Bitumen Packaging

Bitumen is a highly viscous liquid, so its packaging is very important considering the factors like cost, environment, storage, and shipping. The bitumen packaging classifies to three different types such as new steel drum; jumbo bag; and bulk that according to their specification, bitumen volume and weight, the best type of packaging will be chosen.

To understand more about these packages, we friendly invite you to see our comprehensive video about bitumen packages and read this article.

Bitumen Packing Types

Steel Drum

Drum is the common packaging of bitumen due to its safety and consistent quality. It varies dependent on bitumen volume, height, thickness and lid. The body thickness of drum is 6 mm. These steel drums are used for transporting and packing liquids and pasty materials like bitumen. Although new steel drums are preferred to bulk trade, they are still more expensive comparing to jumbo bags (steel is more expensive than plastic). Four different types of drums with their specifications are as follows:

Bitumen Drums Specifications
Specification	Long New Steel Drum 180 kg	Short New Steel Drum 150 kg	Short New Steel Drum big lid 156 kg
Material	New Cold Rolled Steel	New Cold Rolled Steel	New Cold Rolled Steel
Height (mm)	980	860	890
Diameter (mm)	500	500	500
Top/Base Thickness (mm)	6	6	6
Net weight (kg) ± 2.5	182	150	156
Gross weight (kg) ±2.5	192	158	164
Empty drum weight ±1	9.5	8.5	8.5
Lid	11	11	17
color	Black	Black	Black
Workmanship	Drums supplied will be of good workmanship and are sufficiently leak-proof when filled with hot bitumen	This kind of drums are leak proof when filled with hot bitumen	It has a high resistance to leakage

Jumbo Bag

Jumbo bag is a large flexible multi-layer bag which is called bitu-plast, bitu-bag, polybag and poly cube. This type of poly-alkene bags with high quality and resistance is one of the best packaging of bitumen.

The reasonable price and its ease of use have made it too popular in industries. Recently bitumen exporters use jumbo bag instead of steel drums. Unlike drums, jumbo bag reduces bitumen waste by about 3 to 4 %.

It’s necessary to heat the bitumen when discharging the drum, but in jumbo bag, it’s enough to tear the outer layer of bitumen jumbo bag and throw the bitumen jumbo bag in the molten furnace with the inner layer.

The following photos shows the three different sizes of our jumbo bags:

Bulk Bitumen

In bulk trade, you require bitumen trucks to pick up the cargo from the refinery and convey it to the bulk vessel, the bitumen tanker, at the port. At the destination, another bitumen truck will pick up the cargo and deliver it to the construction site or specific bitumen warehouses. This type of packing is cheaper than others, as its price is affected by bulk capacity, loading duration time, and exchange fluctuations. Generally, it has a low cost.

Bitutainers

Besides the above bitumen packing, there are other packings of bitumen, including bitutainers, bituplast, and poly cube.

Bitutainers are used to deliver bulk bitumen from the depot directly to customers’ sites. All Bitutainers are fully equipped with insulation and heating facilities.

The capacity of these bitutainers is 30% more than conventional Tank Containers.

This packaging is suitable for the storage and transportation of Bitumen, Bitumen Emulsions, PMBs, and Heavy Fuel Oils.

Flexitank

A bitumen flexitank is a large, flexible, and multi-layer bag made from durable materials like polypropylene and polyethylene.

It’s designed to fit completely inside a standard 20-foot container. Flexitank is shipped in a container with insulated walls. It has one or two valves for loading and unloading bitumen.

Flexitanks are a popular choice in the Chinese market. Their capacity for bitumen is 20 MT.

Other Bitumen Packing

Solid and dry bitumen, which is the Oxidized Bitumen, is packed in different ways, including:

Carton: it has a capacity of 25 kg and a size of 60*40*20 cm
Carton pallet shrink: Cartons are placed on a pallet and covered in nylon shrink; the pallet dimension is 110*110 cm
Polyamide: these bags are 35*80 in size and should be drained in cold water after filling with oxidized bitumen.
Polyester: a thin plastic layer that has a high thermal tolerance, which can be placed in a carton.

On the page that describes oxidized bitumen packing, you can find more details about cartons and polybags.

Cost of Bitumen Packing; General Comparison

When we compare the cost of bitumen packing, we consider that maybe the cost of bulk bitumen can be very high according to its transportation condition. For example, first of all, it needs a special type of tanker, vessel and truck to carry and transfer it from its origin to destination. It has a high operating cost and it’s expensive to maintain at the destination. Altogether, bulk bitumen has the cheapest packing among all the bitumen packing because it is unpacked but its transportation and storage at the destination may be more expensive.

Jumbo Bag and New Steel Drums are more cost-effective because ordinary trucks can deliver the cargo and its storing is much cheaper than bulk bitumen since any standard storage can be suitable for it. Well, it’s better to know since steel is more expensive than plastic, new steel drums can be a little more expensive compared to jumbo bags.

Environmental Impact of Bitumen Packing (Bulk Bitumen, Jumbo Bag, New Steel Drum)

Bulk bitumen emits a large amount of carbon which is a greenhouse gas during its heating process. Some countries like Australia prevent to import bitumen in new steel drums because they believe that the residue of bitumen in drums can pollute the area. But what about jumbo bags?

Fortunately, this kind of bitumen packing as a multi-layer bag is environmentally friendly. The inner layer is totally consumable, and the outer layer is recyclable.

Difference between Bulk and Packed Bitumen

Generally speaking, we have defined each of these packaging, and now we are going to compare these packing according to the different factors in the following table:

Bitumen Packing Comparison (Drum,Jumbo,Bulk)
Bulk shipment(bulk vessel)	Drum	Jumbo bag	Bulk shipment(bulk vessel)
Advantages	. No effect on bitumen quality . Suitable size and dimension . High safety against UV . Easily placed in containers	. Low weight . Ease of loading . Protects the bitumen from moisture . Occupies a little space	Easy and immediately decanting
Applications	. Packing different liquids and pasty materials	. Petrochemical and chemical products . Construction industries . Food industries	It’s suitable for loose cargos with high volume
Cost	Cost-effective	. Cost-effective	The bulk bitumen has the cheapest packing since it is unpacked, but its transportation and storage may be more expensive. Totally it’s cost-effective.
Wastage	3-5% of bitumen	. 100% of transported cargo is consumed	It has a direct loss that remains in the vessel
Environmental impact	The bitumen residue in the drum may pollute the ground and storage	. Cost-effective . Environmental-friendly . The inner lining is 100% consumable	Massive amount of greenhouse gas emissions
Advantages	It may leak and get damage or break	. Multi-layered technology prevents leakage	Carbon trace

What kind of Bitumen Packages does NavaPetro Suggest You?

Nava Petro provides the bitumen in various packaging at the client’s request. When purchasing bitumen, consider the cost, logistics, and environmental impact. We generally recommend jumbo bags because they are more economical than new steel drums and bulk shipments. Regardless of the expenses, jumbo bags are more convenient for shipment and storage, and are also compatible with regulations.

We will be very happy to help you choose the right packing for your bitumen. You can contact us by filling out the form below.