All-plastic IBC totes
An all-plastic IBC is a rotationally molded polyethylene tank with its own frame molded in and no steel cage. The walls run about half an inch thick. It suits water and light-duty liquids better than stacked industrial service.
- Material
- HDPEPolyethylene
- Wall
- 1/2 inRotomolded
- Cage
- NoneMolded frame
- Fire
- MeltsPlastic burns
What it is and is not
Rotational molding makes one one-piece piece, which suits storage tanks and water totes. Without a steel cage, the tote is lighter and cannot take the same stacking or knocks. Many buyers who want a tank for a yard or a shed pick this type because there is nothing to rust.
Plastic IBCs holding combustible or flammable liquids can melt or burn fairly rapidly and release their whole contents. That is a reason to keep them out of fuel service. See gasoline, diesel and totes.
Where it fits in South Florida
It is a rain and irrigation tote. A lighter tank is easier to move across a nursery. In the sun, though, plastic ages: UV makes it brittle, and sun on a translucent wall grows algae. Shade it, paint it or cover it.
| Job | Fit | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rain catchment | Good | Screen the openings |
| Irrigation | Good | Flush before first fill |
| Drinking water | Only if food-grade | History needed |
| Stacked storage | Poor | No cage to carry load |
| Fuel | Never | Plastic melts in a fire |
What to check
Look for crazing, a chalky surface, a bulged wall and any cloudiness that is not washable. Run a hand over the walls near the base. Check the valve and the fill cap the same as any tote. If it has a plate, read it. If it does not, ask us what it is before you buy; a tote for hazmat service carries a plate.
Where all-plastic totes shine
Coastal sites near Miami Beach, Key Biscayne and the port see salt air that eats galvanized steel. A molded tote has no frame to rust, no weld to crack and no zinc to flake into the liquid, which is why marine suppliers and cleaning-product blenders sometimes prefer it. The trade is strength under a forklift tine: plastic walls scratch and puncture more easily than steel bars.
Questions people ask
Why choose an all-plastic tote?
Where a steel cage would corrode, such as near salt air, or where metal must stay out of a clean area, a molded plastic tote avoids both.
Does an all-plastic tote hold up in sun?
Ultraviolet light makes polyethylene brittle over years. Shade or cover it, and inspect the walls for chalking and fine cracks.
Can it be stacked?
Check the plate. Many all-plastic totes are rated to stack, but a full tote on a damaged one is never safe.
Is an all-plastic tote cheaper?
We do not post prices. Ask, and we tell you the grade, the type and what we know.
Can I stack them?
Only if the maker says so on the tote. Without a cage, assume not.
Does it last in Florida sun?
Longer if shaded or covered. See sun and algae.
Ask for all-plastic totes
Tell us the size and the water. We reply with the grade from what you describe.