Station 1 of 6 Choose and buy
Shallow vs. Deep Bread Trays: Choosing the Right Depth (3 to 9 Inches)
Contents: 5 sections
Choose depth by product clearance, not by the depth in the tray’s name. Clearance is the height your bread actually gets inside a loaded stack, and on the trays below it runs from half an inch to just over two inches less than the outside height, depending on the model and the stacking position. Measure your tallest product in its bag, pick the tray whose clearance fits it with the tray above not touching, and then check how many levels that tray gives you on a dolly. Every inch of clearance you do not use is an inch of trailer height you pay to move air.
Why is the depth in a tray’s name misleading?
Because it is usually an outside measurement, and the product never gets all of it. The tray’s floor, the rim and the way the tray above sits on it all take height. Makers that publish both figures show the gap:
| Tray | Outside height | Product clearance or stack increment | Notes from the maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORBIS NPL620B | 3.5 in | 2.7 in clearance | For "the efficient flow of buns" |
| ORBIS NPL630B | 4.1 in | 3.6 in clearance | "Double-layer bun basket" |
| Rehrig Pacific 28 x 22 Stack & Nest | 4.95 in | 4.08 in high position, 3.08 in low position | Two stacking positions |
| ORBIS NPL660B | 6.1 in | 5.1 in clearance | Nesting ratio 2:1 |
| Rehrig Pacific 27 x 24 180 Stack & Nest | 6.32 in | 5.39 in high, 4.30 in low stack increment | Two stacking positions |
| Solo Products ChillTray 29 x 26 x 9 | 9.0 in | 7.5 in "Useable Height" | Sold for freezer and cold chain use |
Sources for the table: product pages for ORBIS NPL620B, ORBIS NPL630B, ORBIS NPL660B, Rehrig 28 x 22, Rehrig 27 x 24 and Solo ChillTray, checked September 26, 2026. Makers label the inside figure differently; compare like with like.
A “6-inch tray” on one quote and a “6-inch tray” on another can give your product different room. Ask for the clearance, or the stack increment, in writing for the exact model and stacking position.
How do you match depth to your product?
Measure, then test. Neither the old rules of thumb nor anyone’s list of typical bun and loaf heights replaces your own product.
- Measure the tallest unit you will carry, in its packaging, with the bag closure where it sits in real loading. Measure several units, not one; bakery products vary.
- Pick trays whose clearance is above that height. For a tray with two stacking positions, check which position the product needs.
- Test a loaded stack. Load three or four trays with your tallest product, stack them in the position you will use, and check that the tray above does not touch the product below. That test is the real criterion; any headspace figure is a proxy for it.
If you carry several products, measure the tallest of each and treat them separately in the next step.
What does depth cost you in trailer space?
Levels. The number of loaded trays you can stack is the height you have available divided by the stack increment, rounded down. With a stack height budget of 70 inches, for example, a 4.08-inch increment gives 17 levels and a 5.39-inch increment gives 12. The budget depends on your trailer, dolly and handling limits; the full calculation is in working out how many trays fit a trailer, and this guide’s screening rule for how high people stack by hand is in finding your hand-stacking stop point.
That arithmetic is why a tray one size too deep is expensive. Every level carries the unused clearance, and the loss repeats on every dolly and every route. It also cuts the other way: a tray that crushes the product saves trailer space and loses the load.
Deep trays earn their height where trailer space is not the constraint. The 9-inch ChillTray in the table is sold for cold chain and storage use; if the same tray will also run delivery routes, run the level count before you buy.
What if you carry products of different heights?
Pick one of three approaches, and decide it on purpose rather than by default:
- One depth for everything. Size the fleet for your tallest product and accept unused clearance on the shorter ones. It keeps the fleet simple and works when your products are close in height. Run the level count for your most common product, not only your tallest, to see what it costs.
- A tray with two stacking positions. One model serves two clearances, such as the high and low positions in the table. Check both positions against your products; the low position of a tray may not be tall enough for large artisan loaves, so measure those before assuming one model covers them.
- Two depths, kept apart. Short products go in the shallower tray and tall ones in the deeper tray, with each dolly carrying one depth. Trays of different models on the same dolly may not stack level or lock together, so mark the dollies and keep the depths separate.
How do you settle on a depth?
The shallowest tray whose clearance passes the loaded-stack test with your tallest product. Ask the maker for clearance or stack increment in each position, run the test, then count levels against your stack height budget. If two trays pass, the one with the smaller increment gives more levels per dolly; compare them on that before price. The rest of the purchase decision is in the buyer’s step-by-step tray framework.