Attention! European Steel Drum Association (SEFA) Standard For Evaluation Of Steel Drum Quality

Steel drums produced by members of SEFA are high-quality packaging containers to provide excellent protection for various products. The production facilities of SEFA members are in perfect condition, and all products can pass strict quality tests. However, the conditions of the transportation route, the type of loading and the transportation process may cause slight damage to the appearance of the steel drum.

The following is an overview of the possible consequences of new drums during transportation to help users evaluate them.

1. Depressions and bulges

There are fist sized depressions and bulges on the barrel body or top of the steel barrel that do not affect the quality and performance. Premature damage to the bottom of the drum may cause vibration damage during transportation, especially in long-distance transportation to end users or freight destinations. Therefore, we recommend that visual inspection of the bottom crimping and bottom surface be carried out at least when the steel drum is not received.

2. Surface scratches and wear

Scratches and abrasion on the surface of the paint film, such as the side plate and middle compartment of the truck cargo compartment, generally will not affect the service performance of the steel drum. On the contrary, these are purely visual defects. However, scratches must not affect the clarity and consistent legibility of the United Nations logo.

3. Scratches on ring reinforcement and crimping

As a steel barrel with standard structure, the barrel body of the steel barrel must have at least two ring bars. The strength of the barrel can be effectively improved by adding W-shaped ring reinforcement and additional ripple. Another advantage of these special ring bars is that they facilitate the rolling of the drum without damaging the barrel body plane. Scratches on the ring reinforcement will not affect the service performance of the steel drum.

When transporting empty steel drums, it is impossible for the steel drums to be stacked in a non-contact manner. Therefore, it may cause wear that does not affect the service performance of crimping production. This can be reduced by proper padding and precise fixing protection measures.

4. Rust

Steel drums shall be protected from moisture, especially rain. For this reason, empty barrels are either transported immediately after the final manufacturing step or palletized and placed in a roofed temporary storage warehouse. Surface corrosion may still occur, but it will not pose a danger to the goods in the barrel. Considering the thickness of the steel plate used, it is impossible for the material to completely rust from the outside to the inside during normal use.

When stored incorrectly, empty open steel drums are vulnerable to moisture around the edge of the cover, especially outdoors, but also when the top of the barrel is covered or in an open warehouse. This may cause rust to form at the bottom of the drum after only a few days at low outdoor temperature and high relative humidity.

5. Pollution

Various oils and lubricants are used in machinery production plants and machine operations. In the process of steel barrel production, the use of lubricant is optimized and reduced as much as possible. In each production step, in most cases, the lubricant adhered to the surface of steel barrel will evaporate. However, the outer surface of the steel drum will not be finally cleaned before leaving the factory.

In the production process, the steel drum is transported through the conveyor chain, which also needs lubrication. To avoid paint wear, always keep the steel barrel upright when removing the barrel cover. In particular, the edge of the steel barrel plug shall not be higher than the crimp of the steel barrel, and the edge of the bottom of the steel barrel shall not contact other easily polluted objects.

6. Coating defects

Due to the different brightness of the color or paint type used, or in the case of multi-color coating, slight irregularities in the color transition and the surface of the paint film cannot be avoided.

However, when screen printing a sign or text, or a complete printed image, image blur and deformation should be avoided, which is an important quality attribute. Steel drums produced by members of SEFA are high-quality packaging containers to provide excellent protection for various products. The production facilities of SEFA members are in perfect condition, and all products can pass strict quality tests. However, the conditions of the transportation route, the type of loading and the transportation process may cause slight damage to the appearance of the steel drum.

Short comments: Transportation may bring about many consequences and damages to steel drums, and sealing methods of the drum are also very important. Nice sealing drum closure or cap seal may reduce the corrosion and damaging rate of the drum.