s on drums Steel drums are ubiquitous industrial shipping containers. They are manufactured from sheets of
cold rolled steel formed into a tube and welded along the side seam. Stainless steel, nickel, and special alloys are occasionally used. The bottom head is permanently attached by the manufacturer. Two primary options are available for the top head: • Open head drum, removable head drum: Top head is attached after filling with a closing ring and bolted lock. Liquids, granular solids and waste are commonly shipped in these. • Tight head drum, closed head drum, non-removable head drum: The top head is permanently attached by the manufacturer. It is usually made with one or two threaded access fittings, closed by threaded bungs after filling. Liquids are suited to these drums.
History Henry Wehrhahn, employee of
Nellie Bly's Iron Clad Manufacturing Company of New York, received two patents in December 1905 that would lead to the modern 55-gallon steel drum Use of 200-litre drums became widespread in
World War II, the first war in which
trucks,
cold rolled steel, stamp or pattern forging machinery and
welding were widely available. They were first utilized by the
Axis powers (Germany and Italy), but were quickly adopted by
Allies. The drums helped win the
Guadalcanal campaign in the first U.S. offensive in the
South Pacific Theater. The U.S. Navy could not maintain
command of the sea long enough to offload
aviation gasoline for aircraft ashore, so the drums were often transported to the island on fast ships, such as
destroyers, and shoved over the sides (or, time permitting, lowered in cargo nets). Because gasoline's density is much less than that of water, the drums floated. Navy
Seabees in small craft corralled the drums. Filling drums with oil at Dingman Well (HS85-10-28964).jpg|Filling oil drum, 1914 File:Men filling up oil drums, Sherman County, ca. 1919 (5688031618).jpg|Filling oil drums, 1919 File:Drums of oil being transferred from a train to Army lorries at No. 8 Army Railhead.jpg|Drums of oil being transferred from rail cars to trucks, WWII File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-014A-0656-05A, Englische Kanalinseln, Betanken eines Flugzeuges Recolored.jpg| Drums of aviation fuel on a truck, WWII Image:AWM ID 020676.jpg|Australian troops using captured Italian 200 L drums and filling equipment, Tobruk, Libya 1941 File:HD.11B.167 (12366385443).jpg|Filling drums with lube oil, circa 1950 File:valleyofdrums.jpg|
Valley of the Drums; illegal dumping of
toxic waste lead to an EPA
superfund site in Kentucky, USA, 1980
Constructions A wide variety of constructions and sizes are available. When the intended use is for shipment of
dangerous goods (hazardous materials), strict regulatory requirements are applicable. Coordinated by the
UN, countries and regional authorities require drum construction and the demonstrated performance of severe testing. The Industrial Steel Drum Institute has also provided guidance for conducting the tests. Drums have embossed symbols to identify certification for shipment of certain types of products. Many drums nominally measure just under tall with a diameter just under , and have a common nominal volume of whereas the
barrel volume of crude oil is . In the United States, drums are also in common use and have the same height. This allows easy stacking of mixed pallets. Barrels can be constructed of plastic, laminated
paperboard or steel. Drums have top and (usually) bottom
chimes or rims: sometimes called
chines. Most steel drums have reinforcing
rolling hoops or rings of thickened metal or plastic. Drums are often cleaned or re-conditioned and then used for storing or shipping various liquids or materials. Although
crude oil is sometimes shipped in 55-US-gallon drums, the measurement standard of oil in
barrels is based on the
whiskey containers of the 1870s that measured . The measure of 42 US or wine gallons corresponds to a wine tierce (third-pipe). A wine barrel, or tun, measures . Applicable standards include: • ISO 15750-1:2002. Packaging — Steel drums — Part 1: Removable head (open head) drums with a minimum total capacity of 208 L, 210 L, and 216.5 L • ISO 15750-2:2002. Packaging — Steel drums — Part 2: Non-removable head (tight head) drums with a minimum total capacity of 212 L, 216.5 L, and 230 L • ISO 15750-3:2022. Packaging — Steel drums — Part 3: Inserted flange-type closure systems
Reconditioning Steel drums are commonly reconditioned for further use. Life cycle studies of reconditioning and reuse have been quite favorable. Clean drums go to a qualified reconditioner: hazardous residue can be a concern to regulators.{{cite journal | first =P | title =A Discussion of the Federal EPA Empty Container Rule: Purpose and Application | journal = The Journal of HAZMAT Transportation | volume =29 | issue =6 | pages = | date =2019 ==Fibre drums==