For decades, steel drums were the default choice for shipping bulk liquids. Here's why flexitanks are rapidly taking over.
For decades, steel drums were the default choice for shipping bulk liquids. Reliable, familiar, and widely available — they were simply what everyone used. But over the past ten years, a quiet revolution has been taking place in bulk liquid logistics, and flexitanks are at the centre of it.
Here's why shippers around the world are making the switch.
A standard 20-foot shipping container packed with 200-litre steel drums can carry roughly 16,000 litres of liquid cargo. The same container fitted with a single flexitank carries up to 24,000 litres — a 44% increase in payload, with no change in freight cost.
For any shipper moving bulk liquids regularly, that difference compounds quickly. Fewer shipments. Lower freight cost per litre. Less time coordinating logistics. The economics are difficult to argue with.
The upfront cost of drums is only part of the picture. Steel drums need to be cleaned, inspected, recertified, and stored between uses. They need to be returned to origin — or disposed of at destination. At scale, these costs add up significantly, often making drums far more expensive than they first appear.
Flexitanks are single-use and fully recyclable. Once discharged, they're done. No return logistics, no cleaning costs, no depot fees.
Flexitanks generate up to 90% less packaging waste than drums. For companies with sustainability targets — or customers who care about their supply chain's environmental impact — this is increasingly a deciding factor.
Modern flexitanks are certified to ISO 9001, FDA, and COA standards, making them suitable for everything from edible oils and glycerine to non-hazardous chemicals and fruit juices. Food-grade and Reefer configurations extend the range even further into temperature-sensitive cargo.
Not all flexitanks are created equal. With over 20 years in the industry, Sun Flexitanks has built one of the most trusted and recognised flexitank brands in the world. Operating across 50+ countries and five global regions, Sun's reputation is built on consistent product quality, rigorous certification, and hands-on customer support that doesn't stop at the point of sale. When shippers make the switch from drums, they're not just choosing a product — they're choosing a partner with two decades of proven reliability behind them.
Flexitanks don't just offer a marginal improvement over drums — they represent a fundamentally better way to move bulk liquids. Lower cost, higher payload, less waste, and simpler logistics. It's why the shift is happening, and why it's only going to accelerate.
Talk to the Sun Flexitanks team about the right solution for your cargo.