Help with Handling: Types and Sizes of Industrial Drums

Industrial drums are made from three major material groups: steel, plastic, and fibreboard. The main types and styles of drums found within industry are easily handled by our standard range of Drum Handling Equipment however on occasion unusual drums appear, particularly in food and pharmaceutical industries. If you are at all unsure regarding drum compatibility, feel free to send us some photos of your drums and we will be happy to help.

The most common size of steel drum used globally is the 200-litre steel drum. These can also be referred to as 205-litre, 208-litre, and 210-litre as well, but for all intents and purposes they are the same size. In addition, these drums are referred to as 45 Imperial Gallon drums or 55 US Gallon drums in certain regions. Whilst the majority of drum handling products on the market are targeted at these metal 200-litre drums, alternative drum sizes are becoming more common and therefore as equipment manufacturers we must ensure we develop machines that are not restricted to simply one type and size of drum.

A common range of plastic drums is the ‘Mauser’ drum range. The name ‘Mauser’ is a brand name, however other companies also make drums with a similar look and functionality. These drums can be identified by their blue open-top design and rounded egg-shaped form; they use black removable plastic lids that are held on with a metal band. The most common sizes of these drums is 30 litre, 60 litre, 120 litre and 220 litre. At STS we pride ourselves on the fact that we can handle these drums with the majority of our Drum Lifting Depalletisers.

Blue L-ring ‘tight head’ or ‘closed head‘ drums are another common type found in all regions of the World. These drums can be identified by their distinctive straight-sided design and fully integrated top lip. These drums typically have two white bungs screwed into the top face of the drum to allow for easy filling and decanting.

It is becoming more and more common to see 200- to 220-litre screw-top plastic drums in the food industry. These drums often contain products such as olives, pickles or gherkins. Based on our experience, these drums are the most difficult to handle and can’t always be accommodated by regular off-the-shelf equipment. If you use these drums in your facility, we would always recommend getting in touch so that you can be sure you're purchasing the right drum lifting solution for the job. You can explore some special attachments that we have made for these specific drums such as the stainless-steel ladder rack here.

When handling powders, fibreboard drums are often used. These drums are made from what looks like cardboard, however they are much stronger than card. They are easily recognisable by their brown colour and metal rings around the top and bottom edges. The lids used on these drums can sometimes prevent grippers from securely attaching to the top edge unless they are removed.

Depending upon the material being transported inside the drums, their weights can vary substantially. This said, the most common weights we typically come across are within the 100 to 350 kilogram (kg) range. Industries that handle powders sometimes have drums that weigh less than 100kg, and industries handling metals and very dense resins can sometimes have the need to handle drums in excess of 450kg.

If the capacity of a standard machine is not enough for your particular application, please get in touch as we can offer a bespoke solution with an increased capacity.