As a result, industrial drum manufacturers often strengthened their drums with corrugations, called reinforcing rings, of the thickened material at each quarter of the drum to strengthen the sides and prevent denting or puncturing when rolled or turned. Read More…
Leading Manufacturers
Rahway Steel Drum Company, Inc.
Cranbury, NJ | 800-260-3786For over 60 years, Rahway Steel Drum Company has been a reliable supplier of 55 gallon drums and drum services. We supply containers from 1 quart to 330 gallons in quantities from 1 to over 100,000.

Container Distributors, Inc.
Venice, IL | 800-366-5098Container Distributors, Inc. is your one source for 55 gallon drums. We pride ourselves on our knowledgeable customer service staff, timely deliveries, and wide range of in-stock items.

Jakacki Bag & Barrel, Inc.
Chicago, IL | 800-760-3786Jakacki Bag & Barrel is the largest nationwide dealer for 55 gallon drums. Since 1942, we have sold 55 gallon drums of all assortments.

House of Cans, Inc.
Lincolnwood, IL | 847-677-2100House of Cans specializes in distributing plastic containers— bottles, drums, jars, jugs, and pails plus snap-lock and pry-off containers. We also offer plastic lids and shipping accessories. We offer our customers unrivaled customer service and high quality products. Our team is dedicated to advancing our company and creating innovative strategies and solutions.

Pipeline Packaging
Hudson, OH | 440-349-3200With over twenty years of experience, we are your premier source for 55 gallon drums and all corresponding products. Our talented teams of designers and engineers will work closely with you to come up with a product that will be just as unique as you need it and that will offer a long lasting value! We have made it our mission to put our customers first! To learn more about what we may be able to do for you visit us online today!

Two common ways that industrial drum are differentiated are if they are closed head or open head drums. Closed head drums, also referred to as tight head drums, have a permanent lid with a small opening to allow for pouring of the enclosed material, while open head drums have removable heads. Industrial drums are constructed from three types of materials: steel drums, plastic drums and fiber drums.
The material used depends on the applications: for instance, steel drums are used in chemical processing, plastic drums for caustic and acidic materials and fiber drums for solids. The most common drum size in shipping applications is a 55 gallon drum, meaning the drum has a nominal capacity of 55 gallons. Industrial drums are utilized in diverse industries including petroleum, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, construction, waste water treatment, industrial manufacturing and agriculture.
Sorted based on the different materials, industrial drums are otten separated into three main categories: steel drums, plastic drums and fiber drums. Industrial steel drums are manufactured from stainless steel, cold rolled steel or carbon steel and can be used to transport flammable chemicals and other hazardous substances due to high corrosion resistance.
Industrial stainless steel drums in particular are used in anti-corrosive and sanitary applications since it is an FDA-approved material. However, industrial steel drums can rust when exposed to the elements; as a result, non-rusting industrial plastic drums are often preferred. Durable and rigid, yet light-weight, industrial plastic drums made from polyethylene are often referred to as blue barrels because they are typically blue in color.
Industrial plastic drums are often used to transport and store acidic and caustic liquids, powders or other materials and are commonly constructed from plastics such as nylon, polystyrene, PVC and HDPE. Industrial plastic drums are well-suited for storage of liquid and low viscosity foods, solids and high viscous materials, lubricating oils and chemicals.
As a low-cost alternative to steel and plastic industrial drums, industrial fiber drums are constructed from fiber board or dense paper. A typical application of industrial fiber drums is the transport of solid food products, including frozen or refrigerated goods such as cheese and ice cream. Another advantage of fiber industrial drums is that they are completely incinerable and stackable, in addition to being the most easily recycled type of drum.