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by Ron Joseph

September, 2006

Corrosion of 55 gallon Drums

Q: I am searching for guidance on rusting 55 gallon drums.  The question I have is: are there any visual standards for when a 55 gallon drum has too much rust/ paint blistering to be no longer  considered safe for use due to a increased risk of  leakage or structural  failure?

A: I am not aware of any standard that will tell you when the drums have rusted to the point of being dangerous.  You might want to call some drum reconditioning companies which will almost surely have methods to determine when they will no longer recondition as drum. They receive old used drums from suppliers and then wash them, abrasive blast clean the inside and outside surfaces, take out all the dents, etc., and then repaint both the inside and outside. I must believe that there are drums that they will refuse to recondition on account of corrosion.

Best wishes,

Ron Joseph


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