If you’re looking at bulk oils for the first time from a bulk supplier (vs. a distributor like Costco), you’ll need to know how much oil you’d get in a bulk shipment, determine the weights of the different packaging types and understand how much oil comes on one pallet.
This article will address these three basic questions, as well as why you need know these calculations:
What is net weight? You need to know this to figure out and compare pricing.
What is gross weight? Gross weights help you choose the right packaging and do shipping calculations.
How much oil fits on one pallet? We’ll give you the calculations.
What Is Net Weight?
Net weight is, in this case, the weight of the oil. This weight includes only the oil— no packaging and not the weight of the pallet that it sits on.
Net Weight Is Important For Price Calculations
Net weight is important as you are comparing prices. Most bulk oil prices offered in the US are done by the pound. For example, if you’re getting 55 gallon drums you’ll need to know a few things like:
- How much is the oil per pound?
- How many pounds are in your drums? (Different suppliers fill them to different weights.)
- How many drums come on a pallet?
Let’s switch it out and pretend that you ordered different packaging instead — let’s say the 35 Lb. Containers. The questions would remain quite the same either way.
- How much is the oil per pound?
- How many pounds of oil are in each container?
- How many containers come stacked on on pallet?
What Is Gross Weight?
The gross weight of an item includes both the product that’s inside and the packaging.
In this case, it includes the weight of the oil and the weight of the packaging. For example, the gross weight of a 35 Lb. Container would include the weight of the oil (35 lbs.) plus the weight of the box (about 3 lbs.) for a total gross weight of 38 pounds.
If you’re calculating the gross weight of the pallet, it includes the weight of the oil, all of the packaging and the pallet itself.
Gross Weight Is Important For Shipping Calculations
Who cares about the gross weight of your order? Your shipper does!
The shipping company wants to know how much the item weighs that they’re picking up and bringing to you. They don’t care how much just the oils weighs— that’s not the total that they have to carry.
To be able to give your shipper the total gross weight of your order, you’ll need to factor in the weight of the oil, the weight of the packaging and the weight of the pallet.
How Much Oil Fits On A Pallet?
For a quick comparison, see the calculations below that show how much of each edible oil packaging fits onto a pallet.
Download A Quick Comparison Chart For Each Packaging Size
For easy comparison, we created a chart to compare each of the packaging options, their net (oil) weight, gross (total) weight, number of units per pallet and even the ti-hi (how many layers and how high they’re stacked).
Of course, this chart relates to our own packaging sizes, so if you work with a different supplier you’ll need to know their exact sizes.
