UN Steel Drums

Steel Drums are a great way to transport different types of 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 
• Foodstuffs (liquids)
• Fuel
• Hazardous Waste (liquids)

Common Solids include

• Chemical Powders
• Food products/powders
• Grains
• 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 Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) . This allows you to transport dangerous and hazardous liquids and solids in a safe and responsible way.

While our steel barrels are designed to meet UN standards, you must ensure that the items you are shipping are suitable for use with each specific UN barrel 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 rating means that it is certified to carry or hold suitable hazardous materials for transport or storage.

The importance of a UN rating shows that these steel barrels will protect the contents from a certain level of impact or corrosion. These standards are set out in the UNECE and are recognised globally, making them the most reliable standards for transporting 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 items.

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 barrel.

United Nations Symbol

The UN Packaging Symbol is a circle with the letters ‘un’ i. This certifies the packaging has been tested as per the regulations and complies with the relevant 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 Codel – A signifies that it is steel
3. Openings Code  – 1 signifies that it is a closed (non-removable) head, 2 signifies that it is an open (removable) head

Packaging Group 

The packaging group can be either I (X),II (Y) or III (Z). It is an indication of the level at which the steel drum was tested.

X – The highest degree of danger.

Y – The medium degree of danger.

Z – The lowest degree of danger.

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 barrel signifies the hydraulic pressure the container was tested to.

For Solids the codes to follow would be:

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.

Approval Identification

This symbol is a certification that the steel drums in question have been approved and manufactured in accordance with the correct 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 barrels here.