UN Steel Drums

Steel Drums are a great way to transport different types of hazardous liquids and solids.

Commonly, steel drums are designed to carry large amounts of industrial hazardous goods.

Some common liquids transported in steel drums are:

• Oil
• Liquid Chemicals
• Fuel
• Hazardous Waste (liquids)

Common Solids include

• Chemical Powders
• Batteries/Cells
• Hazardous Waste (solids)

Our UN steel drums are specifically designed to meet the highest safety standards as set out by the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations . This allows you to transport dangerous and hazardous liquids and solids in a safe and compliant way.

While our steel drums are designed to meet UN standards, you must ensure that the dangerous goods you are shipping are suitable for use with each specific UN drum we offer.

If you aren’t sure, our team can help you find the right packaging for your dangerous goods.

A steel drum with a UN Specification mark means that it is certified to carry suitable hazardous materials for transport.

The importance of a UN mark identifies that the steel barrel has been tested and approved to ensure they meet the standards set out in the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations. This identifies the drum as one which is approved to carry dangerous goods.

UN packaging is often a legal requirement when it comes to transporting dangerous goods, so it is essential that you research the packaging regulations for your dangerous goods.

On all UN-approved packaging, there should be a variety of markings to understand the packaging better.

Here is a breakdown of the markings that can be found on a UN steel drum.

United Nations Symbol

The UN Packaging Symbol is a circle with the letters ‘un’. This certifies the packaging has been tested as per the regulations and complies with the relevant regulation requirements.

UN Specification Mark

The specification mark provides information about the packaging type and performance tests that have been met.  The marks do not always provide full details of test levels met, these can be checked by referring to the test certificate.

The UN Specification Mark can be broken down into the following:

Packaging Code

1. Packaging Type Code 1 – signifies that it is a drum.
2. Packaging Material Code A – signifies that it is steel.
3. Openings Code 1 – signifies it is a closed head (non-removable), 2 signifies that it is an open head (removable).

Packaging Group

The packaging group (PG) can be either I (X),II (Y) or III (Z). The PG relates to the applicable degree of danger accredited to the dangerous goods. Each UN drum displays the PG the level at which the steel drum was tested and approved for.

X – The highest degree of danger.

Y – The medium degree of danger.

Z – The lowest degree of danger.

If the drum is approved for liquids, the codes to follow would be:

Relative Density

This mark contains the relative density of liquid .e.g. 1.2

Test Pressure

The next number on a UN-rated steel drum signifies the pressure the container was tested to.

E.g 600

Drums approved for Solids would have the following codes:

Gross Weight

Gross weight in Kg e.g.60

Solid or Inner Packaging

Identified by the presence of the letter ‘S’.

Followed by: Year of Manufacture

This will be the last two digits of the year of manufacture.

Place of Manufacture

This signifies the country that the steel barrel was manufactured in e.g. GB.

Approval Identification

This symbol is a certification that the steel drums in question have been approved by an independent test centre and passed as per the regulations.

A complete set of UN markings will look similar to this:

For Steel Drums approved for Solids

For Steel Drums approved for Liquids

You can find out more about UN markings and how to read them in our packaging guidance section.

At Air Sea Containers, we have UN-rated steel drums suitable for transporting dangerous liquids from 5 litres to 210 litres and solids up to 270kg

You can see our whole range of UN-rated steel drums here.