Service · buying
Buy the grade
you need. Not the
grade we'd rather sell.
We publish seven grades and apply them consistently, which means the cheapest suitable option is visible to you instead of buried. That costs us margin on individual sales and earns us the repeat orders.
The short answer
Buying used totes from us takes four steps: send the form with quantity and application, get a written quote with a grade recommendation the same business day, approve it, and collect at the yard or take delivery. Austin metro is usually next business day; most of Texas is inside 48 hours on consolidated routes.
From the yard
Process
Four steps, no phone calls
- STEP 01
Send the form
Quantity, product type and destination. If you know the grade, say so. If you don't, describe what's going in the tote and skip it.
- STEP 02
We walk the rows
Somebody physically checks what's on the ground against what you asked for, and flags it if a cheaper grade would serve you just as well.
- STEP 03
You get a written quote
Unit price, grade, valve spec, pallet type, freight and a delivery date. Same business day, in writing, nothing verbal.
- STEP 04
Collect or take delivery
Bring a truck to 3505 Montopolis Dr and we load you free, or take a delivery on the next route to your metro.
Grades
What each grade guarantees
This table is the contract. If a unit arrives that doesn't match its grade, that's our problem to fix.
| Code | Grade | Bottle | Cage | Wash | Price index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | New | Virgin HDPE, factory sealed | New galvanized steel | Not required | 100 |
| R | Rebottled | New virgin HDPE bottle, FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 | Inspected, straightened, re-coated where needed | Not applicable — bottle is new | 55–65 |
| F | Food Grade | Reused HDPE, prior contents all food-grade and recorded | Inspected, straight, clean | W4 caustic CIP at 160°F with recorded parameters | 38–48 |
| A | Grade A | Reused HDPE, triple-rinsed, no staining that affects use | Straight, minimal cosmetic marking, legible plate | W2 triple rinse or W3 hot detergent | 30–38 |
| B | Grade B | Reused HDPE, rinsed, may show staining or discolouration | Sound with scuffs, minor dents, some surface rust | W2 triple rinse | 20–28 |
| C | Grade C | Reused HDPE, rinsed, stained or heavily discoloured | Structurally sound; dents, rust and damaged label areas expected | W1 rinse | 12–18 |
| X | Recovery Only | Compromised — permeated, cracked or contaminated | May be salvageable for rebottling | Not applicable | — |
Pricing
What actually moves the price
- 01GradeThe biggest lever by far. A C-grade unit can be a fifth the price of a rebottled one.
- 02QuantitySteps at 10, 24 and 48 units, then again at full-trailer volumes.
- 03Valve and fittingsA full-port butterfly valve costs more than a ball valve and is worth it on viscous product.
- 04Pallet typeSteel bases cost more and add freight weight. Composite is the usual default.
- 05Freight distanceConsolidated routes are cheap. Dedicated loads are not, until the volume is there.
- 06DocumentationWash records and prior-contents tags take labour, and food-grade intake is a separate lane.
Yard pickup
Come and pick your own
Yard pickup is the cheapest way to buy from us and the best way to learn what the grades mean. You walk the rows, choose specific units, and we load them with a forklift at no charge.
Bring:
- A truck or trailer that can take a 48 × 40 inch pallet
- Ratchet straps — we don't supply them
- Closed-toe shoes; it's a working yard with forklifts moving
Yard hours are Mon–Thu 7:30a–5p · Fri 7:30a–4p · Sat 8a–12p · Sun closed (Central Time). No appointment needed, though sending the form first means the stock is pulled and staged when you arrive.
How to buy used totes without getting burned
Most bad used-tote purchases come from the same three places, and all three are avoidable with questions you can ask in an email.
Ask what was in it
If the seller cannot tell you the prior contents, you are buying an unknown. That is fine for washout containment and irrelevant for a planter. It is disqualifying for anything edible, anything going near livestock, and anything you plan to put a regulated chemical into.
Ask what the wash was
“Cleaned” means nothing. A cold rinse and a caustic clean-in-place are separated by two orders of magnitude in effectiveness and about ninety dollars in cost. We publish five wash standards specifically so you can name one.
Ask about the UN plate — and don't be impressed by it
A UN plate on a used tote from an unregistered yard is decoration. Only a registered reconditioner can restore a UN marking, and only within the retest window. If you need compliance, read the compliance guide and buy accordingly.
Inspect the five failure points
Cage welds at the base corners, bottle around the outlet, valve seat, lid gasket, pallet feet. Those five account for nearly every problem we see at intake. There's a full 48-point checklist if you want to be systematic — it's the one our own crew uses.
Questions people actually ask
+Can I inspect totes before buying?
+What if the totes arrive worse than described?
+Do you offer volume pricing?
+Can I buy a single tote?
+What payment terms do you offer?
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
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.
- Buying · July 25, 2023 · 3 minBuying Used Containers Without Getting Burned: Four QuestionsFour questions, asked by email, before any money moves. The quality of the answers tells you more than the price does.
- Buying · April 14, 2021 · 5 minWhat a Used IBC Tote Should Actually Cost in TexasNobody publishes prices, and there's a reason for that. Here's what actually moves the number, in the order it moves it.
- How-to · August 26, 2021 · 4 minHow to Inspect a Used IBC Tote in Five MinutesYou don't need the full 48-point checklist at a tailgate. You need five points and a flashlight.
On the yard this week
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.
- 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.
+Do you buy used totes?
+How should I store totes through a Texas freeze?
+Does a used tote keep its UN rating?
+How do I tell if a used tote is sound?
+How fast can I get totes?
Tell us the job, get a grade recommendation.
Quantity and application is all we need. You'll have a written price, a grade, a freight figure and a date the same business day.