Versatile, cost-effective and perfectly suited for a range of industrial uses, the classic blue plastic drum is an indispensable storage container.
But while there are countless shops and retailers selling plastic drums, it’s important that you choose a supplier you can trust to deliver the highest quality plastic drum container, every time.
If you’re wondering where to buy the best plastic drum container, read on to find out everything you need to know.
Where Can You Buy Plastic Drum Containers?
Plastic drum containers are available from a range of different shops across the UK. They are commonly found in hardware stores, garden centres and online shops, and can be purchased in a number of different sizes.
However, if you’re looking to source plastic drum containers for industrial usage, then you’ll need of an industrial quantity of drums. Often, local hardware stores just won’t have the capacity to fulfil large-scale orders to meet industrial needs.
In this situation, the best place to source quality plastic drum containers – and in industrial sizes and quantities – will be a specialist packaging supplier, such as ITP Packaging. An industrial supplier is not only able to fulfil large orders rapidly, but can offer expert advice on the size and type of plastic drum container that’s best suited for the task at hand.
What Are the Different Sizes of Plastic Drum Available?
A plastic drum container can be purchased in a variety of different sizes, making this a versatile container that’s well suited to an impressive number of storage and transport roles. Before we look at the different available sizes, it’s important to know that there are two main types of plastic drum container, both of which have different capacities.
The two types of drums are:
Open Top
Has a removable lid for ease of filling and emptying that can be securely sealed for safety.
Tight Head
A tightly sealed drum that offers added safety and security against spillage, but is more difficult to fill and empty.
Open top plastic drums are manufactured in a wider variety of sizes than tight head plastic drums. Open top drums are most commonly supplied in the following four sizes:
- 30 litres
- 60 litres
- 120 litres
- 220 litres
Tight head drums are more limited in scope, as they are often only supplied in 220-litre capacities.
How Do You Know Which Size to Choose?
There’s a notable difference in size between a plastic drum container with a capacity of 30 litres and one that has a capacity of 220 litres. Deciding which size is best for your needs depends on a number of different factors. For businesses, it’s important to look at these considerations before placing a large order with a supplier.
Let’s take a look at the most important sizing factors to consider in a little more detail.
Capacity
The most obvious consideration – but also the most important! – is capacity. How much product do you need to store in a barrel?
If you’re storing liquids in a plastic drum container, then you can calculate the storage space you need in order to store and transport all of the necessary goods. For example, if you need to transport 800 litres of liquid, then the most effective option would be to purchase 4 x 220-litre drums, leaving you with a slight excess of space.
If you’re transporting solids, it can be trickier to know the exact size of a drum you need, and you’ll need to consider the overall weight and bulk of the products before making a purchase.
Storage Space
As well as considering the quantity of goods that need to be stored, you need to look at how much storage space you have available at your warehouse and when in transit.
Larger drums naturally take up more space. While you might need to store 1,000 litres of liquid, it could be easier to purchase 10 x 120-litre barrels, rather than 5 x 220-litre barrels if your truck has limited headroom or your storage areas are smaller.
If the quantity of liquid that you transport varies, then mid-size containers are often a more versatile choice than larger containers. If you only fill a 220-litre container to half its capacity for instance, then you’re wasting valuable storage space in the lorry when it’s in transit.
Budget
The final factor that businesses should consider is their budget, as different sizes of plastic drum containers have different costs attached to them.
This is a simple one, as the smaller the drum, the less it’s going to cost. The larger the drum, the higher the upfront cost of the barrel. Suppliers generally offer better deals for bulk purchases, and it can often work out better to purchase larger quantities of drums in one go than placing several smaller orders.
Should You Buy New or Reconditioned Plastic Drums?
A plastic drum container has a long lifespan, and this can be drastically extended when the drum is reconditioned.
Reconditioned drums are almost as good as new. They are old drums that are broken down and reproduced using a process that decontaminates and reconstructs the container.
Reconditioned plastic drums are UN approved, are of better value than new purchases and more environmentally friendly. For most purposes, reconditioned drums do the job just as well as brand new drums; the only time this isn’t the case is when a plastic drum container needs to be food grade.
Contact ITP Packaging Today for More Information on Plastic Drum Containers
Here at ITP Packaging, we stock a wide range of industrial storage and transport solutions, including the classic blue plastic drum container in a number of different sizes.
We also stock a comprehensive set of attachments and liners that can help keep your products safe, for longer.
If your business is looking for a range of high-quality plastic drum container options, then don’t hesitate to contact ITP Packaging for more information.
