How many metres does a Core Sample Case hold?

Answer: NQ takes 9 m in six slots at 43.2 kg of core, HQ 7.5 m at 64.5 kg, PQ 6 m at 91.8 kg. Payload follows the handling limit, not the volume.

How high can stacks go?

Answer: Three loaded layers, 150 kg on the bottom box, no lid sag. A fourth sags 3 mm and crushes the gasket.

Screen print or in-mould label?

Answer: In-mould above 500 boxes once the code is settled, at 6–9 each and over five years. Adhesive sleeves suit pilots under 1.2.

How fast does plastic pay back?

Answer: With 420 against 180 and 50 trips against 4, the box costs 8.4 per trip and plywood 45, so 300 boxes a year close the gap in ten months.

Should the box have a vent hole?

Answer: No. A hole breaks the seal and lets mud in; moisture is handled by an 80 × 60 mm desiccant pocket in one lid corner.

Geological Survey: Core Sample Case Load and Labelling

Quick answer: A Core Sample Case is rated on core weight plus case weight, never on litres. An NQ box holds 9 m at 43.2 kg of core and 49.7 kg all-in, inside the two-person limit; HQ reaches 71 kg and needs wheels.

Load Baseline: Counting Core, Not Litres
Stacking: Base Ribs, Pallets and the Three-High Line
Numbering and Barcode Panels
Against Plywood: Weight, Reuse and Water Uptake
A Sizing Checklist by Diameter and Depth
FAQ

1. Load Baseline: Counting Core, Not Litres

Suppliers quote a Core Sample Case by volume, often 145 litres, which says nothing about handling: rock sits at 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre, so a full box passes 100 kg. Work backwards from diameter to metres per box.

NQ cuts 47.6 mm, HQ 63.5 mm and PQ 85.0 mm, at 4.8, 8.6 and 15.3 kg per metre; one interior serves one rig.

Size	Core diameter	Weight per metre	Slots × length	Core per box	Box plus core
NQ	47.6 mm	4.8 kg	6 × 1.5 m	43.2 kg	49.7 kg
HQ	63.5 mm	8.6 kg	5 × 1.5 m	64.5 kg	71.0 kg
PQ	85.0 mm	15.3 kg	4 × 1.5 m	91.8 kg	98.3 kg

The 6.5 kg tare is a 3.0 mm PP moulding with a 1560 × 420 × 230 mm interior; 4.0 mm adds 1.9 kg and lifts drop height from 1.2 m to 1.8 m.

Handling runs in three bands: 23 kg solo, 50 kg for two, above 70 kg on a trolley. NQ sits inside the two-person band, HQ crosses it, PQ is machine work, which decides a 75 kg handle or 100 mm fork openings.

2. Stacking: Base Ribs, Pallets and the Three-High Line

Stack height comes from ribs and lid, not the wall alone. Four ribs stand 12 mm proud and matching grooves locate the box above, so a stack holds while the offset stays under 15 mm.

Core Sample Case: olive green open case, grey foam in the lid, cut-outs holding cylindrical core pieces and a handheld meter, light grey background

At 50 kg loaded, three high puts 150 kg on the bottom box, which pallets take. A fourth layer puts 200 kg down; the lid sags 3 mm, flattens the gasket and drops one IP grade. Empty, it stacks eight high.

A 1560 mm box pairs with a 1600 × 1200 mm pallet at 600 kg, two across, for three layers; a 3 mm rubber mat filters road vibration. At −20 °C PP keeps 30 percent of its impact strength, so loaded stacks go to two layers.

3. Numbering and Barcode Panels

Label positions belong in the tool drawing, since a mould change starts at 2,000: a 210 × 297 mm lid area for hole and block, an 80 × 120 mm barcode panel for Code 128, and 60 × 40 mm write-on strips at both ends.

Keep the barcode 30 mm clear of latches and handle, which take the hit in a roll. Hold the code to 18 characters, six for the hole and four each for box, top and bottom depth; longer strings read poorly in sun.

Method	Cost per box	Outdoor life	Change route	Batch
In-mould label	6–9	over 5 years	new label film, 800	500+
Screen print	2–4	about 2 years	new screen, 200	100+
Adhesive sleeve	0.6–1.2	one wet season	reprint paper	any

An in-mould label fuses into the wall and cannot be scuffed off, at the cost of a new film per revision; screen print fades after two summers.

4. Against Plywood: Weight, Reuse and Water Uptake

Plywood has served core sheds for decades, so a swap needs three numbers: tare, reuse and water uptake. Tare is paid every shift, not once.

Core Sample Case: close-up of the olive lid handle with two latches pressed shut, longitudinal ribs and grooves across the lid, light grey background

A 12 mm plywood box of the same interior weighs 11 kg, 4.5 kg more than the moulding. At NQ payload the total climbs from 49.7 kg to 54.2 kg, past the two-person line, and those kilos get lifted some 30 times a shift.

Nailed plywood loosens at the corners and lasts 3 to 5 trips, while a moulded Core Sample Case runs 50 or more; latches are the only wear part, 12 a pair.

Water decides where the box may go. Plywood swells 8 percent and the lid stops seating; PP absorbs 0.2 percent in 24 hours, which matters where mud is hosed off weekly.

Item	12 mm plywood	3.0 mm PP moulding
Tare	11.0 kg	6.5 kg
Loaded NQ weight	54.2 kg	49.7 kg
Reuse	3–5 trips	50+ trips
24-hour uptake	8% swell	0.2%
Cost per trip	45	8.4

That last row follows from 180 over 4 trips against 420 over 50: 300 boxes a year close the gap in ten months, and under 50 a year plywood still wins on cash.

5. A Sizing Checklist by Diameter and Depth

Sizing starts from hole depth. A 300 m NQ hole at 90 percent recovery yields 270 m, or 30 boxes at 9 m each; three holes a month need 90 in rotation.

Six entries drive a Core Sample Case order: diameter, depth, recovery, metres per box, handling and stack height; the first four fix slots, the last two fix ribs and fork openings.

Transport is the entry most often missed: on a pickup, boxes ride two high with straps through the lid grooves; under a helicopter the limit is 50 kg and the sling goes to corner blocks, never the handle.

Label rules belong on the list too: who issues numbers, who prints labels, how boxes are reconciled on return. Without them, an accurate Core Sample Case still holds core that cannot be matched to a depth.

Conclusion

Four numbers settle a Core Sample Case: diameter sets slots, depth sets box count, handling sets the load ceiling, transport sets stack height. At 49.7 kg the NQ box fits a two-person lift; HQ and PQ need forks.

This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.