DrumAccessories

Most 205-litre steel and plastic drums use either a 2" BSP (coarse) or S60x6 (fine) threaded bung opening, and taps or adaptors are not interchangeable between the two. Check the moulding around the bung on your existing drum, or measure the thread diameter and pitch, before ordering — fitting the wrong thread will strip the boss and cause leaks.

Drum bungs are torqued tight at filling to guarantee a seal, so hand removal is rarely possible without risking damage to the plastic or your hands. A proper bung spanner (or a combination bung/drum key) locates in the two lugs and gives the leverage needed to break the seal safely. It's a cheap item worth keeping with any drum you handle regularly.

A hand-operated drum pump fitted through the bung is the standard solution for oils, chemicals, and other liquids stored in 205-litre drums. Rotary and lever-action pumps are available depending on viscosity, and it's important to match the pump's wetted materials (polypropylene, PTFE, etc.) to the liquid being handled. This avoids the manual handling risk of lifting or tilting a full drum.

Drums sit perfectly well on a flat, level, load-bearing surface, but a stand or cradle raises the drum to allow a container or hose to sit beneath the tap — useful when gravity-feeding rather than pumping. Cradles also stop a full drum rolling if stored on its side, and some designs incorporate secondary containment for spill control. For anything containing oils or chemicals, secondary containment is worth considering even if not a strict legal requirement for your volume.

A new lid with its original gasket, correctly seated and secured with the retaining ring or lever-lock band, will restore a proper seal on an open-top drum. It's worth checking the ring or clamp for corrosion or distortion at the same time, as a worn locking band is often the real cause of leaks rather than the lid itself. Always match the lid diameter and profile to your specific drum, as there's no universal fit across manufacturers.

Some accessories, like certain bung spanners, work across both drum types, but taps, adaptors and pumps are generally material- and thread-specific. Steel drums often use a coarser BSP thread and can require metal-bodied fittings for chemical compatibility, while plastic (HDPE) drums typically use S60x6 fittings in polypropylene or similar. Always check compatibility against your drum's material and thread before ordering to avoid a poor seal or chemical attack on the fitting.