Dimensions / Industrial & logistics / Pails / Square plastic pail
A square plastic pail is a UN 3H2 packaging: RID and 49 CFR call any plastic packaging with a rectangular cross-section a jerrican, so a square pail is capped at 60 litres and 120 kg, where a round 1H2 pail may go to 450 litres. M&M’s 5 gallon Super Kube K1 is 12-3/8 × 10-1/8 in at the top and 14-5/8 in tall with its hinged cover, weighs 1300 g, is marked 3H2/Y23/S and is rated for 275 LBs of top load. Square pails fill a pallet better: on a 48 × 40 in pallet the K1 fits 12 a layer against 10 round pails.
| 5 gal square pail: top L × W (M&M Super Kube K1) | Height with cover; UN mark | Largest square plastic pail under UN rules; net mass |
|---|---|---|
| 12-3/8 × 10-1/8in | 14-5/8in3H2/Y23/S | 60L120 kg |
Sources: M&M Industries, RID 2025. Checked October 2026.
M&M’s Super Kube K1 and a pallet are filled in. Enter your pail’s mark, your load and your pallet; each check follows a rule or figure on this page.
Copy the mark on the pail. A solids mark such as 1H2/Y27/S gives the maximum gross mass in kg before the S; a liquids mark such as 1H2/Y1.5/30 gives the relative density (left off at 1.2 or less, so enter 0) and the test pressure in kPa. The top-load rating is on the maker’s sheet.
3H2/Y23/S is a solids mark: packing groups II and III, up to 23 kg gross a pail (RID 6.1.3.1); this pail is 20 kg.
The Super Kube K1 is marked 3H2/Y23/S: as a square UN packaging it counts as a jerrican, capped at 60 litres and 120 kg.
12 pails a layer squared to the pallet edges on 1219 × 1016 mm, and 4 layers of 371 mm under the 1778 mm limit: 48 pails, enough for 40.
Squared to the edges, the K1’s 314 × 257 mm footprint fills a 48 × 40 in pallet better than round pails of the same capacity.
With 4 layers a pallet, stacked 1 high, the bottom pail carries 3 pails of 20 kg: 60 kg, 65 kg under its 125 kg top-load rating. The upper pallet’s own weight is not counted.
With 275 lbs of top load the K1 is set to one pallet high: stacked two high, the bottom pail would carry 140 kg.
Selling square pails? Photograph the pail, mark its top length and width, height and UN mark in SizeMarker and send it with your quote.
Mark a photoMakers’ sheets first, then a distributor. Jokey sizes are in millimetres with decimal commas on the sheet.
| Pail | Top L × W; height | Weight; wall | UN mark; top load |
|---|---|---|---|
| M&M Super Kube K1, 5.0 galThis page | 12-3/8 × 10-1/8 in; 14-5/8 in with cover (314 × 257 × 371 mm, our conversion) | 1300 g; .09 in | 3H2/Y23/S; 275 LBs |
| M&M Super Kube K1, 4.0 gal | 11-1/2 × 10-1/8 in; pail 10-7/8 in | 855 g | 3H2/Y15/S |
| M&M Super Kube K3, 5.5 galPolypropylene | 13-3/8 × 9-5/8 in; pail 16 in | 840 g; .08 in | 3H2/Y19/S |
| M&M Super Kube K2, 5.0 galPolypropylene | 12 × 9-7/8 in; pail 14-1/2 in | 662 g; .065 in | No UN rating; 250 Lbs |
| M&M Super Kube K4, 4.25 gal“Truly square” | 10 × 10 in; pail 14-3/4 in | 565 g; .06 in | No UN rating |
| Berry Global TQ425G75SQW, 4.25 gal | 9.66 × 9.66 in; 14.14 in | Wall printed “75mm”, meaning mil | No UN approval listed |
| Berry Global TQ4G65SQIHW, 4 galIntegrated handles | 10.02 × 10.02 in; 13.17 in | Wall printed “65mm”, meaning mil | Handles moulded on all four sides |
| Superfos 6055 UN SuperCube, 5.5 lEU, polypropylene | 200 × 200 mm, 166.8 mm at the bottom; 199.1 mm | 159 g | UN for groups II and III; not for products denser than 1 |
| Jokey JETQ 350 PEU | 398 × 398 mm; 367.5 mm | 940 g without handle | No UN mark; 70 kg top load |
| Jokey JETQ 120 PEU | 287 × 248 mm; 242 mm | 360 g without handle | 45 kg top load |
| Uline S-16971, 5 galDistributor | 9.94 in, 8.38 in at the bottom; 16.75 in | 70 mil | Not UN rated; 225 lbs top load |
Sources: M&M Industries · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · Berry Global · Berry Global · Superfos (Amcor) · Jokey · Jokey · Uline
RID 2025 and 49 CFR: the rules for plastic jerricans apply.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Why 3H2RID 1.2.1; 49 CFR 171.8 | A plastic packaging with a rectangular or polygonal cross-section is a jerrican; with a wide opening it is removable-head, 3H2 (M&M marks its square pails so) |
| Largest sizeRID 6.1.4.8; 49 CFR 178.509 | 60 litres; 120 kg net mass, against 450 litres and 400 kg for a round 1H2 pail |
| LiquidsRID P001 | 3H2 up to 60 l in packing groups II and III; group I only for liquids thicker than 2 680 mm2/s |
| SolidsRID P002 | 3H2 up to 120 kg in every packing group |
| Solids markRID 6.1.3.1 | 3H2/Y23/S: packing groups II and III, 23 kg gross |
| Same tests as plastic jerricansRID 6.1.5 | Drop at −18 °C or lower; liquid pails stacked 28 days at 40 °C or more; month of manufacture marked |
| Period of useRID 4.1.1.15 | Five years from manufacture for dangerous goods |
Sources: RID 2025 · 49 CFR · M&M Industries
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| What makers sayBerry; M&M | Square design maximizes shipping and storage space efficiency (Berry); a rectangular shape provides more efficient storage, packing and shipping (M&M) |
| Jokey JETQ 350 P on a Euro palletJokey; our check | 6 a layer, 168 a pallet, 2.20 m high; 800 × 1200 mm divided by 398 mm gives 2 × 3 = 6, the same |
| Jokey JETQ 120 PJokey; our check | 12 a layer, 672 a pallet; 287 × 248 mm turned gives 3 × 4 = 12, the same |
| Empty K1 and K4 a palletM&M | K1 5.0 gal 80 pails on 50 × 41-1/2 in; K4 220 pails on 52-1/2 × 43 in |
| Filled K1 in the check aboveOur calculation | On 1219 × 1016 mm the 314 × 257 mm K1 fits 12 a layer, where a 308 mm round pail fits 10; 4 layers of 371 mm under 1778 mm make 48 |
| Top load and stackingM&M; our calculation | 275 LBs (125 kg) for the K1; stacked two pallets high, the bottom pail would carry 7 pails of 20 kg, 140 kg |
| Pallet and height limitCHEP; FedEx Express Freight | 1219 × 1016 × 141 mm (48 × 40 in); skids over 70 in (1778 mm) need prior approval |
| Child-resistant coverM&M K1 | Tamper evidence, child resistance/senior friendly hinged cover |
| ResinM&M; Superfos | K2, K3 and SuperCube are polypropylene; the K1 is HDPE |
Sources: Berry Global · M&M Industries · Jokey · Jokey · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · CHEP (B4840A) · FedEx Freight · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · Superfos (Amcor)
M&M’s Super Kube K1 is 12-3/8 × 10-1/8 in at the top and 14-5/8 in tall with its cover; its K2 is 12 × 9-7/8 in and 14-1/2 in, and Uline’s S-16971 is 9.94 in square and 16.75 in tall.
Because a square pail is a jerrican under RID and 49 CFR, code 3H2, and jerricans stop at 60 litres and 120 kg. A round pail is a drum, 1H2, allowed up to 450 litres and 400 kg.
Usually. On a 48 × 40 in pallet the 314 × 257 mm K1 fits 12 a layer against 10 round 308 mm pails, and Jokey’s 398 × 398 mm pail fills a Euro pallet exactly 6 a layer.
1300 g for M&M’s HDPE K1 with its heavier hinged design, 662 g for the polypropylene K2 and 565 g for the 4.25 gallon K4.
Only if the pail can take it: the K1 is rated for 275 LBs (125 kg), and stacked two pallets high the bottom pail carries 7 pails of 20 kg, 140 kg, so one pallet high it is.
Buyers ask for the top length and width, the height with the cover, the wall and the empty weight, the UN mark and its 3H2 limits, the cover (hinged, tamper-evident, child-resistant), the handles, the top-load rating and how many pails a pallet takes. Mark the real pail, its cover and its mark on your own photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
