What size is a 25 lb tomato box?

The standard 25 lb (11.3 kg) bulk carton used for field tomatoes crossing from Mexico and shipped from Florida measures about 43 × 29 × 22 cm outside, roughly 17 × 11.5 × 8.5 in. It is built in double-wall corrugated board of at least 48 ECT, with vents on all four sides and in the base, and it is filled loose with mature-green or breaker fruit sorted by size ratio such as 5×6 or 6×6. Receivers compare terminal market prices per 25 lb box, so the weight and footprint are fixed by the trade and the packer changes only the board, the vents and the print.

How many 25 lb tomato boxes fit on a pallet and in a 53 ft trailer?

On a 48 × 40 in GMA pallet the 43 × 29 cm box loads 8 per layer; at 9 to 10 layers that is 72 to 80 boxes and 816 to 907 kg of fruit, about 880 to 970 kg gross. A 53 ft reefer trailer has 26 single-stacked pallet positions but reaches its legal payload of about 20 tonnes at 20 to 22 pallets, so it carries 1,440 to 1,760 boxes. A 40 ft high-cube reefer container takes 20 to 21 pallets, 1,440 to 1,680 boxes, and is then limited by the road weight rules at destination rather than by the container itself.

What temperature should tomatoes be stored and shipped at?

According to the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center, mature-green tomatoes are held at 12.5 to 15 °C (55 to 59 °F) for up to 14 to 21 days, breaker to pink fruit at 10 to 12.5 °C, light-red fruit at 10 °C and firm-ripe fruit at 7 to 10 °C (45 to 50 °F) for 3 to 5 days, all at 90 to 95 % relative humidity. Mature-green fruit held below 10 °C suffers chilling injury: uneven ripening, pitting and decay. Tomatoes are cooled with forced air, not water or ice, and ripened with about 100 ppm ethylene at 20 to 25 °C, so the carton must keep its compression strength through a warm, humid ripening room.

What board grade should a tomato export carton use?

For the 25 lb and 20 lb bulk cartons, double-wall BC-flute board of at least 48 ECT, rising to 51 ECT for pallets above nine layers or for cartons that go through a ripening room; for 15 lb, 10 lb and tomato-on-the-vine single-layer trays, single-wall C flute of 32 to 44 ECT, or 44 ECT and above when the tray is lidded and stacked twelve high. In every case ask for the compression strength measured after humid conditioning, specify moisture-resistant kraft liners, keep the board wax-free so it stays recyclable, and align the vents between layers so forced-air cooling crosses the pallet.

Are PP corrugated plastic crates worth it for tomato harvest?

Yes, for ripe-picked greenhouse and shade-house fruit that travels from the plant to the packhouse the same day and when the crate is recovered. A foldable PP corrugated plastic box in 4 to 5 mm sheet, 600 × 400 mm, carries 15 to 20 kg of tomatoes, absorbs no water or juice, is washed and sanitised, has a smooth interior that does not mark ripe fruit, and folds flat to about a quarter of its volume so the return truck does not travel full of air. For mature-green field tomatoes harvested into buckets and bulk bins, a reusable crate does not pay; the gain there is in the bin liner and in the carton.

Tomato Export Boxes Guide: the 25 lb Carton, 15 lb and 10 lb Greenhouse Boxes, Boxes per Pallet and per 53 ft Trailer, and PP Harvest Crates

Fuxing Development Group · Updated October 16, 2026 · For U.S. importers and repackers and for packers in Mexico shipping to the United States · Versión en español

Quick answer: Field tomatoes cross into the United States in the 25 lb (11.3 kg) corrugated carton, about 43 × 29 × 22 cm (17 × 11.5 × 8.5 in) outside, in double-wall board of at least 48 ECT with vents on all four sides. Greenhouse tomatoes travel in 15 lb (6.8 kg) and 10 lb (4.5 kg) single-layer boxes. On a 48 × 40 in GMA pallet the 25 lb box loads 8 per layer, 9 to 10 layers, 72 to 80 boxes; a 53 ft reefer trailer fills by weight before it fills by volume, 20 to 22 pallets, 1,440 to 1,760 boxes. Mature-green fruit is held at 12.5 to 15 °C, ripe fruit at 7 to 10 °C, never below 10 °C before it turns colour. Mexico is the world's largest tomato exporter and since July 2025 pays a 17.09 % U.S. antidumping duty (all-others rate), so every cent of packaging per box is being re-examined. Printed cartons and PP corrugated plastic harvest crates made in Asia are confirmed 10 to 12 weeks before the first shipment: for the Sinaloa season that opens in December, the order closes in September and October.

Why tomato packaging is being re-priced right now

Tomatoes are the largest fresh vegetable the United States imports, and almost all of it comes by road from Mexico through Nogales, Arizona and the Texas crossings at Pharr and Laredo. Two things changed the economics of the box in 2025 and 2026, and both land on the packaging buyer's desk.

Fact	Figure	What it means for the box	Source
Mexican fresh tomato exports	About 1.8 million tonnes a year; USDA projects a 7 % decline in 2026 to 1.8 million tonnes	At 25 lb per box that is roughly 160 million box-equivalents a year across all formats	USDA projection as reported by FreshPlaza, August 20, 2026
Mexican tomato production 2026	Projected 2.55 million tonnes, 9 % below 2025; planted area about 38,000 ha, 11 % lower	Packers consolidate volume on fewer lines and fewer box formats	Same report
U.S. antidumping duty on Mexican tomatoes	17.09 % all-others rate since July 2025, after the 2019 suspension agreement was terminated; producer-specific margins from 2.81 % to 273.43 %	Margin per box is thinner; cartons move from "whatever the broker stocks" to a specified, tendered item	U.S. Department of Commerce order, as reported by FreshPlaza, August 20, 2026
Florida and other U.S. field production	Competes with Mexico from November to May in the same 25 lb carton	The 25 lb box is the price-comparison unit on the terminal market, so its weight and footprint are fixed by the trade, not by the packer	USDA AMS terminal market reports (unit of sale)

Volumes are reported in tonnes, not boxes; the box-equivalent above is simple arithmetic at 11.34 kg per 25 lb box and ignores the lighter greenhouse formats, so treat it as an order of magnitude. This page is packaging guidance, not customs advice: confirm duty rates and the current status of any suspension agreement with your broker.

The tomato box formats that cross the border

Unlike mangoes or avocados, tomatoes have no single statistical box. The format follows the growing system and the ripeness stage at harvest. These are the formats a U.S. receiver expects to see on the dock.

Format	Net weight	Typical outside size	Fruit and growing system	How it is packed
25 lb bulk carton	25 lb (11.3 kg)	43 × 29 × 22 cm (≈ 17 × 11.5 × 8.5 in)	Round field tomatoes (Sinaloa, Baja California, Florida); romas also ship in 25 lb	Bulk fill, mature-green or breaker; sized 4×4, 4×5, 5×5, 5×6, 6×6, 6×7 by diameter
20 lb roma carton	20 lb (9.1 kg)	Same footprint, lower height	Roma and saladette, field and shade-house	Bulk fill, loose
15 lb single-layer box	15 lb (6.8 kg)	One layer, open or lidded tray	Greenhouse beefsteak and round, vine-ripe	Place-packed in one layer, often with a tray or paper divider; sized by count
10 lb single-layer box	10 lb (4.5 kg)	One layer, open tray	Greenhouse beefsteak, round, heirloom	Place-packed, lidded for higher stacks
11 lb tomato-on-the-vine (TOV) box	11 lb (5 kg)	One layer, open tray, 40 × 30 cm footprint common	Greenhouse cluster tomatoes	Clusters laid in one layer, vine side up
12 × 1 lb clamshell master	12 lb (5.4 kg)	Tray holding 12 clamshells or 12 dry pints	Cherry, grape, cocktail, snacking tomatoes	Retail units packed at origin; the master carton protects the clamshells

Sizes and net weights are U.S. trade practice for product crossing from Mexico and shipped from Florida; receivers and retailers set their own specification sheets. The ratio "6×6" and similar refers to how many fruit fit across and down one layer of a 25 lb box, so a larger number means smaller fruit.

Board specification for tomato cartons

A tomato carton is loaded wet. Field fruit is washed, chlorinated and waxed before packing, and the box then spends days at 90 to 95 % relative humidity, often in a ripening room where ethylene and warm air soften the board further. The number that matters is compression strength after humid conditioning, not the dry figure on the quotation. The method is explained in our banana carton guide, which covers the same humid cold chain.

Parameter	25 lb and 20 lb bulk carton	15 lb, 10 lb and TOV single-layer box	Basis
Board	Double wall, BC flute, minimum 48 ECT; 51 ECT for pallets above 9 layers or for ripening-room programmes	Single wall C flute 32 to 44 ECT for open trays; 44 ECT or double wall when the tray is lidded and stacked 12 high	Trade practice; ask for the measured ECT of the board offered
Construction	Regular slotted carton or telescoping two-piece; one-piece with reinforced corners where the pack line is automated	Self-locking one-piece tray with corner posts, lid optional	Trade practice
Paper and coating	Kraft liners with moisture-resistant treatment; we recommend wax-free board so the carton stays recyclable	Same, white top liner for print	Fuxing recommendation
Ventilation	Openings on all four faces and in the base, aligned between layers so forced-air cooling crosses the pallet; 4 to 6 % of the side area is a usual target	Hand holes doubling as vents; base vents aligned with the tray below	UC Davis cooling guidance and trade practice
Inside protection	None for bulk; a paper pad on the base reduces bruising	Moulded tray or paper divider under the fruit	Trade practice
Print	Flexo 1 to 3 colours: brand, size ratio, net weight, country of origin, packhouse and lot	Flexo up to 4 colours; PLU and brand visible when the lid is removed	Trade practice; FSC paper on request

Our corrugated carton page lists the board grades we run in Dongguan, Hai Phong and Davao, and the produce packaging supplier checklist sets out what to demand in writing before you sign.

Boxes per pallet and per 53 ft trailer

The 25 lb box is dense: 11.3 kg of fruit in 27 litres. A pallet of it is heavy long before it is tall, and a 53 ft trailer reaches its legal payload with pallets to spare. That is the opposite of mangoes and berries, which fill the equipment by volume. The arithmetic below uses the 43 × 29 cm footprint on a 48 × 40 in (1,219 × 1,016 mm) GMA pallet.

Box	Footprint	Boxes per layer on 48 × 40 in	Layers	Boxes per pallet	Net fruit per pallet	Gross pallet (box + pallet ≈ 60 kg)
25 lb bulk carton	43 × 29 cm	8 (two rows of four, column stacked)	9 to 10	72 to 80	816 to 907 kg (1,800 to 2,000 lb)	≈ 880 to 970 kg
20 lb roma carton	43 × 29 cm	8	11 to 12	88 to 96	798 to 871 kg	≈ 860 to 930 kg
15 lb single-layer tray	Varies by receiver; a 40 × 30 cm tray gives 10 per layer	10	10 to 12	100 to 120	680 to 816 kg	≈ 750 to 880 kg

Equipment	Pallet positions	Limiting factor	25 lb boxes carried	Net fruit
53 ft reefer trailer, U.S. highway (about 20 t legal payload with a reefer unit)	26 single-stacked	Weight: 20 to 22 pallets at 880 to 970 kg gross	1,440 to 1,760	16.3 to 20 t
40 ft high-cube reefer container, sea freight (payload ≈ 26 t, but check the inland road limit at destination)	20 to 21	Road weight limit after discharge, not the container	1,440 to 1,680	16.3 to 19 t

Column stacking (box directly on box, no interlocking) carries 20 to 30 % more load than interlocked layers; use corner boards and five to seven horizontal straps and keep the pattern columnar. Legal road payload depends on the tractor, trailer and reefer weight and on the state; the 20 t figure is a planning value. Confirm your own pattern against the wet compression of your carton: with a 48 ECT double-wall 25 lb box, ten layers of 11.3 kg each put about 102 kg on the bottom box, well inside the usual safety factor of three, but only if the box arrives at the cold room with its strength intact.

Temperature, ripeness stage and what it does to the box

Tomatoes are chilling-sensitive. Mature-green fruit held below 10 °C (50 °F) ripens unevenly and loses flavour; ripe fruit tolerates lower temperatures for a few days. Field packers therefore ship mature-green or breaker fruit warm and ripen it at destination with ethylene, and the carton goes through a warm, humid ripening room before it ever reaches a retailer.

Ripeness stage at packing	Holding temperature	Relative humidity	Storage life	Packaging consequence
Mature green	12.5 to 15 °C (55 to 59 °F)	90 to 95 %	14 to 21 days before ripening	Bulk 25 lb carton; ripened at destination with 100 ppm ethylene at 20 to 25 °C, so board must survive a warm humid room
Breaker to pink	10 to 12.5 °C (50 to 55 °F)	90 to 95 %	7 to 14 days	Bulk carton or single-layer tray; vents sized for forced-air cooling
Light red	10 °C (50 °F)	90 to 95 %	5 to 7 days	Single-layer tray for greenhouse fruit; lid optional
Firm ripe (red)	7 to 10 °C (45 to 50 °F)	90 to 95 %	3 to 5 days	Single-layer or retail clamshell; shortest chain, highest board humidity

Temperatures, humidity and storage life follow the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center produce fact sheet for tomato. Chilling injury (pitting, uneven ripening, decay) appears after days below 10 °C in mature-green fruit. Cooling is by forced air; tomatoes are not hydrocooled or iced, which is why the carton vents matter more than water resistance on the outside and why a wax-free, moisture-treated board is enough.

Harvest crates: buckets, bulk bins or PP corrugated plastic boxes

Field tomatoes are picked mature-green into buckets and tipped into bulk bins or gondolas; greenhouse fruit is picked ripe into lugs or crates and carried to the packhouse on the same day. The package used on that stretch rarely appears in the carton tender, and it is where bruises and split skins are made. A tomato packed into a 15 lb tray with a pressure mark from the harvest lug is downgraded at the receiver, not at the farm.

Option	Capacity and usual dimensions	Advantages	Limits	Relative cost per trip
Picking bucket and bulk bin or gondola	Bucket 10 to 12 kg; bin 400 to 500 kg	Fastest for mature-green field harvest; mechanical dump	Only for firm mature-green fruit; ripe fruit bruises at the bottom of a bin	Lowest for mature-green programmes
Injection-moulded rigid crate	15 to 20 kg; 600 × 400 × 250 mm typical	Very strong, stackable, washable	Does not fold: the return truck travels full of air; hard edges mark ripe fruit if overfilled	Low if it lasts several seasons; high in return logistics
Single-use corrugated cardboard lug	10 to 15 kg	No return, no washing	A new box every trip; softens with dew and wash water	The highest where the same line runs more than 3 trips a week
Foldable PP corrugated plastic box	15 to 20 kg; 600 × 400 × 250 to 300 mm; 4 to 5 mm sheet	Washed and sanitised, absorbs no water or juice, smooth interior, folds flat to about a quarter of its volume, printed with block and lot	Must be recovered: needs inventory control between greenhouse and packhouse	Pays back over tens of trips; after that it costs only the wash

How to specify sheet thickness, sheet weight and static load is in the PP produce box specification template, the thickness choices in the corrugated plastic thickness guide, and the per-trip maths in the harvest bins cost guide and in PP box vs cardboard. Capacities and dimensions are typical values, not test results; ask for the static load of the exact crate quoted.

U.S. importers of PP corrugated boxes, note: boxes made in our Philippine plant carry 0% U.S. AD/CVD — not 0% import duty; 12.5% Section 301 (since Jul 24, 2026) + normal HTSUS duty, confirm with your broker. Details in PP boxes from the Philippines.

Ordering calendar by region

For printed cartons and PP crates made in Asia the arithmetic for Mexico is 1 to 2 weeks of artwork and samples, 3 to 4 weeks of factory time, 30 to 35 days at sea to Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas or Ensenada and about a week of clearance and inland transport: 10 to 12 weeks in total. For Florida, count 30 to 40 days at sea to Port Everglades or Miami plus clearance.

Region and system	Shipping window to the U.S.	Order close (10 to 12 weeks before first shipment)	What is bought
Sinaloa, open field and shade house (Culiacán)	December to May, peak February to April	September to October (now)	25 lb bulk cartons, 20 lb roma cartons, PP harvest crates, bin liners
Baja California, open field and greenhouse (San Quintín, Mexicali)	May to November	February to March	25 lb cartons, 15 lb and 10 lb trays, clamshell masters
Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Guanajuato greenhouses	Year round, peak October to June	Rolling; book the next quarter 10 to 12 weeks ahead	15 lb and 10 lb trays, TOV boxes, 12 × 1 lb masters, PP crates
Michoacán and Morelos shade house	October to April	July to August	Roma cartons, 15 lb trays
Florida, open field	October to June, peak December to January and April to May	July to August and January to February	25 lb bulk cartons, PP harvest crates for packhouse loops

If the order closes late there are two honest ways out: unprinted cartons and standard crates (2 to 3 weeks of factory time), or consolidating corrugated cartons, PP crates and retail bags and nets in one container so you do not wait for two shipments.

RFQ checklist: data to demand with a tomato packaging quotation

Component	Data to demand in writing	Why it matters
25 lb, 20 lb and single-layer cartons	Flute and number of walls, liner and medium basis weights, ECT, compression strength measured after humid conditioning, position and percentage of ventilation, inside and outside dimensions, stacking pattern on a 48 × 40 in pallet, print type, FSC	Decides whether the pallet arrives straight after a week at 90 to 95 % humidity and a warm ripening room
PP harvest crate	Sheet thickness in mm, sheet weight, static and dynamic load, ventilation, washing and sanitising method, folded quantity per container	Sets reuse and cost per greenhouse-to-packhouse trip
Retail unit	Clamshell or bag material, microns, size, print, PLU and barcode, masters per pallet	Supermarket programmes; see the produce bags guide
Supplier	ISO 9001 / ISO 14001, FSC, SGS verification; physical samples before the order; minimum quantity; true factory lead time plus transit; one technical contact	Backs your claim if the packaging does not meet its data sheet

Corrugated cartons, PP crates and retail bags for tomatoes, from one supplier

Fuxing Group manufactures FSC corrugated cartons, foldable PP corrugated plastic boxes and fruit and vegetable bags in China, Vietnam and the Philippines, with ISO 9001 and SGS verification. We deliver basis weights, wet compression, thickness and static load in writing with every quotation, send samples before the order and consolidate cartons, crates and bags in the same container. Quotation in English or Spanish within 12 hours.

Quote on WhatsApp Email jacky@fuxinggroup.cn

Or use the contact form →

Frequently asked questions

What size is a 25 lb tomato box?: The standard 25 lb (11.3 kg) bulk carton used for field tomatoes crossing from Mexico and shipped from Florida measures about 43 × 29 × 22 cm outside, roughly 17 × 11.5 × 8.5 in. It is built in double-wall corrugated board of at least 48 ECT, with vents on all four sides and in the base, and it is filled loose with mature-green or breaker fruit sorted by size ratio such as 5×6 or 6×6. Receivers compare terminal market prices per 25 lb box, so the weight and footprint are fixed by the trade and the packer changes only the board, the vents and the print.
How many 25 lb tomato boxes fit on a pallet and in a 53 ft trailer?: On a 48 × 40 in GMA pallet the 43 × 29 cm box loads 8 per layer; at 9 to 10 layers that is 72 to 80 boxes and 816 to 907 kg of fruit, about 880 to 970 kg gross. A 53 ft reefer trailer has 26 single-stacked pallet positions but reaches its legal payload of about 20 tonnes at 20 to 22 pallets, so it carries 1,440 to 1,760 boxes. A 40 ft high-cube reefer container takes 20 to 21 pallets, 1,440 to 1,680 boxes, and is then limited by the road weight rules at destination rather than by the container itself.
What temperature should tomatoes be stored and shipped at?: According to the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center, mature-green tomatoes are held at 12.5 to 15 °C (55 to 59 °F) for up to 14 to 21 days, breaker to pink fruit at 10 to 12.5 °C, light-red fruit at 10 °C and firm-ripe fruit at 7 to 10 °C (45 to 50 °F) for 3 to 5 days, all at 90 to 95 % relative humidity. Mature-green fruit held below 10 °C suffers chilling injury: uneven ripening, pitting and decay. Tomatoes are cooled with forced air, not water or ice, and ripened with about 100 ppm ethylene at 20 to 25 °C, so the carton must keep its compression strength through a warm, humid ripening room.
What board grade should a tomato export carton use?: For the 25 lb and 20 lb bulk cartons, double-wall BC-flute board of at least 48 ECT, rising to 51 ECT for pallets above nine layers or for cartons that go through a ripening room; for 15 lb, 10 lb and tomato-on-the-vine single-layer trays, single-wall C flute of 32 to 44 ECT, or 44 ECT and above when the tray is lidded and stacked twelve high. In every case ask for the compression strength measured after humid conditioning, specify moisture-resistant kraft liners, keep the board wax-free so it stays recyclable, and align the vents between layers so forced-air cooling crosses the pallet.
Are PP corrugated plastic crates worth it for tomato harvest?: Yes, for ripe-picked greenhouse and shade-house fruit that travels from the plant to the packhouse the same day and when the crate is recovered. A foldable PP corrugated plastic box in 4 to 5 mm sheet, 600 × 400 mm, carries 15 to 20 kg of tomatoes, absorbs no water or juice, is washed and sanitised, has a smooth interior that does not mark ripe fruit, and folds flat to about a quarter of its volume so the return truck does not travel full of air. For mature-green field tomatoes harvested into buckets and bulk bins, a reusable crate does not pay; the gain there is in the bin liner and in the carton.
When should I order tomato cartons and crates for the Mexican season?: Count 10 to 12 weeks back from the first shipment: 1 to 2 weeks for artwork and samples, 3 to 4 weeks of factory time, 30 to 35 days at sea from Asia to Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas or Ensenada and about a week of clearance. For Sinaloa, which starts shipping in December, the order closes in September and October; for Baja California, which ships from May, in February and March; greenhouse packers in Jalisco, San Luis Potosí and Querétaro should book the next quarter 10 to 12 weeks ahead. Florida packers shipping from October close their order in July and August.

Sources

FreshPlaza, U.S. keeps antidumping duties on Mexican tomatoes, August 20, 2026 (17.09 % all-others rate in force since July 2025; USDA projections of 2.55 million tonnes production and 1.8 million tonnes of exports in 2026).
UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center, Tomato produce fact sheet (holding temperatures by ripeness stage, humidity, storage life, chilling injury, ethylene ripening).
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Specialty Crops terminal market and shipping point reports (the 25 lb carton as the unit of sale for Mexican crossings through Nogales and Texas and for Florida shipments).
Box dimensions, pallet patterns, board grades, crate capacities and the Mexican regional calendar: U.S. and Mexican trade practice as compiled in Fuxing's Spanish-language guide for Mexican tomato packers (trade practice, not laboratory data).