Plastic Drum Sizes & Dimensions Guide
Diameters, heights, and empty weights for plastic drums from 8 to 180 gallons, from someone who sells them every day.
Published September 30, 2026
Plastic drum sizes at a glance
- Size range: 8 to 77 gallons (30 to 291 L) for standard tight head and open head drums, plus overpack and salvage drums up to 180 gallons (681 L).
- Most common size: 55 gallons (208 L), about 23" to 24" in diameter and 34" to 39" tall depending on style.
- Two head styles: Tight head drums (UN 1H1) have a fixed lid with small openings. Open head drums (UN 1H2) have a removable lid held by a ring.
- Empty weight: about 5 lb for an 8-gallon drum, 18 to 25 lb for a 55-gallon drum, and 40 to 102 lb for the large overpack drums.
- Federal size maximum: The UN plastic drum specification allows up to 450 L (119 gal) and 400 kg (882 lb) of net mass under 49 CFR 178.509. An individual drum may be rated for less.
Plastic drum size chart
Plastic drums are sold by nominal capacity, but the capacity doesn't fix the shape. Two drums labeled 30 gallon can differ by a couple of inches in diameter depending on whether the lid is fixed or removable, and manufacturers vary wall thickness, ribs, and rings. The chart below lists typical outside dimensions and empty weights for each size, with standard tight head and open head drums first and the larger overpack and salvage drums after.
How the main sizes compare
Drawn to scale from the approximate diameters and heights in the chart below. Shown as front-view silhouettes without lids, rings, or closures.
Approximate figures. Actual dimensions and weights vary by manufacturer, model, and lid style. Source: Mauser Packaging Solutions polyethylene packaging brochure and other published manufacturer specifications.
In the US, drums are sized in gallons and inches. Outside North America they're sized in liters and millimeters, and the two systems don't line up cleanly. A 220 L drum holds about 58 gallons, a little more than a 55 gallon drum, and Mauser's 220 L tight head drum measures 581 mm by 935 mm (about 22.9" by 36.8"), which is close to the 55 gallon footprint. If you're buying across systems, compare the outside diameter and height rather than the capacity label.
The most common size we sell is the 55 gallon drum, and the sections below go through each size range in more detail. If you already know your size, see our 55 gallon plastic drums or 30 gallon plastic drums, or browse all plastic drums.
Small and mid-size plastic drums (8 to 40 gallons)
Drums under 55 gallons cover a wide range, from an 8 gallon drum that stands about 20" tall to a 40 gallon drum as wide as a 55. The chart above lists every size, so this section focuses on what the numbers mean when you're fitting a drum to a shelf, a rack, or a pallet.
Small drums: 8 to 20 gallons
Most small plastic drums are tapered open head drums with a removable lid held on by a lever lock ring. The exceptions are the 15 gallon tight head drum, the 12 gallon drum with a threaded lid, and the 17.7 gallon drum with a screw-on lid. Tapered sides also mean the drums nest inside each other when empty, which saves freight space, and Mauser lists 20 and 30 gallon nestable drums in its North American range.
Footprint is where the small sizes get interesting. The 10, 14, 15, and 20 gallon open head drums are all about 15" to 16" wide, so the gallon count changes the height, not the footprint: roughly 18.3" tall for the 10 gallon, 26.5" for the 14 gallon, 27.8" for the 15 gallon, and 30.5" for the 20 gallon. A 14 gallon and a 15 gallon open head drum stand only about an inch apart in height. When I'm helping someone match a drum to a shelf or a pallet layer, I check height first.
The metric sizes line up with the same range. Mauser's smallest O-Top open head drum is 30 L (about 8 gallons) at 313 mm by 512 mm, or roughly 12.3" by 20.2", and its 60 L drum measures 400 mm by 616 mm (about 15.7" by 24.3").
Mid-size drums: 30 and 40 gallons
The 30 gallon size comes in two shapes that aren't interchangeable. The tight head drum is about 19" wide and 29" tall and weighs 12 to 13 lb. The tapered open head drum is about 21" wide and 28.5" tall and weighs around 18 lb, which makes it roughly 2" wider and 5 to 6 lb heavier for the same capacity. The 15 gallon size shows the same pattern on a smaller scale.
Approximate figures. Actual dimensions and weights vary by manufacturer, model, and lid style. Source: Mauser Packaging Solutions polyethylene packaging brochure and other published manufacturer specifications.
The 40 gallon drum is a tapered open head drum. At about 23.8" wide and 31.1" tall, it has the same footprint as the 55 gallon taper-sided drum (about 23.75" wide and 39.1" tall) and stands roughly 8" shorter. If your pallet or rack is laid out for 55 gallon drums, a 40 gallon drum fits the same footprint with less height.
How tight head and open head drums differ in openings and closures is covered further down this page. To see what we have in stock now, browse our 30 gallon plastic drums.
55 to 77 gallon plastic drums
The 55 gallon drum is the size most people picture when they say plastic drum, and it's the size we sell most. But the label covers more than one shape, and the 57 and 77 gallon drums sit right next to it in the same footprint range. Here's how they differ.
What the 55 gallon label covers
A 55 gallon drum is about 23" to 24" wide whatever the style, so the real differences are height and weight. Tight head and straight-sided open head drums both stand around 35" tall. The taper-sided open head drum is taller, at roughly 39", which is about 4 to 4-1/2" more than the straight-sided version, and it weighs 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 lb less. The straight-sided open head drum is the heaviest of the three at around 25 lb, and the tight head drums are the lightest at 18 to 21-1/2 lb.
Approximate figures. Actual dimensions and weights vary by manufacturer, model, and lid style. Source: published manufacturer specifications.
Taper sides have a practical upside beyond shape. Because the walls narrow toward the base, empty taper-sided drums can nest inside each other, which cuts the space they take on a pallet or a truck. Straight-sided drums can't nest, so the trade-off is height: a taper-sided drum stands 4 to 4-1/2" taller but packs tighter when it's empty. Used and reconditioned 55 gallon drums also come from many makers, so their dimensions can vary more than the ranges above.
57 and 77 gallon drums
The 57 gallon drum (216 L) is an open head drum about 22.5" wide and 36.1" tall, weighing around 24.9 lb. Next to a straight-sided 55 gallon open head drum, it's roughly an inch narrower and 1-1/2" taller.
The 77 gallon drum (291 L) keeps the footprint of a 55 at about 23.2" wide but stands 45" tall, roughly 10-1/2" taller than a straight-sided 55 gallon drum and 6" taller than a taper-sided one. At about 18.5 lb it weighs less than most 55 gallon open head drums. The specification I reviewed lists no UN rating for it, so confirm the marking on the drum before you use it for regulated material.
55 gallon vs the 220 L metric drum
If you're swapping a US 55 gallon drum for its 220 L counterpart, the footprint is nearly identical but the height isn't. Mauser's 220 L tight head drum stands about 2" taller than a typical US 55 gallon tight head drum, while its 220 L open head drum is slightly narrower and shorter than the taper-sided 55. Mauser lists the tight head 220 L at 8.2 to 10.5 kg, or about 18 to 23 lb, in line with the US 55 gallon tight head.
The US open head figure is for the taper-sided drum. Source: Mauser Packaging Solutions polyethylene packaging brochure (220 L drums) and other published manufacturer specifications (US 55 gallon drums).
If your racks, pallets, or fill line are built around one of these footprints, check the height before you swap. To see what we have in stock now, browse our 55 gallon plastic drums or used plastic drums.
Overpack and salvage plastic drums
Overpack, salvage, and lab pack drums are built to hold other containers inside them, such as a smaller drum, a damaged package, or a set of small lab containers. The larger ones are sized around what they need to fit, so they run much wider than a standard drum: a 95 gallon salvage drum can be 34" across, against about 23" for a 55 gallon drum.
Sizes and dimensions
A 55 gallon drum measures about 23.3" by 34.8". The 65 gallon size is the smallest overpack that clears it on outside dimensions, at 29" to 34" wide and 36" to 39" tall, but confirm the inside dimensions of the specific drum before you count on the fit. Above that, the range runs through 95 and 103 gallons to a 180 gallon drum that stands 57" tall and weighs around 102 lb empty.
Approximate figures. Actual dimensions and weights vary by manufacturer, model, and closure. Source: published manufacturer specifications.
Closures change the footprint
The 95 gallon size shows it best. The bolt ring version measures about 27.5" by 38", while the screw-on lid versions run 31" to 34" wide and 41" to 48-1/2" tall. That makes the bolt ring drum roughly 3-1/2" to 7" narrower and 3" to 10-1/2" shorter for the same nominal capacity. One of the 95 gallon salvage drums is molded from recycled resin.
Size limits and ratings
Under 49 CFR 178.509, a UN plastic drum is limited to 450 L, or about 119 gallons. The 65, 95, and 103 gallon drums (246 to 390 L) fall under that cap, and the specifications I reviewed list them with UN 1H2 ratings. The 180 gallon drum (681 L) is over it, so it can't be built to the UN drum standard, which fits with the missing UN rating in the specification I reviewed.
Ratings differ from one drum to the next, even within a single size. Read the UN marking on the drum or the spec sheet, and confirm requirements with your shipper or compliance contact before you rely on an overpack or salvage drum for regulated material.
Smaller lab pack and salvage drums
Salvage and lab pack drums also come in 20 and 30 gallon sizes. The 20 gallon versions are wide and short, at about 20" to 22" in both directions, which sets them apart from the tall 20 gallon open head drum in the size chart above. The 30 gallon versions are close to the standard 30 gallon open head drum, at 21" to 22-1/2" wide and 28-1/2" tall.
For the standard sizes that make up most of what we sell, see our plastic drums.
Tight head vs open head plastic drums
Every plastic drum in this guide is one of two types, defined in federal regulation by how the top is built. Under 49 CFR 178.509, a plastic drum with a non-removable head is coded UN 1H1 and one with a removable head is coded UN 1H2. In everyday terms, a tight head drum has a fixed top with small threaded openings, and an open head drum has a lid that comes off. Mauser's closing instructions cover tight head drums from 15 to 65 gallons and removable head drums from 8 to 60 gallons, which lines up with the size ranges earlier on this page.
Weights are approximate and vary by manufacturer and model. Source: 49 CFR § 178.509; Mauser Packaging Solutions closing instructions for plastic drums; published manufacturer specifications.
Tight head openings and closures
A tight head drum is filled and emptied through openings in the fixed top. The federal rule caps those openings at 7.0 cm (3") in diameter, and a fixed-head drum with larger openings is classed as a removable head drum instead. In practice the openings are much smaller. Mauser's L-Ring drums have two, about 58 mm and 52.5 mm across (roughly 2-1/4" and 2"), closed with 70 x 6 and 56 x 4 metric threaded plugs. North American drums commonly use 2" and 3/4" plugs in American buttress or NPS threads.
Each plug is tightened to a set torque. Mauser's instructions list 20 to 25 ft-lb for a 2" NPS plug with an EPDM gasket and 6 to 9 ft-lb for a 3/4" plug.
Mauser says to use only the plugs and gaskets supplied with the drum, because swapping parts voids the UN marking. That's worth checking on used and reconditioned drums, where a replacement plug or gasket may not match the original.
Open head lids and rings
An open head drum has a lid with a gasket that sits on the curl at the top of the body and is held down by a ring. Mauser's removable head drums use a lever lock ring, a bolt ring, or a plastic lock ring. A lever lock ring closes by pressing the lid down firmly and latching the lever, then securing it with a tab or pin. A bolt ring is tightened until its ends are 3/8" or less apart. The lid can also carry 2" and 3/4" plugs, so some open head drums can be filled through the lid without taking the ring off.
Which style fits the job
Tight head drums suit liquids you pour or pump through a fitting, since the contents stay sealed until a plug comes out. Open head drums suit contents you need to scoop, pack, or clean out, and drums you plan to reuse, because the whole top comes off and the inside is reachable. For cleaning steps, see how to clean plastic drums.
