Bin boxes are the open fronted corrugated containers that live on shelving in a stockroom or on a pick line. Every other box on this site is sized around its contents. A bin box is sized around the shelf, and the contents come second. Get that order wrong and you end up with boxes that overhang, wobble or waste a third of every shelf.
Take three measurements off the racking
- Usable shelf depth. Front edge to whatever stops the box at the back, which may be a rail or a wall rather than the shelf edge. This becomes the bin box length, less about half an inch so it does not hang over the front lip.
- Clear shelf run. The usable width between uprights. Divide this by your intended bin width and see what remains. A run of 46 in clear takes seven bins at 6.5 in with a small gap, or five at 9 in with a wasted column.
- Shelf pitch. Vertical distance between shelves. The bin height has to be low enough that a picker can get their hand over the top and lift the box out, which in practice means a couple of inches of clearance above the box.
Then check the part fits
Only now do you look at the contents. Take the largest part that goes in the bin, at its widest, and confirm it fits the length and width you just derived. If it does not, you have a choice: change the bin layout so the run divides differently, or lay the part in a different orientation. Do not solve it by making one bin oversize, because a mixed bin size on the same shelf costs you the benefit of a tidy grid.
Front cut height
The defining feature of a bin box is that the front is cut down so stock can be seen and reached. That cut is a real spec decision:
| Contents | Front cut | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Small fasteners and loose parts | High front, shallow opening | Stops parts spilling when the bin is pulled |
| Medium items picked by hand | Around half the bin height | Visible stock, still contained |
| Bagged or boxed items | Low front or full open top | Fast grab, nothing to spill |
| Anything counted on the shelf | Low front with a label panel | Count without lifting the bin |
Board, stacking and labels
Bin boxes get handled constantly, so board grade matters more than it does for a box that ships once. Single wall is usually fine for light parts on a supported shelf. Double wall is worth it where bins are stacked on each other, where parts are heavy, or where the bin is pulled and pushed all day. Ask for the board grade and the maximum gross weight to be written on your quote rather than described in adjectives.
Leave a flat, unprinted or lightly printed panel on the front face for labels. A bin that has to be relabelled every cycle count is a bin that will end up with tape over the print. Plain corrugated bins are also covered on our corrugated boxes page, which is where to order.
Ordering, minimum and turnaround
Minimum order is 100 boxes, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote. The die is included, so a bin cut to divide your exact shelf run costs no more to tool than a near standard size. That is the strongest argument for going custom on a bin box: the value is entirely in fitting your racking.
Turnaround comes in three lanes: rush (expedited production with air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days plus 2 to 5 for delivery, with specialty imported items up to about 12 weeks. Rush adds about 7 to 25% depending on the job. We produce in West Chicago and in Guangzhou. If you want to work from the contents rather than the shelf, see what size bin box do I need.
Measure one shelf bay, count how many bins you want across it, and request a quote with those numbers. We will work the width back so the row fills the run cleanly.
