Totes & parts · P-06
New IBC totes.
Reluctantly.
Short answer
- Virgin HDPE bottle on a new galvanised cage and base
- Full five-year hazmat service life from the moulding date
- Uniform moulding dates across a fleet if you need them
- Rebottled alternative quoted alongside, every time
Price new units
Be honest with yourself
Four reasons that hold up, and three that do not
Short answer
- Written spec requires virgin outer packaging
- Provable full 5-year UN window from one maker
- Resin or colour unavailable reclaimed
- Non-standard geometry (550 gal, rigid poly, stainless)
Reasons that do not survive scrutiny
"We need a clean bottle."
A rebottled unit has a new bottle. That is the entire point of the grade.
"Used containers look unprofessional."
Shot-blasted cages and new valves look better than two-year-old new totes that have been outdoors.
"Reconditioned might leak."
Every reconditioned and rebottled unit is leak-tested at 3 psi and carries a 30-day warranty. New totes are tested once, at the factory, and arrive after a freight journey.
Cost of new
What the premium actually buys
| Rebottled 275 | New 275 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle | New virgin HDPE | New virgin HDPE | None |
| Cage | Reclaimed, shot-blasted | New galvanised | Cosmetic + 62 kg CO₂e |
| Base | Reclaimed, inspected | New | Cosmetic + 39 kg CO₂e |
| Wetted parts | All new | All new | None |
| Price band | $210 – $365 | $390 – $540 | +$180 typical |
| Lead time | 7 – 12 business days | 2 – 4 weeks | +2 weeks |
| CO₂e per unit | 150 kg | 214 kg | +64 kg |
Across a 100-unit fleet the delta is roughly $18,000 and 6.4 tonnes of CO₂e. If your specification requires it, that is a legitimate cost of doing business. If it does not, it is $18,000 spent on paint. See rebottled →
What we stock new
New-container options we hold or source
Composite UN31HA1, 275 & 330 gal
Virgin HDPE bottle, new galvanised cage, steel or plastic base, DN50 or DN80 butterfly valve. The standard new tote, with full packing-group II and III authorisation.
Food-resin bottles
FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 resin with the certificate retained. Specified by default on any new food or potable order, with a plastic base.
Rigid poly tanks, 120 – 550 gal
Non-standard geometry where a caged composite will not serve: cone-bottom, vertical, open-top. Sourced to order rather than stocked.
Stainless 304 / 316L bins
For steam-cleanable, CIP, high-temperature or high-purity duty. See our stainless page — these are usually bought reclaimed, because stainless does not meaningfully age.
Questions
New-tote questions
Why does a used-tote company sell new totes?
Because occasionally a specification leaves no reclaimed option — a pharmaceutical audit requiring a virgin cage, a first-article qualification, or a fleet where every serial must share a moulding date. Sending those customers elsewhere would not reduce the number of new totes made; it would just mean we were not there to argue for the rebottled alternative first.
When is a new tote genuinely necessary?
Four situations: a written specification requiring virgin outer packaging, a regulated application needing a full and provable five-year service window from a single manufacturer, a colour or resin grade we cannot source reclaimed, and non-standard geometry such as a 550-gallon rigid tank.
What does a new 275 gallon tote cost?
$390 – $540 ex-yard depending on base type, valve specification and quantity, against $210 – $365 for a rebottled unit that has an identical new bottle. That delta is what you are paying for new steel.
Will you try to talk me out of buying new?
Yes, once, with numbers. If you have considered rebottled and the specification still requires new, we will quote new without further argument. Our traders are measured on used-first sourcing, not on refusing orders.
If you are buying new
What a new composite IBC actually includes
Specifications vary by manufacturer more than people expect. These are the options worth naming in a purchase order rather than accepting as default.
| Option | Common default | Worth specifying when | Price effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle resin | Virgin HDPE, general purpose | Food contact, or outdoor placement (UV-stabilised) | 0 – 10% |
| Bottle wall | Standard | High-cycle returnable pools | +8 – 14% |
| Base type | Galvanised steel | Sanitary floor (plastic), mixed fleet (composite) | +$18 – $46 |
| Outlet size | DN50 / 2 in | Viscous product or fast decanting (DN80) | +$12 – $22 |
| Valve type | PP butterfly | Throttling or dosing (full-port ball) | +$34 – $110 |
| Gasket compound | EPDM | Solvents and aromatics (Viton), hot food (silicone) | +$14 – $26 |
| Lid | 6 in solid | Hot fill or pump draw-down (vented) | $0 – $13 |
| UN marking | UN31HA1/Y | Packing group I material (needs X) | Varies |
| Colour | Natural translucent | Light-sensitive product (opaque) | +8 – 14% |
Every one of those options is also available on a rebottled unit, because the bottle, valve, gasket and lid are all new on a rebottle. The only line that genuinely requires a new container is the cage, and the cage is not touching your product.
Lead time reality
What new containers actually cost in time
The price difference is visible on a quote. The schedule difference is the one that bites a project, and it is rarely in anyone’s plan.
| Route | Typical lead time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reconditioned, from stock | 3 – 8 days | Our highest-volume grade |
| Reconditioned, washed to order | 9 – 14 days | Wash queue plus freight |
| Rebottled | 7 – 12 days | Bottle stock in your resin and colour |
| New, standard specification | 2 – 4 weeks | Manufacturer schedule |
| New, non-standard resin or colour | 4 – 8 weeks | Moulding run scheduling |
| New, non-standard geometry | 6 – 12 weeks | Tooling availability |
Short answer
- Rebottled is typically two weeks faster than new
- Non-standard resin or colour doubles a new-container lead time
- Partial shipment is usually available on reclaimed grades
- Tell us the date you need them, not just the quantity
From the Yard Journal
Longer pieces from the people who run the wash line, the test bay and the trading desk.
2 October 2025 · 4 min
The case against buying new, written for a procurement team
Not an environmental argument. A specification argument, with the three clauses that genuinely require new containers and the four that do not.
Nina Caldwell · Trading desk
Read24 July 2025 · 3 min
Specific gravity is the number nobody sends us
Almost every enquiry gives a volume. Almost none gives a density. It is the difference between a container that works and a load that gets turned away at a scale.
Nina Caldwell · Trading desk
Read11 April 2023 · 5 min
The hidden cost of a wooden pallet in a return loop
A hardwood base costs 40% less to buy and 3.6 times more per turn. We tracked bases through our own pool for two years to work out why.
Dale Ferreira · Logistics lead
Read
Next move
Send us the specification clause.
If a written requirement is driving you to new containers, paste the clause into the message field. Nine times out of ten we can tell you within a day whether a rebottled unit satisfies it.