Technical buying guide

IBC Tote Buyer's Guide: Sizes, UN Codes & Food-Grade

An IBC RFQ should define capacity, construction, pallet base, filling opening, discharge valve, intended contents, handling condition, marking and required documents for the destination.

What to confirm in the RFQ

  • Nominal and usable capacity
  • Inner bottle, cage and pallet construction
  • Top closure and discharge valve
  • Intended contents and fill density
  • Marking, test and material-document requirements

A defensible selection method

  1. 1Identify the liquid and handling rules first.
  2. 2Select the physical IBC configuration.
  3. 3Match closures and valve to filling and discharge equipment.
  4. 4Confirm marking, document scope and periodic requirements before order.

Claims and data guardrails

  • A UN code reference is not a blanket authorization for every liquid.
  • Food-contact suitability and dangerous-goods performance are separate questions.
  • Treat supplier-provided values as source references until the quoted configuration is confirmed.
  • Do not extend a certificate, test report or marking beyond its named holder, model and stated scope.
  • Confirm MOQ, packing, destination requirements and inspection points in the quotation.

Frequently asked

What should I consider first?+

An IBC RFQ should define capacity, construction, pallet base, filling opening, discharge valve, intended contents, handling condition, marking and required documents for the destination.

What information should the buyer confirm?+

Nominal and usable capacity; Inner bottle, cage and pallet construction; Top closure and discharge valve; Intended contents and fill density; Marking, test and material-document requirements.

How should loading or packing quantities be used?+

Use an applicable supplier load reference or a model based on the actual packed, nested, folded, cartoned or palletised configuration. A rough volume estimate is planning guidance only, not an authoritative loading count.

Turn the checklist into a product brief

Send the use case, dimensions, quantity and destination. Configuration, documents, MOQ and packing are confirmed in the quotation.