Choosing the correct trailer to carry paper bales at 44 tonnes on UK roads is about fast loading and keeping the bales dry. Baled waste paper and card move from MRFs, retailers and merchants to UK paper mills and export ports, loaded by forklift from the side or the rear.
Short answer: the best trailer for carrying paper bales in the UK is a curtainsider, with a Knapen biomass or side door moving floor for bulk mixed loads. Newton Trailers of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, sells, hires and services these trailers across the UK. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for paper bales in the UK.
Newton Trailers' current first choice trailer for the transport of Paper Bales is:
Recommended First Choice Trailer: Curtainsider
Recommended Second Choice Trailers: Knapen Biomass Moving Floor; Knapen Moving Floor with Side Doors
Recommended Sales Options: Side Doors; Watertight Sheet; Load Restraint; Ultralight Body
Seasonal Hire: No - paper recycling runs year round.
TASCC Product: Yes - paper bales are a permissible load under TASCC rules, so they can be carried in a TASCC-registered trailer.
Product Density: 400 - 700 kgs/m3 (baled)
Trailer Volume: Maximum cube
Region: MRFs, retailers and merchants to UK paper mills and export ports
The UK produced around 6.4 million tonnes of recovered paper in 2023 and exported 3.4 million tonnes.
Paper bales are dense but bulky; trailers often cube out before reaching 29 tonnes.
The UK produced around 6.4 million tonnes of recovered paper in 2023, and 3.4 million tonnes was exported, led by India, Malaysia and Vietnam. Most of it moves as bales.
A curtainsider is the quickest way to load and unload bales by forklift. A Knapen side door floor combines side loading with fast horizontal discharge at the mill.
Paper Bale Trailer Option: Side doors. Forklift loading of bales.
Paper Bale Trailer Option: Watertight sheet. Wet bales lose value.
Paper Bale Trailer Option: Load restraint. Keeps bales stable.
Paper Bale Trailer Option: Ultralight body. More paper per trip.
A curtainsider, or a Knapen biomass or side door moving floor.
To UK paper mills and for export - 3.4 million tonnes of recovered paper was exported in 2023.
Yes. Paper bales are a permissible load under TASCC rules, so they can be carried in a TASCC-registered trailer, with the load and cleaning recorded as part of the trailer's previous-load history.
Yes. Newton Trailers offers curtainsider hire and moving floor trailer hire, as well as new and used trailers for sale. Call 01525 872466.
A paper bale trailer also carries the other recycling loads. See our guides to trailers for RDF and glass.
Confederation of Paper Industries: the UK trade body for the paper-based industries.
UK recovered paper production 2023: Statista, citing FAO. UK recovered paper exports 2023: Pulp & Paper News. Density, payload and trailer recommendations: Newton Trailers.
Page last updated: September 2026. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for paper bales in the UK.
| Best Match | Options | Volume | Payload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Knapen Side Door Moving Floor | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 26200kg | |
| Used | 2016 SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30000kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
| Also See | New SDC Curtainsider Trailer | 1 CuYds (0.8m3) | 30050kg | |
