Used Metal Drums

A used steel drum has been emptied of its last product and sold as it is. Expect residue on the lining, bungs or lid that have not been replaced, and dents or surface rust from service. It has not been cleaned, tested or re-marked.

That separates it from a reconditioned drum, which has a documented cleaning and a reconditioner's mark, and from a damaged drum, which cannot hold product at all. A used drum is sound but unverified, so its prior contents decide what it can hold next.

Used drums suit refilling with the same product, non-hazmat storage, and reconditioner feedstock. An unlined drum that held a water-based product may already be rusting inside, which rules it out for most liquid fills. Before hazmat reuse, the drum needs reconditioning, or the leakproofness test and inspection that 49 CFR 173.28 requires.