Prolly a stupid question, but you never know. Just wondering because the buckets at home depot are a buck fifty more expensive for the white ones. The orange ones with their logo are cheaper.

are the orange ones food grade?

if your using mylar the color and food grade rating don't matter. its just a container. if you aren't using mylar, you need food grade.

Still new myself but I believe you are looking for a number 2 or 5 in the triangle. I dont think the color matters at all just realise some buckets are stronger than others. If you are using mylar and 02 obsorbers the bucket is just there to protect the mylar.

"Food grade" buckets only matter for the restaurant business because the food comes in direct contact with the bucket during its short life within the bucket.  For long term storage, I highly recomend against just putting food into a food grade bucket.  Because even a plastic bucket can over time seep oxygen, chemicals (both from the plastic and from outside sources), etc.

Mylar bags don't.

Are you going to use mylar bags?

That would be my suggestion, because then it doesnt matter what bucket you get if you use mylar bags.  And even if you get a food grade bucket, you should still use mylar bags.  I think they are around $1.50 for the 6 gallon capacity one.

If you use mylar bags, you could put them in cardboard boxes if you wanted.

Mylar bags are far more important then the buckets.

According to the manufacturer of the Home Depot buckets the numbers simply state what type of plastic it is which classifies it for recycling.  You could have two plastic buckets marked with a 2, and one not be food grade.  The dye in the plastic and purity of the plastic is usually what makes it non-food grade because when in direct contact with food the chemicals in the dye can leach out.  The dye doesnt affect what kind of plastic it is hence you could have two buckets marked the same yet one be non-food grade.

Here is the list.  A good example is HDPE.  It is used for milk, juice and water container.  But it is also used for most the household cleaner containers you see.  That doesnt mean the household cleaner containers are food grade just because it uses HDPE.  It could be, but it doesnt necessarily mean that it is.  (also the FDA states that onces ANYTHING is used for something non-food, it is never again a food grade container).  Food grade HDPE is simply purer then non-food grade HDPE.  However as stated eariler, it doesnt matter if Mylar bags are being used.

1 - Polyethylene terephalate (PET)
2 - High density polyethylene (HDPE)
3 - Unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) or Plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PPVC)
4 - Low density polyethylene LDPE
5 - Polypropylene (PP)
6 - Polystyrene (PS) or Expandable polystyrene (EPS)
7 - Other, including nylon and acrylic

Besides the dye the mold release agent must be food grade.  The rule on the material is it can't be recycled.  This is to prevent, for example organophosphate pesticide containers from being reused for foodstuffs.

As stated above, the number are for recycling.

There are a few thing that it makes no sense to pack in mylar in clean buckets- salt and sugar for example.  I use mylar only because my buckets are recycled.