What is the History of the 55-gallon Container?

The 55-gallon container is a descendant of the wooden barrel used as early as the 3rd century AD. In fact, the ancient craft of barrel practiced by coopers making water-tight, wooden vessels held together by nothing more than the hoops that surround them continued into modern times.

Where is the 55 gallon container available?

The 55-gallon steel drum is the container size commonly available in the United States.

What are Steel Drum Closures & Accessories?

Steel drum closures are used to seal 55-gallon steel drums in order to protect the contents against air, dirt, liquid and other contaminants during transportation and storage. Steel drum closures also maintain the shelf life of the contents and provide a means of reclosing and reusing the steel drum.

EPDM is Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer, a synthetic rubber.

Is EPDM used in the container industry?

EPDM is used in a range of applications including gaskets.

What are gas tank vents?

Gas Tank Vents are caps with a designated hole to relieve pressure as warming gasoline expands and cooling gasoline shrinks.

A Gasket is a leak preventing seal between two or more stationary pieces of a mechanical assembly. Gaskets are typically made from yielding material in order to tightly fill the space under varying pressures and temperatures.

Industrial Drum - Drum Closures - Tite Seal Closures

Con-Tech offers a variety of drum closures including Tite-Seal™

Tite-Seal™ Closures

Con-Tech offers a wide variety of drum closures including drum cap seals, steel drum nuts and bolts, steel drum clamps and metal ring accessories, nylon drum plugs and plastic drum plugs, drum plug gaskets, drum paint caps, and drum cap seal crimping tools. A complete assortment of open head drum rings nuts and bolts also is available. Likewise, our drum bolts, nuts, lugs, and latches offer reliable, cost-effective security for all of your steel drums.

Con-Tech as a Global Parts Supplier

Con-Tech is a global parts supplier of components used in the drum manufacturing and reconditioning industries. Con-Tech drum closures and accessories are used with various drums including closed-head 55-gallon steel drums that are used for lower viscosity liquids, as they cannot easily be filled with or dispense powdered items, and open head 55-gallon steel drums with their removable lids which are used in situations where companies need more frequent access to the drum’s contents and for solids and thicker liquids or powders.

Con-Tech drum nuts and bolts are zinc electro-plated for rust resistance and are manufactured using ANSI standards. Our drum bolts use ASTM A307 carbon steel and are supplied fully threaded or fully threaded with a double-chamfer. We offer various drum bolt lengths and heads. Con-Tech drum nuts use ASTM A563 carbon steel.

Steel drums in various sizes and configurations have many practical uses in industry. They also have been used in many other ways including as housing supports, musical instruments, rain barrels and barbeque drums.

The steel drum market is projected to grow 4.27% between 2021 to 2028 with North America dominating the market due in part to increased demand for food. Whether carbon steel or stainless steel, steel drums are highly sought-after as a packaging solution across various industries as they are recyclable, safe, cost-effective, easy to handle, and with excellent fire resistance properties. Stainless steel drums last longer and are not prone to rust or contamination. They are also durable, impart no flavor to wine and are easy to clean making them a favorite of winemakers.

Plastics come in thousands of varieties with different base chemistries, derivatives, and additives that are formulated to cover a wide range of functional and aesthetic properties. When selecting a manufacturing process for a plastic product companies consider the form, volume, lead time and material needed for the project.

Tite Seal™ Closures & Accessories

Con-Tech is the exclusive drum closure supplier in the Americas for Technocraft Industries (India) Ltd., an ISO 9002 certified worldwide industrial company known for manufacturing excellence, producing Tite-Seal™ plugs and Tite-Seal™ flanges, related 55-gallon steel drum closures and accessories, steel drum cap seals, steel drum plug gaskets and steel drum flange insertion dies.

Tite-Seal™ flanges (octagonal) and round plugs meet all U.S. DOT and U.N. standards and are completely interchangeable with other similar brands of drum closures. Standard Tite-Seal™ closures are electroplated with bright zinc and yellow passivated against corrosion. Tite-Seal™ closure linings are available in buff epoxy phenolic, tan phenolic epoxy, red phenolic, clear phenolic and green phenolic. A variety of gaskets are available including Buna, EPDM, Polyirradrated, Teflon, and Viton. Tite-Seal™ flanges can be installed with industry-standard insertion dies or with die sets which can be provided by Con-Tech.

Using the correct drum closures and accessories is critical as the area is strictly regulated. Organizations of manufacturers of reconditioned and new steel, plastic, and fiber drums as well as intermediate bulk containers work hard on their members’ compliance. Manufacturers of new industrial packaging and their North American suppliers do the same while emphasizing the importance of safety and reliability.

How to Torque the Drum Closures

The drum closures on any industrial drum have to be torqued according to specifications to avoid damage or leaks.

Read about Drum Closure Torque Specs

We also stock stainless steel drum closures.

Click here for (TECHNOCRAFT TORQUE MATRIX) torque + temperature ratings and a cross-section of flange, plug, and cap seal assembly.

For more information about our drum closures and accessories, click the RFQ button, email us at info@con-techinternational.com or call us 1-504-523-4785.