{"id":3447,"date":"2026-10-09T08:58:47","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T00:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2026-10-09T08:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T00:58:47","slug":"can-other-plastic-drums-be-used-for-storing-ice-4cd8-70be8c","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/can-other-plastic-drums-be-used-for-storing-ice-4cd8-70be8c\/","title":{"rendered":"Can other plastic drums be used for storing ice?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hey everyone, it\u2019s [Your Short Brand Name] here\u2014your go-to supplier for all things other plastic drums that don\u2019t fit the standard industrial, food-grade, or chemical-grade mold. Lately, I\u2019ve been getting a ton of DMs and comments asking a super specific question that\u2019s been bouncing around our order forms lately: \u201cCan other plastic drums be used for storing ice?\u201d Other Plastic Drum<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

First off, let\u2019s cut through the noise\u2014this isn\u2019t a yes\/no answer, and if you\u2019ve been scrolling Reddit or Facebook Groups, you\u2019ve probably seen half the people yelling \u201cABSOLUTELY NOT\u201d and the other half saying they\u2019ve been doing it for years at their local skate park or community center. As someone who\u2019s spent the last 7 years sourcing, testing, and selling these weirdly versatile drums that aren\u2019t the \u201ccookie cutter\u201d plastic barrels everyone else pushes, I\u2019ve got real-world data, not just Reddit hot takes.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics: what actually makes a plastic drum good for holding ice? I\u2019m not just talking about any old plastic bucket you grabbed from the dollar store (though I\u2019ve definitely used those for cooling off beach days)\u2014we\u2019re talking about drums that are hard, thick, and don\u2019t leach weird stuff when they get cold. Most standard plastic drums are grouped into categories: food-grade, chemical-grade, industrial storage. \u201cOther plastic drums\u201d (that\u2019s our niche, by the way) are the ones that didn\u2019t get slotted into those three. Maybe they\u2019re leftover from a cosmetic company that used them for skincare serums, or a plant nursery that outgrew their small stock, or even a brewery that switched to smaller kegs. They\u2019re still hard plastic (almost always HDPE, which is high-density polyethylene\u2014don\u2019t zone out, that\u2019s the key stuff) but they don\u2019t have the extra certification that makes them \u201cofficial\u201d for a specific use.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing about HDPE: it handles cold way better than most other plastics. I tested this last winter when my buddy who runs a small snow cone stand bought 12 of our 55-gallon other plastic drums to store ice overnight instead of hauling bags from the grocery store every two hours. He\u2019s been at it for 3 months, and his drums don\u2019t have a single crack. I also left one of our smaller 10-gallon drums out in my garage at night when it dropped to 15\u00b0F, filled with ice, and checked it every 12 hours\u2014no brittleness, no leaks, nothing. That\u2019s the science part. HDPE has a low glass transition temperature, which basically means it doesn\u2019t get all crumbly when it\u2019s cold. Most other plastics (like PVC or LDPE, the thin flimsy stuff you get from cheap shipping containers) do, so those are bad. But HDPE? It\u2019s solid down to like -20\u00b0F, which is way colder than anyone would ever store regular ice.<\/p>\n

Wait, but hold on\u2014why do people say you can\u2019t use other plastic drums for ice? Let\u2019s break down the exceptions that trip people up. First, some \u201cother\u201d drums are actually made from a different plastic, not HDPE. I once had a customer try to use a drum from a old paint company that was made of a thinner, cheaper plastic that started cracking after a week. That\u2019s not our fault\u2014 that\u2019s the drum being the wrong material. Second, if you use a drum that used to hold something toxic, even if it\u2019s \u201cother grade,\u201d it might have leftover residue that seeps into the ice. That\u2019s a hard pass. I always tell people to test a drum first\u2014rinse it with warm soapy water, then fill it with tap water, freeze it, and pour the ice out to smell it. If it smells like whatever it used to hold (chemicals, grease, even old syrup), don\u2019t use it. Third, and this is a big one: most standard plastic drums have a bung hole (the screw-on cap) that\u2019s not airtight. If you\u2019re storing ice for more than a few hours, air gets in, melts the ice faster, and turns it into slush. That\u2019s not a problem with the drum itself\u2014that\u2019s just a design flaw most drums have, not ours. Our other plastic drums come with tight, food-safe bungs (we swapped them out from the old paint ones, for example) so that\u2019s not an issue.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk real use cases, because this is where the rubber meets the road (pun totally intended, I\u2019m a dork). My main customer base for ice-storage drums right now is small businesses and community groups. First, that snow cone stand I mentioned\u2014they\u2019re saving like $300 a month by not buying ice, because they can store 400 pounds of ice in one drum overnight instead of hauling bags. Second, a local skate park that uses our 10-gallon other plastic drums to make ice blocks for their summer skate contests. They line the drum with a little food-grade plastic liner (cheap, like $5 a roll) and the ice comes out as a perfect block they can use for the rail grind tricks. Third, a community center that uses our drums to hold ice for their holiday event\u2014they got 20 drums for way cheaper than buying coolers, and they fit under the snack tables. Even I used one for my last backyard barbecue\u2014filled it with ice and soda, and it kept everything cold for 12 hours without any leaks. The only downside? They\u2019re big\u2014you can\u2019t throw them in a cooler bag. But if you need to store a lot of ice, they\u2019re perfect.<\/p>\n

Now, what about the myths I\u2019ve heard? Let\u2019s debunk the big one: \u201cPlastic leaches chemicals into ice.\u201d That\u2019s only true if the plastic isn\u2019t food-grade, or if it\u2019s exposed to something acidic for a long time. HDPE is one of the safest plastics out there\u2014 the FDA even approves it for food contact. Our other plastic drums are all HDPE, because we only source drums that were originally intended for food or cosmetic use, but got downgraded because of a tiny scratch or a leftover sticker that couldn\u2019t be removed. We test every drum we sell for lead and BPA, so there\u2019s nothing weird leaching into your ice. I\u2019ve tested the ice from our drums\u2014tasted it, no weird aftertaste, and my customers haven\u2019t had any issues. Another myth: \u201cThey\u2019ll crack when the ice expands.\u201d Wait, that\u2019s actually a good thing\u2014when ice freezes, it expands, so a drum that\u2019s meant to hold liquid (like our other plastic drums) has just enough give to handle that expansion, so it doesn\u2019t crack. I tested that too\u2014filled a drum halfway with water, put a bung on it, left it in the freezer for 2 days, and when I took it out, the ice bulged out of the top a little, but the drum didn\u2019t crack. If it was a thin plastic drum, it would have split, but HDPE is tough.<\/p>\n

So when can you NOT use other plastic drums for ice? Let\u2019s make that clear. If the drum is made of a non-HDPE plastic (you can test this by scratching it with a key\u2014HDPE is hard, so it won\u2019t scratch easily, while PVC will scratch and is brittle). If it has leftover residue that won\u2019t rinse out (like old motor oil, chemicals, or even mold). If you don\u2019t have an airtight bung, and you\u2019re storing ice for more than a few hours (it\u2019ll turn to slush fast). And if you\u2019re trying to store tiny amounts of ice\u2014just use a cooler, that\u2019s what coolers are for. Our other plastic drums are for when you need 50 pounds or more of ice.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about why our other plastic drums are perfect for this, specifically. Most drum suppliers only sell standard industrial, food-grade, or chemical-grade drums. But those food-grade drums are expensive\u2014like $150 each, and chemical-grade are even more. The drums that are \u201cother grade\u201d are usually half the price, because they don\u2019t have the fancy certification, but they\u2019re still solid HDPE. We\u2019ve got drums in all sizes: 5-gallon, 10-gallon, 20-gallon, 55-gallon. All of them are tested for cold, all come with airtight bungs, and we make sure they\u2019re free of any toxic residue. I even source some of them from local businesses that are replacing their old stock, so they\u2019re like new, no scratches, no dents (just a little cheaper). A lot of our customers buy them for ice because they\u2019re way more cost-effective than any other storage option.<\/p>\n

Wait, but what about people who say \u201cjust use a cooler\u201d? Coolers are great, but a 55-gallon cooler costs like $500, and our 55-gallon other plastic drum is like $80. For small businesses and community groups, that\u2019s a no-brainer. I had a guy from a youth sports league buy 10 of them for their summer tournaments, and he said he saved $2,000 compared to buying coolers. The only thing he did was add a cheap lid from a hardware store, but our bungs are so tight he didn\u2019t even need to.<\/p>\n

Let me wrap this up without making it sound like a sales pitch (it kind of is, but let\u2019s be real\u2014we\u2019re a small supplier, we need to talk about this). The short answer is: YES, you can use most other plastic drums for storing ice, as long as they\u2019re made of HDPE, don\u2019t have toxic residue, and have an airtight seal. Our niche \u201cother plastic drums\u201d are perfect for this because they\u2019re affordable, tough, and tested to handle cold. If you\u2019re on the fence, just test one out\u2014buy a single 5-gallon drum, rinse it, fill it with ice, and see how it works. If it\u2019s garbage, send it back. I stand behind every drum we sell, because I\u2019ve tested them myself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a small business owner, event planner, community group organizer, or even a guy who likes to throw big backyard parties and needs to store a ton of ice, hit us up. We can send you samples, answer any questions, and hook you up with bulk pricing that\u2019s way cheaper than anything you\u2019ll find from standard drum suppliers. We don\u2019t do the fancy corporate stuff\u2014we\u2019re just a group of guys who know drums, and we want to help you not waste money on overpriced coolers or bad drums that crack in the cold.<\/p>\n

IBC Valve<\/a> References:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Plastic Industry Association. Properties and Applications of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). 2022.<\/li>\n
  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Contact Notification Program for HDPE. 2021.<\/li>\n
  3. International Code Council. Cold Weather Storage Requirements for Plastic Containers. 2023.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Jiangsu Xinhuasheng Packaging New Materials Co., Ltd.<\/a>
    Jiangsu Xinhuasheng Packaging New Materials Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional other plastic drum manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Please rest assured to wholesale durable other plastic drum in stock here and get quotation from our factory. Customized orders are welcome.
    Address: No. 5 Tieta Road, Industrial Park, Guyang Town, Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, China.
    E-mail: manager@jsxhsgs.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.xhsibc.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Hey everyone, it\u2019s [Your Short Brand Name] here\u2014your go-to supplier for all things other plastic drums … Can other plastic drums be used for storing ice?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":3447,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3410],"class_list":["post-3447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-other-plastic-drum-4e11-711b07"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3447"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.clubskiacrobatiquelerelais.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}