Reconditioning Your Shipping Barrels: Everything You Need to Know

Sustainability and streamlining are increasingly important for many businesses, and packaging is one area where almost everyone is looking to reduce waste and cut costs while maintaining quality. So it makes sense that if you’ve got old shipping barrels lying around, you might be wondering whether or not it’s possible to use them again. Under certain conditions and with a little bit of work, the answer is often yes—but there are some factors you’ll need to know and consider first. In this article, we’ll examine how the reconditioning process works, which types of barrels need which types of conditioning, and whether it’s right for your needs. Plus, we’ll show you how you can save both money and effort with reconditioned barrels from Air Sea!

Why Recondition Shipping Barrels?

There are several reasons that reconditioned shipping barrels are an increasingly popular option for cost-conscious shippers:

• Some common types of shipping barrels can be cleaned relatively quickly using some standard techniques.
• Reconditioning even a few barrels can save you significant amounts of money.
• You’ll be doing the environment a favor by reducing waste.
• Many of today’s shipping barrels are durable enough to be reused with proper care.
• Reconditioning your own barrels can be relatively quick and means one group of items to order.

These factors have led to a surge in the use of reconditioned barrels across numerous industries. But what does the process of reconditioning a barrel actually look like? Let’s take a peek.

The Reconditioning Process

So, how does reconditioning a shipping barrel (or tote) work? It depends on which type of container you’re reconditioning:

• Steel Shipping Barrels: Steel barrels are the most labor-intensive type of container to recondition. Open head steel drums go through a high-heat furnace that incinerates any leftover materials; then, they’re pneumatically straightened and blasted with steel shot to get rid of anything still clinging to the surface. Closed head or bung models are cleaned inside and out with a combination of steam and heavy-duty cleaning alkaline cleaning products. (If a closed head drum was previously used for certain materials like paints or tar, its lid is cut off, and it goes through the process for an open headed drum.) All drums are then tested to make sure that they meet UN leak protection standards.
• Plastic Shipping Barrels: Reconditioning a plastic drum is relatively easy. Using an alternating process of submersion and pressurized cleaning solutions, the drums are washed out, dried, and leak tested.
• IBC Totes: Reconditioning an IBC tote involves inspecting and making repairs to its metal cage, then cleaning the inner plastic “bottle” component using a process similar to plastic drums. All components are then tested for structural integrity.
• Fiberboard Shipping Barrels: Only fiber drums with an interior liner can be reconditioned. The reconditioning process involves cleaning the liner in a manner similar to plastic drums and IBC bottles.

However, before you start planning to recondition your barrels, it’s important to think about some key questions.

Is Barrel Reconditioning the Right Choice for You?

Whether you should use reconditioned barrels rather than new ones depends on several factors. Consider the following when you’re deciding whether to use reconditioned barrels or buy new:

• Do you need food-grade barrels for products intended for human consumption? If so, reconditioned barrels probably aren’t for you.
• Do you intend to recondition steel barrels? If so, it will involve a significant investment of time and resources, so the process is best done at scale.
• Do you have the necessary equipment to recondition barrels, or can you easily obtain it?
• Are you and your employees familiar with the processes required to recondition barrels, including UN leak testing protocols?

These requirements can pose a significant challenge, especially if you’re reconditioning steel drums—but Air Sea can help if you can’t recondition in-house.

Reconditioned Shipping Barrels from Air Sea Containers

If reconditioning your old barrels isn’t the right choice for you, but you still want to save money on shipping barrels, Air Sea Containers has great news! We now have several styles of high-quality reconditioned shipping barrels and totes to meet your shipping and packing needs:

• Reconditioned Steel Drums: We offer both open head and closed head reconditioned steel drums, as well as essential accessories such as bung wrenches and spigots.
• Reconditioned Plastic Drums: Air Sea also has both open head and closed head poly drums in a variety of sizes.
• Reconditioned IBC Totes: We now offer reconditioned IBC totes, with your choice of a reconditioned cage and new bottle or a reconditioned bottle and cage.

Again, please make sure to note that although we take extreme care in cleaning and sanitizing our reconditioned drums, they are not considered food-grade and are not approved by the FDA for storing food or beverages.

55 Gallon Reconditioned Closed-Head UN Rated Steel Drum with Steel Screw Cap

Efficiency is king in today’s shipping materials market, so if it works for your application to recondition old shipping drums or buy reconditioned drums, you stand to save some real money and conserve resources at the same time. Want to know more about this process or find out about Air Sea’s reconditioned drum options? Just give us a call at (866) 596-9448 or contact us online!