Where to get cardboard barrels?

September 12, 2010 5:17 PM

Any idea where I could get a few free cardboard barrels like this one?

What kind of business would have so many these that they'd be willing to give a few away, like with wooden pallets? I guess they're technically called "fiber drums".

posted by stupidsexyFlanders to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

We used to get them from the plastics factories around us - I think detergent came in them.
posted by Tchad at 5:21 PM on September 12, 2010

The googleable term for you may be "industrial materials exchange" Here in Vermont we have one of these that is speciically set up for businesses to give away or sell materials they don't need and for other random people to buy or get things they may want. It looks like in your area there are a few similar places like

- Pennsylvania Material Trader
- Construction Junction
- state surplus auctions on ebay (or their warehouse)
- Re-Store

Calling around I'd bet one of those places would have those abrrels or know someone who would.
posted by jessamyn at 5:27 PM on September 12, 2010

Goodwill uses them for incoming donations, but when I was there they tended to keep them even if they were all dented and floppy. Still, might be worth an investigation.
posted by rhizome at 5:52 PM on September 12, 2010

When I was a kit my dad got a few of them from welding shops. Apparently welding wire is shipped in those kinds of materials. In the Fargo area the Cass County Materials Exchange sometimes had them, as well.
posted by fake at 6:04 PM on September 12, 2010

Thanks for the answers. Learned about a neat architectural salvage place near me, but I think the plastics factories are going to do the trick.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 6:54 PM on September 12, 2010

My family has a ton of these; they are great for attic storage. Ours were originally used to store silica gel and came from the Minute Maid plant.
posted by Wossname at 9:54 PM on September 12, 2010