Rigid Bulk Packaging

11th Edition

Pails will remain the largest product segment of rigid bulk packaging, while also posting the fastest expected demand growth through 2023, due to the light weight and low cost of plastic pails, which dominate the segment. Sales of newly produced rigid intermediate bulk containers (RIBCs) will face competition from refurbished units and flexible packaging formats.

This report encompasses rigid bulk packaging products that are used by a number of markets in a variety of applications.

Product segments discussed are:

pails (plastic, steel)
drums (fibre, plastic, steel)
bulk boxes
material handling containers (crates, totes)
rigid intermediate bulk containers (RIBCs)

Material Handling Containers are defined as:

Generally square or rectangular in shape and can be stacked. Available in a number of variations on the standard formation to increase space efficiency or reduce costs of storage or shipping. In this study, material handling containers include plastic totes and crates and steel containers (e.g., wire mesh and corrugated steel containers).

Rigid Intermediate Bulk Containers are defined as:

Primarily rectangular containers that hold between 120 and 660 gallons of material, and used for the transport, storage, and processing of various liquids, as well as dry and viscous materials. They are produced mainly from polyethylene, carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. “Intermediate” refers to their capacity between a drum and a tank.

Market segments discussed include:

chemicals and pharmaceuticals
food and beverages
durable goods
plastic and rubber products
petroleum and lubricants
agricultural and horticultural products
other markets (e.g., hazardous waste storage and handling)

Data from the US Census Bureau and the US International Trade Commission were consulted in the preparation of this study, and a list of related codes is presented for informational purposes. However, these codes may not include all products covered in this report or may exclude some products of interest, and the data have thus been adjusted accordingly.

Printer Friendly

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OVERVIEW

Key Findings

Historical Market Trends

Pricing Trends

International Trade

Environmental Issues

Reconditioned & Refurbished Packaging

Reconditioning Overview

Steel Drums

Plastic Drums

Regulatory Factors

Competition from Flexible Bulk Packaging

Raw Materials Input

Raw Material Demand Forecast

Plastic

Steel

Paperboard & Wood Panels

PRODUCTS

Key Findings

Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product

Scope

Demand Forecast

Pails

Scope & Demand Forecast

Plastic Pails

Scope & Demand Forecast

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Steel Pails

Scope & Demand Forecast

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Drums

Demand Forecast

Steel Drums

Scope & Demand Forecast

Liners & Coating Technologies

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Fibre Drums

Scope & Demand Forecast

Fibre Drum Recycling

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Plastic Drums

Scope & Demand Forecast

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Bulk Boxes

Demand Forecast

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Material Handling Containers

Scope

Demand by Material & Type

Plastic Totes

Plastic Crates

Steel Material Handling Containers

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

Rigid Intermediate Bulk Containers

Scope

Demand Forecast by Material

Plastic

Metal

Other Materials

Demand by Market

Key Suppliers

MARKETS

Key Findings

Demand by Market

Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals

Demand Forecast

Industrial Chemicals

Paint & Coatings

Pharmaceuticals

Detergents & Cleaners

Agricultural Chemicals

Other Chemicals

Food & Beverages

Durable Goods

Plastic & Rubber

Petroleum & Lubricants

Agricultural & Horticultural Products

Other Markets

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

Key Findings & Industry Composition

Market Share

Acquisitions & Divestitures

Competitive Strategies

Manufacturing & Development

Marketing & Distribution

List of Industry Participants

APPENDIX

Scope

Definitions

Abbreviations

Freedonia Methodology

Study-Specific Methodology

Sources

Associations & Agencies

Related Studies & Reports

Macroeconomic Assumptions

Economic Environment

Demographic Trends

Manufacturers' Shipments

Packaging Industry Overview

List of Tables

OVERVIEW

Table 2-1 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand, 2008 - 2018

Table 2-2 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Pricing Trends, 2008 - 2023 (dollars per unit)

Table 2-3 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Supply & Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 2-4 | Raw Material Use in Rigid Bulk Packaging, 2008 - 2023 (million pounds & million dollars)

Table 2-5 | Plastic Use in Rigid Bulk Packaging by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million pounds)

Table 2-6 | Steel Use in Rigid Bulk Packaging by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million pounds)

Table 2-7 | Paperboard & Wood Panel Use in Rigid Bulk Packaging by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million pounds)

PRODUCTS

Table 3-1 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-2 | Pail Demand by Material, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-3 | Plastic Pail Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-4 | Plastic Pail Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-5 | Steel Pail Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-6 | Steel Pail Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-7 | Drum Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-8 | Steel Drum Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-9 | Steel Drum Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-10 | Fibre Drum Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-11 | Fibre Drum Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-12 | Plastic Drum Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-13 | Plastic Drum Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-14 | Bulk Box Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars)

Table 3-15 | Bulk Box Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-16 | Material Handling Container Demand, 2008 - 2023 (million units & million dollars

Table 3-17 | Material Handling Container Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 3-18 | Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container Demand, 2008 - 2023 (thousand units & million dollars)

Table 3-19 | Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

MARKETS

Table 4-1 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Market, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-2 | Chemical & Pharmaceutical Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Market & Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-3 | Industrial Chemical Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-4 | Paint & Coatings Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-5 | Pharmaceutical Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-6 | Detergent & Cleaner Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-7 | Agricultural Chemical Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-8 | Other Chemical Market Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-9 | Food & Beverage Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-10 | Durable Goods Rigid Bulk Packaging by Market & Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-11 | Plastic & Rubber Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-12 | Petroleum & Lubricant Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-13 | Agricultural & Horticultural Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand by Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

Table 4-14 | Other Market Demand Rigid Bulk Packaging by Application & Product, 2008 - 2023 (million dollars)

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

Table 5-1 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging Sales by Company, 2018 (million dollars)

Table 5-2 | Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures

Table 5-3 | Competitive Strategies

APPENDIX

Table 6-1 | Relevant Industry Codes

Table 6-2 | Relevant Trade Codes

Table 6-3 | Abbreviations & Acronyms Used in Study

Table 6-4 | US Macroeconomic Indicators, 2008 - 2023 (billion 2012 dollars)

Table 6-5 | US Population & Households, 2008 - 2023 (million persons)

Table 6-6 | US Manufacturers' Shipments, 2008 - 2023

Table 6-7 | Packaging Supply & Demand, 2008 - 2023 (billion dollars)

List of Figures

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Figure 1-1 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging Market

OVERVIEW

Figure 2-1 | Key Trends in the US Rigid Bulk Packaging Market

Figure 2-2 | Rigid Bulk Packaging Demand & Manufacturers' Shipments, 2008 - 2018

PRODUCTS

Figure 3-1 | Key Trends In Rigid Bulk Packaging Products

Figure 3-2 | Pails: Product Examples

Figure 3-3 | Plastic Pails: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-4 | Steel Pails: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-5 | Drums: Product Examples & Demand Share by Material, 2018

Figure 3-6 | Steel Drums: Advantages & Disadvantages

Figure 3-7 | Steel Drums: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-8 | Fibre Drums: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-9 | Fibre Drums: Advantages & Disadvantages

Figure 3-10 | Plastic Drums: Advantages & Disadvantages

Figure 3-11 | Plastic Drums: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-12 | Applications for Plastic Drums in Selected Markets

Figure 3-13 | Bulk Boxes: Common Configuration & Example

Figure 3-14 | Bulk Boxes: Advantages & Disadvantages

Figure 3-15 | Material Handling Containers: Examples of Product & Demand Share by Material, 2018

Figure 3-16 | Material Handling Containers: Advantages & Disadvantages

Figure 3-17 | Plastic Crates: Common Configuration & Features

Figure 3-18 | Advantages of Welded Wire & Corrugated Steel Material Handling Containers

Figure 3-19 | Rigid Intermediate Bulk Containers: Examples & Demand Share by Material, 2018

Figure 3-20 | Plastic RIBCs: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-21 | Metal RIBCs: Common Configurations & Features

Figure 3-22 | Other RIBCs: Common Configurations & Features

MARKETS

Figure 4-1 | Key Rigid Bulk Packaging Market Trends

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

Figure 5-1 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging Market Share, 2018 (billion dollars)

Figure 5-2 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging: Leading Supplier

Figure 5-3 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging: Second Leading Supplier

Figure 5-4 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging: Third Leading Supplier

Figure 5-5 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging: Fourth Leading Supplier

Figure 5-6 | US Rigid Bulk Packaging: Fifth Leading Supplier