Bitumen Drum Container Loading requires careful planning based on drum dimensions, gross weight, pallet configuration, container payload, and cargo-securing requirements. Selecting the correct arrangement can improve shipping efficiency, reduce handling risks, and protect the drums throughout international transportation.
Alps Asphalt supplies different bitumen grades in various steel-drum sizes and helps customers select suitable packaging and container arrangements based on shipment requirements.
This guide explains how 150 kg, 180 kg, 200-liter, and 220 kg bitumen drums may be arranged in 20-foot and 40-foot containers, both with and without pallets.
Important: All capacities in this article are estimates. The final quantity must be confirmed using the actual drum dimensions, gross weight, container specification, shipping-line limits, and applicable road regulations.
1. Common Bitumen Drum Sizes
Export bitumen is commonly supplied in new steel drums. The main packaging options include:
- 150 kg steel drums
- 180 kg steel drums
- 200-liter steel drums
- 200 kg steel drums
- 220 kg steel drums
The stated capacity may refer to either the drum’s nominal volume or the net weight of the bitumen. Therefore, a “200-liter drum” does not always mean that the shipment contains exactly 200 kg of bitumen.
Bitumen density, required headspace, drum design, steel thickness, lid type, and filling temperature can affect the actual net and gross weight.
For example, a standard 200-liter steel drum may have an external diameter of approximately 580–600 mm and a height of around 850–900 mm. However, dimensions vary between manufacturers.
2. Estimated Bitumen Drum Container Capacity
The following figures are indicative and should not be treated as guaranteed loading quantities.
| Drum specification | 20-ft container without pallets | 20-ft container with pallets | 40-ft container without pallets | 40-ft container with pallets |
|---|
| 150–160 kg drums | Approximately 110–150 | Approximately 72–80 | Usually limited to approximately 160–175 by weight | Approximately 140–160 |
| 180 kg drums | Approximately 100–110 | Approximately 72–80 | Approximately 140–150 | Approximately 128–140 |
| 200-liter drums | Approximately 100–110 | Approximately 72–80 | Approximately 125–145 | Approximately 120–140 |
| 200 kg drums | Approximately 90–110 | Approximately 72–80 | Approximately 125–135 | Approximately 120–130 |
| 220 kg drums | Approximately 80–100 | Approximately 64–80 | Approximately 110–125 | Approximately 105–120 |
These ranges depend on:
- External diameter and height of each drum
- Net and gross weight per drum
- Upright or horizontal arrangement
- Number and dimensions of pallets
- Permitted stacking height
- Container tare and maximum payload
- Floor-load limitations
- Carrier and destination-country requirements
A 40-foot container provides considerably more volume than a 20-foot container, but it does not necessarily carry twice the number of filled bitumen drums. Heavy cargo often reaches the container’s permitted payload before all available space is used.
3. Loading Bitumen Drums Without Pallets
Loading without pallets generally provides the highest drum capacity because no floor space or vertical clearance is occupied by wooden or plastic pallets.
For a typical shipment of 200-liter bitumen drums, a 20-foot container may accommodate approximately 100 to 110 drums when the drum dimensions and loading method allow it.
A 40-foot container can provide more loading space, but the permissible quantity is usually restricted by cargo weight. Depending on the gross weight of each drum, the practical capacity may be approximately 125 to 145 drums rather than twice the capacity of a 20-foot unit.
Advantages of Non-Palletized Loading
- Higher number of drums per container
- Better use of the available internal volume
- Lower pallet and packaging costs
- More competitive freight cost per metric ton
Considerations
- Loading and unloading may require more manual work or specialized equipment
- Individual drums must be adequately secured
- Friction material, blocking, bracing, straps, or airbags may be required
- Drum surfaces may be more exposed to dents and handling damage
- Weight must be distributed evenly across the container floor
Non-palletized drums should never be placed inside a container without an approved securing plan. Empty spaces can allow cargo movement during braking, rail transport, vessel motion, or container handling.
4. Loading Bitumen Drums on Pallets
Palletized loading simplifies handling and may reduce direct contact between the drums and the container floor.
A common industrial pallet measuring approximately 1,000 × 1,200 mm may carry four standard steel drums, depending on drum diameter and pallet load rating.
A 20-foot container can generally receive around 9 or 10 compatible pallets. This provides approximately 36 to 40 drums in a single layer. If both the drums and pallets are approved for double stacking, the capacity may increase to approximately 72 to 80 drums.
A 40-foot container may carry around 20 standard industrial pallets, corresponding to approximately:
- 80 drums in a single pallet layer
- Up to 160 drums in two layers based on space alone
However, 160 filled drums will often exceed the container or road-transport weight limit. The actual palletized quantity must therefore be reduced according to the gross weight per drum.
Advantages of Palletized Bitumen Drums
- Faster forklift loading and unloading
- Easier warehouse handling
- Reduced direct movement of individual drums
- Improved cargo counting and organization
- Lower risk of damage during repeated handling
Disadvantages
- Fewer drums per container
- Additional pallet cost and weight
- Possible fumigation or ISPM 15 requirements for wooden pallets
- More unused space between the drums and container walls
5. Why 20-Foot Containers Are Often Preferred
A 20-foot dry container is frequently selected for dense cargo such as filled bitumen drums. It offers a favorable balance between volume and payload and may be easier to manage within road-weight restrictions.
A standard 20-foot dry container typically provides about 33 cubic metres of internal capacity. Depending on the particular container, its permitted payload may be approximately 28 metric tons. Actual specifications must always be obtained from the carrier before loading.
Container dimensions and payload ratings can vary by equipment series. Shipping lines such as Maersk publish equipment information, but the Container Safety Convention plate on the assigned unit remains essential for confirming its permitted gross mass.
6. Weight Calculation Before Loading
Before confirming the number of drums, calculate the total cargo weight:
Total cargo weight = Number of drums × Gross weight per drum
For example:
110 drums × 190 kg gross weight = 20,900 kg
The gross weight of each drum includes:
- Net bitumen weight
- Steel-drum weight
- Lid, sealing ring, and closures
- Any protective wrapping or accessories
For palletized cargo, the weight of every pallet, strap, corner protector, and securing material must also be included.
The calculated cargo weight must remain within:
- The container’s permitted payload
- The shipping line’s booking limit
- Port and terminal restrictions
- Road and axle-weight regulations at origin and destination
7. Safe Arrangement and Cargo Securing
Correct bitumen drum container loading must prevent drums from sliding, rolling, tipping, or exerting excessive pressure on the doors.
The IMO/ILO/UNECE CTU Code provides international guidance for the safe packing and securing of cargo transport units throughout the intermodal transport chain.
A suitable loading procedure should include:
- Inspection of the container floor, walls, roof, and doors
- Verification that every drum is properly closed and free from leakage
- Even distribution of cargo weight
- Suitable blocking and bracing
- Protection of the container doors from cargo pressure
- Filling or securing of significant empty spaces
- Use of approved straps, airbags, timber, or anti-slip materials where required
- Final photographic documentation before closing the doors
- Verification of the container’s gross mass
If wooden pallets or timber supports are used in international trade, they may need to comply with applicable ISPM 15 requirements.
Choosing Between Palletized and Non-Palletized Drums
The right method depends on the buyer’s facilities, destination, discharge equipment, order size, and cost priorities.
Choose loading without pallets when:
- Maximum container capacity is the priority
- The receiver can unload individual drums safely
- Lower packaging cost is required
- An approved securing method is available
Choose loading with pallets when:
- Fast forklift handling is important
- The buyer requires palletized delivery
- Warehouse movement is expected
- Reduced individual drum handling is preferred
Alps Asphalt Bitumen Packaging Solutions
Alps Asphalt supplies road and industrial bitumen in several grades and packaging formats. Available products include Bitumen 60/70, Bitumen 80/100, oxidized bitumen, and other grades selected for different climates and applications.
Depending on the order and destination, packaging may include:
- New steel drums
- Palletized steel drums
- Jumbo bags
- Bitutainers
- Bulk tanker or vessel shipment
Before shipment, the loading plan should be based on the confirmed packing list, drum datasheet, container specification, and transport route.
For a quotation and an optimized loading proposal, contact Alps Asphalt with the required bitumen grade, drum size, quantity, destination port, and preferred container type.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many 200-liter bitumen drums fit in a 20-foot container?
A typical 20-foot container may carry approximately 100 to 110 non-palletized drums. With pallets, the quantity may be approximately 72 to 80 drums when safe double stacking is approved.
How many 200-liter drums fit in a 40-foot container?
The practical quantity is commonly around 125 to 145 drums, depending mainly on the gross weight per drum and the container’s permitted payload.
Can bitumen drums be double-stacked on pallets?
Double stacking is possible only when the pallet, drum construction, stacking system, securing method, and transport provider approve it. Space availability alone does not establish that stacking is safe.
Is a 40-foot container always more economical?
Not necessarily. Bitumen is a dense cargo, so a 40-foot container may reach its weight limit while some internal volume remains unused. A 20-foot container can sometimes provide a more efficient weight-to-volume ratio.
Are the container quantities guaranteed?
No. Published quantities are preliminary estimates. Final loading must be calculated using actual drum dimensions, gross weights, pallet specifications, assigned container data, and applicable transport limits. For more accurate information Contact us.
Estimated non-palletized loading arrangement for a 20-foot container.
Single-layer and double-stacked palletized bitumen drum arrangements.