed (Central Time)
Coverage
68 Texas counties on scheduled routes, from one Austin yard.

+Can I inspect before buying?
Yes, and we encourage it for first-time buyers. Yard hours, walk the rows, pick your own units. Grading is honest but it's still a judgement — seeing the stock settles every question at once.
+How much does a used IBC tote cost?
Used composite IBCs in Texas run from the low hundreds for rough jobsite stock up to most of the price of a new unit for documented food-grade or rebottled containers. Grade moves the price more than anything else — often by a factor of four across the same size.
+Can I bury a tote?
No. The bottle is not rated for external soil pressure and the cage will not hold the shape. Berm above ground or buy a purpose-built cistern.
+How fast can I get totes?
Austin metro is usually next business day. Most of Central and South Texas is inside 48 hours. Longer hauls ride consolidated routes — San Antonio twice weekly, Houston and DFW weekly, the Permian monthly.
+Cash or credit?
Either. Credit against future purchases is typically worth more per unit, which suits operations that buy and return continuously.

Indoors or outdoors?

That one answer changes the whole specification. Tell us where the totes will live and what's going in them, and we'll put the right protection on the quote.

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