Skip to content
Tinsel Tote

Holiday Storage Containers by Capacity

Gallons describe volume. Interior height describes whether your ornament box fits. Only one of those is useful.

By Scooter M.Published Last verified

Disclosure: buy links on this page go to Amazon and earn us a commission at no cost to you. It does not change what we rank or what we say about it — the full disclosure is here.

The short answer

The number to buy on is interior height. A 128-slot ornament box is 13 to 13.5 inches tall, and the 66 qt ClearView publishes 12 7/8 inches inside — it misses. The 27-gallon Stacker publishes 18 7/8 inches and takes it easily. Both are called large bins.

Every bin we rank, on published interior figures

Published outside and inside dimensions
BinCapacityOutsideInsideInterior height
Sterilite 27 Gal Stacker27 gal / 108 qt25 3/4 x 18 3/8 x 19 3/8 in20 1/8 x 14 1/8 x 18 7/8 in18 7/8 in
Sterilite 66 Qt ClearView66 qt23 5/8 x 16 3/8 x 13 1/4 in19 7/8 x 13 3/8 x 12 7/8 in12 7/8 in
Rubbermaid Roughneck 25 Gal25 gal28.875 x 19.875 x 16.75 in21.25 x 14.75 x 16.25 in16.25 in
Sterilite 66 Qt Ultra (under-bed)66 qt39 1/2 x 20 1/4 x 7 in37 3/8 x 18 1/8 x 6 7/8 in6 7/8 in
Sterilite 27 Gal Industrial27 gal / 102 L30 1/2 x 20 5/8 x 15 1/4 inNot publishedNot published

What actually fits

Common holiday items against the bins that take them
ItemSizeFitsDoes not fit
128-slot ornament box25.5 x 13 x 13 in27 gal Stacker66 qt ClearView (height)
64-slot ornament cube12.9 x 12.9 x 13.5 in27 gal Stacker66 qt ClearView (height, just)
Under-bed ornament box25.9 x 12.9 x 6.6 inAll except the under-bed Ultra66 qt Ultra (length)
40-inch wrap roll40 in longNothing rigid hereAll of them
30-inch wrap roll30 in long66 qt Ultra under-bed27 gal Stacker (length)
Coiled 9 ft garland14-18 in discAll except the under-bed Ultra by height-
4-reel light bag17 x 12 x 10 in27 gal Stacker, Roughneck 2566 qt ClearView (length, just)

Two of those rows are the reason this page exists. The 128 ornament box and the 66 qt ClearView are five eighths of an inch apart, and no gallon or quart figure would have told you. Neither would have told you that the longest rigid box here is still two and five-eighths inches short of a 40-inch wrap roll.

The outside-to-inside gap

Every bin loses length and width to its own walls and taper. The published figures make the size of that gap concrete:

  • Rubbermaid Roughneck 25 gal: 7.6 inches of length lost
  • Sterilite 27 gal Stacker: 5.6 inches lost
  • Sterilite 66 qt ClearView: 3.75 inches lost
  • Sterilite 66 qt Ultra: 2.1 inches lost

The pattern is that thicker, more rigid bins lose more. That taper is what lets bins nest when empty and gives them their strength, so it is a feature you are paying for — but if you plan against outside dimensions you will be wrong by a quarter on the heaviest bins.

How many bins you need

  1. 1

    Sort by category, not by size

    Ornaments, lights, wreaths and garland, tree hardware and skirt, table and mantel, outdoor. One bin per category is the arrangement that makes December easy.

  2. 2

    Size each bin to its tallest contents

    The ornament bin needs interior height for the ornament box. The lights bin needs length for the reel container. Do this before you buy anything.

  3. 3

    Check what one person can carry

    If a bin only ever slides on a shelf, size up. If it goes down a ladder, prefer two 66 qt boxes to one 27-gallon.

  4. 4

    Match the lids if you are stacking

    Sterilite publishes that its 10, 19 and 27 gallon bins share a lid size and stack in one footprint. That is a genuinely useful published fact and it decides garage layouts.

The one bin that does not publish it

The Sterilite 27 Gal Industrial publishes outside dimensions and, on the page we read, no interior figures. It is a good bin and it is the right shape for a low attic, but the missing number means you cannot check it against a 13-inch ornament box before buying.

We have said so on the product entry rather than filling the gap with an estimate, and the same rule applies everywhere on this site: a missing number is reported as missing. The reasoning is at how we pick.

What to buy for this

The products that answer the question above, with the manufacturer's published numbers and what each one costs you.

Sterilite 27 Gal. Stacker Tote

Sterilite publishes the inside dimensions as well as the outside: 20 1/8 by 14 1/8 by 18 7/8 inches. Interior height is the only figure that tells you whether a wreath box stands up in it.

Published specifications

Capacity
27 gallons (108 quarts)Sterilite product page
Outside dimensions
25 3/4" L x 18 3/8" W x 19 3/8" HSterilite product page
Inside dimensions
20 1/8" L x 14 1/8" W x 18 7/8" H at the bottomSterilite product page
Stacking
Deep recessed lid for secure stacking; the 10, 19 and 27 Gal bins share a lid size and stack in the same footprintSterilite product page

What it gets right

  • Published inside dimensions, which almost no bin maker gives you and which is the only number that answers 'will my ornament box fit'
  • Shared lid size across three capacities means a mixed stack keeps one footprint
  • 18 7/8 inches of interior height stands a 13-inch ornament box upright with room over it

What it costs you

  • The 5.5-inch gap between outside and inside length is real: 25 3/4 inches of shelf buys you 20 1/8 inches of usable space
  • 27 gallons of holiday decorations is heavier than most people should carry down a ladder

Do not buy it if: You are storing one category per bin and want to lift it alone. A 66 qt box is about two thirds the volume and a great deal easier to handle.

Sterilite 66 Qt. ClearView Latch Box

Clear walls and published interior dimensions of 19 7/8 by 13 3/8 by 12 7/8 inches. Clear is not a style choice in an attic -- it is how you avoid opening six bins to find the tree skirt.

Published specifications

Capacity
66 quartsSterilite product page
Outside dimensions
23 5/8" x 16 3/8" x 13 1/4"Sterilite product page
Inside dimensions
19 7/8" L x 13 3/8" W x 12 7/8" H at the bottomSterilite product page
Closure
Latching lidSterilite product page

What it gets right

  • 12 7/8 inches of interior height clears a 12.9-inch ornament cube with nothing to spare -- and Sterilite publishes the number so you can check
  • Latches, so the lid stays on when it is carried by the ends
  • Clear walls solve the identification problem without a labeling system

What it costs you

  • Clear plastic yellows with UV exposure, so this is an indoor bin
  • 66 quarts full of books is too heavy; full of tinsel it is fine. Volume, not weight, is what you are buying

Do not buy it if: The bin lives in a garage with a window. Opaque bins keep light off whatever is inside, and light is what fades ribbon and plastic.

Sterilite 66 Qt. Ultra Storage Box (underbed, wheeled)

Seven inches tall on the outside, 6 7/8 inches inside, and 39 1/2 inches long. That length is why it takes a 40-inch wrap roll when nothing else at this height will.

Published specifications

Capacity
66 quartsSterilite product page
Outside dimensions
39 1/2" x 20 1/4" x 7"Sterilite product page
Inside dimensions
37 3/8" L x 18 1/8" W x 6 7/8" H at the bottomSterilite product page
Handling
Wheeled underbed formatSterilite listing, Walmart

What it gets right

  • 37 3/8 inches of usable interior length, which is the figure that decides whether a 30-inch roll goes in with the lid on
  • Wheels mean the box rolls out from under the bed instead of being dragged on carpet
  • Rigid, so unlike a fabric under-bed bag it does not sag in the middle

What it costs you

  • 37 3/8 inches inside is short of a 40-inch roll. Rigid boxes lose to fabric bags on exactly that case
  • Seven inches of height is one layer of anything

Do not buy it if: Your wrap rolls are 40 inches. This box is 2 5/8 inches short inside and the lid will not close. Use a fabric 40-inch organizer.

Questions people ask

How many quarts is a good holiday storage bin?
Sixty-six quarts is the most useful single size for one category per bin, because it holds a meaningful amount and one person can still carry it. A 27-gallon bin, which is 108 quarts, holds more and is genuinely heavy when full. The quart figure is less useful than the interior height, which is what tells you whether an ornament box stands up inside.
What fits in a 66 quart storage box?
The Sterilite 66 qt ClearView publishes 19 7/8 by 13 3/8 by 12 7/8 inches inside. That takes a 64-slot ornament cube, a coiled garland, a stack of small wreaths, or a light-reel container, with room to spare. What it does not take is a 128-slot ornament box, which at 13 to 13.5 inches tall misses the 12 7/8 interior height.
How much does a full holiday storage bin weigh?
We have not weighed any, and we are not going to invent a figure. What is worth knowing is that Christmas decorations are bulky rather than dense, so a 27-gallon bin of tinsel and foliage is light for its size while the same bin of books would not be. The practical test is whether you can carry it down a ladder with one hand free.
Why is the inside so much smaller than the outside?
Wall thickness and taper. Bins taper so they nest when empty, which means the interior at the bottom is smaller than the opening. The Rubbermaid Roughneck loses 7.6 inches of length between outside and inside; the Sterilite Stacker loses 5.6. That is not a fault, it is what makes the bins rigid and stackable, but it means outside dimensions are the wrong number to plan with.

Sources