For decades, the steel drum and pail industry has been the preferred choice for packaging and transporting hazardous or dangerous goods.
Drum & Pail Coatings: Enhancing Safety and Durability
Over time, one notable evolution has been the advancement of interior chemical protective linings for drums and pails. These linings offer an economical and sustainable solution, maximizing the utility of steel drums while ensuring the protection of the valuable contents within.
Surface coatings specifically designed for metal drums and pails play a crucial role in safeguarding the products they encase. Applied to new, recycled, or reconditioned metal containers, these chemical-resistant coatings cover container bodies, ends, rings, plugs, and side stream stripes reliably. From food-grade ingredients to hazardous industrial chemicals, these coatings ensure the safe transport of various products to the market.
Interior coatings serve as a shield, protecting drums and pails from a range of chemicals and environmental conditions. The significance of interior drum linings cannot be overstated, playing a critical role in safeguarding both the steel drums themselves and the diverse array of goods regularly shipped in them – including foods, beverages, and chemicals.
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Dry Film Thickness (DFT): A Key Indicator for Interior Drum Lining Coatings
The Dry Film Thickness (DFT) serves as a reliable indicator of the protective coating level applied to the interiors of your drums and pails. Regular monitoring of the DFT for steel drums is essential throughout the fabrication process. When applying rust inhibitors, the DFT typically falls within the range of approximately 0.1 to 0.2, while the interior linings are usually applied in the range of 0.6 DFT or greater. Periodic DFT checks ensure that your steel drums maintain the necessary lining level before shipping.
Mandatory Drum Linings for Specific Chemicals
Drum and pail linings play a critical role in shielding the bare steel substrate used in industrial containers. In certain cases, the use of protective coatings is not just beneficial but mandatory. Some products and chemicals necessitate drum linings for packaging and transportation, a requirement established by government regulations like the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR 49). These regulations outline specific guidelines for drum and pail container linings when transporting certain chemicals. Additionally, transportation companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS) and FedEx have their own shipping requirements for chemicals to ensure safety and compliance.
Selecting the Right Drum Lining for Your Product Requirements
Choosing the ideal drum lining for your products involves considering various factors, and UNICHEM, a leading drum lining manufacturer, offers versatile solutions with the full line of RESCO® Interior Chemical Linings.. Our most recent breakthrough came with the introduction of our RESCO® Universal Lining. Recognizing that different products exhibit diverse characteristics, such as varying pH levels or corrosive properties, it is crucial to assess these traits for safe transportation. Phenolic linings are commonly used for products with a pH range of 3.0 to 7.0, while epoxy-based chemical linings provide increased flexibility but reduced resistance to acids, making them suitable for products with a pH range between 7.0 to 9.0, among other physical characteristics. While our standard RESCO® linings will provide excellent service and protection to these ranges of pH, our RESCO® Universal Lining may provide you with a single lining solution for all your needs.
Products and chemicals should undergo individual testing to identify the most suitable drum and pail lining for safe transportation. Some common applications of drum and pail linings include:
- Alcohols
- Agricultural herbicides
- Detergents
- Food concentrates
- Refrigerants
- Lacquers
- Strong solvents
- Solvent-based resins
- Water-based products like ink
- Latex products
Contact a seasoned custom coating and chemical manufacturer like UNICHEM to ensure the selection of the right drum and pail lining for storing or transporting your valuable goods. It is advisable to check safety data sheets, consult with your packaging distributor, and seek guidance from an experienced drum and pail lining provider.
UNICHEM’s Drum and Pail Lining Solutions
UNICHEM offers a range of interior drum and pail linings in various solvent-borne and waterborne chemistries with our proven RESCO® interior drum lining solution. The solvent-borne linings provide superior chemical resistance, available in roll coat or spray-on versions, allowing recoating without compromising performance.
Waterborne interior drum and pail chemical linings, also available in roll coat and spray-on versions, offer a less flammable solution with safer flashpoints, low Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAPs), and low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). UNICHEM’s RESCO® Universal, a proprietary solvent drum lining with high heat curing, represents the latest innovation for the steel industrial drum and pail industry.
With over 50 years of experience, UNICHEM delivers custom chemical, coating, and adhesive solutions, offering quality drum and pail lining solutions, including the versatile RESCO® Universal. Contact us to explore RESCO® and find the best drum and pail lining for your steel drums and products.