What Is a Gaylord Container?

The Gaylord Container Corporation started out making patented large boxes -- bulk bins -- and mounted them on pallets for shipping large quantities of products. These specially designed boxes later became known as Gaylord containers. Since its inception in the 1920s, the company has gone through many changes and multiple owners, but still carries the name of the man who patented and invented the containers. In 2011, the company that owned Gaylord Containers was bought by International Paper.

A Gaylord container is a type of cardboard box used for packing bulk items for shipping or storage purposes. The box is made from corrugated fiberboard and can be double or triple walled. The boxes come in different sizes and strengths. The corrugated fiberboard used to make a Gaylord container provides greater strength than a traditional cardboard box and can hold up to a ton or more in some cases.

Originally started as the J.C. Bullis company at the turn of the 20th century, Robert Gaylord took over the company in the 1920s with his nephew Clifton W. Gaylord becoming president a year later. By the time Crown Zellerbach purchased the company in the 1950s it was called the Gaylord Container Corporation, which they renamed to the Gaylord Container Division. It became part of the hostile takeover of Crown Zellerbach by James Goldsmith in 1985 who broke up the company but kept Gaylord Container intact. The company was bought by Temple Inland in 2002.

Gaylord containers are made for strength and to carry bulk and weight, therefore if you are moving a house, shipping or storing goods, these boxes are optimal. The boxes come in different sizes and strengths so you can choose the best kind of box for your needs. Depending upon the type of box used, some containers can hold from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds when consolidating smaller packages into the larger containers.