Totes & products · Also in stock
Used Poly & Steel Drums
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When a drum beats a tote
This page exists because we regularly talk people out of buying totes. A 275 of anything heavier than water is well over a tonne, and if the site has no forklift, no dock and no pallet jack, that container is going to sit exactly where it was dropped for the rest of its life. Four 55-gallon drums hold the same product, move on a hand truck and can be lifted by two people with a drum dolly.
Drums win when:
- The total volume is under roughly 60 gallons.
- The product is viscous, pasty or solid and needs to be scooped out.
- The site genuinely cannot handle a tonne on a pallet.
- You need to split a batch across several locations, or several products across one delivery.
- The product is flammable and you want steel with a bonding lug.
Totes win on everything above about 150 gallons, on anything you will pump rather than pour, and decisively on cost per gallon of storage.
Reconditioned means the same thing here
Drums go through the same discipline as our totes: prior contents declared, washed to the residue, inspected, new bungs and gaskets, leak-tested and re-marked. Steel drums are shot-blasted and re-lined where the lining has failed rather than sold with a compromised interior.
| Size | Litres | Diameter × Height | Tare (steel) | Tare (poly) | Per pallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 gal | 208 L | 23" × 34.5" | 38 lb | 22 lb | 4 |
| 30 gal | 114 L | 19" × 29" | 26 lb | 15 lb | 4 |
| 15 gal | 57 L | 14" × 26" | 17 lb | 10 lb | 8 |
Open-head or tight-head — which do I need?
Tight-head (closed top with two bungs) for liquids that pour or pump, because the sealed top is far more secure in transit. Open-head (removable lid and lever ring) for viscous product, powders, solids, or anything you need to scoop, scrape or clean out by hand.
Steel or poly?
Poly for acids, bases, brines and most aqueous chemistry — it will not corrode and it is lighter. Steel for solvents, fuels, oils and anything flammable where static dissipation and fire performance matter, and for high-temperature filling.
Do you buy used drums as well?
Yes, on the same terms as totes: send photographs, get a written offer in one business day, minimum sixteen drums for a free collection because they take less space than totes.
Drums, totes, or a mix?
Tell us the product and the site conditions and we'll tell you which container actually fits — including when the answer is neither.
