Every tote that leaves our facility carries a tag with seven fields. The tag is a 4″ × 6″ weatherproof label, screwed to the cage at the front-left upright. Customers ask about the tag often, so here’s what each field means and why we track it.
Field 1: Internal tote ID
A six-character alphanumeric (e.g., MK4-218). The first three characters are the bottle’s origin manufacturer code; the digits are our internal serial. We use this to look up the tote’s full history in our database.
Field 2: Manufacture year
Stamped or molded on the bottle by the original manufacturer. Usually visible inside the top hatch ring. Bottles older than 12 years are retired regardless of condition.
Field 3: Grade
A, B, or C. Our internal grade definitions, covered in the “grades explained” resource.
Field 4: Previous contents (last known)
The fluid the bottle last held before reconditioning. “Corn syrup,” “UAN-32,” “food-grade ethanol,” or “unknown” (which immediately disqualifies the bottle from Grade A regardless of other factors).
Field 5: Wash protocol
Single-letter code indicating which wash protocol was applied: R (rinse), W (caustic wash), F (food-grade four-stage). Cross-referenced with our internal protocol documents.
Field 6: Wash date and technician
YYYY-MM-DD format and two-letter technician code. Lets us trace any quality complaint back to the specific wash crew and shift.
Field 7: Discharge pH (food-grade only)
The pH of the final rinse water at discharge, recorded for any Grade A tote. Confirms that no caustic residue remains.
Why we bother
Two reasons. First, audit trail. When a food-grade customer’s auditor asks “how do you know this tote is food grade,” the customer can hand over our tag plus documentation packet. The tag is the visible end of a deeper record.
Second, internal quality control. When a customer complains about residue or odor on an inbound tote, we can identify the wash crew and shift, look at our internal protocol records for that day, and either confirm a process failure or rule it out. Without per-tote tracking, every complaint is a black box.
What the tag doesn’t cover
The tag doesn’t list the bottle’s complete contents history — only the most recent prior fill. Full history is available on request, identified by the internal tote ID. Most customers only care about the last contents; food-grade customers sometimes care about the full chain.
Questions on this one? Email info@ibctankscleveland.com. We answer everything inside one business day — usually inside four hours.