How to Choose Packing: Drums, Jumbo Bags, Flexitank or Bitutainer

All of our bitumen travels in 20ft containers — the packing question is what happens inside the container, and the right answer depends on your site equipment, not just the price per tonne.

Steel drums

The universal option. Drums need no port infrastructure, store in the open, and can be resold or distributed in small lots. The costs are the drum itself, lower net load per container than liquid options, and decanting labour on site. Choose drums if your sites are small or scattered, if you are a distributor, or if there is no heating/storage at destination.

Framed jumbo bags

Solid bitumen in meltable bags on a steel frame, typically about one tonne per bag. The whole bag is charged into a melting unit, so there is no decanting and no empty-drum problem, and packing cost per tonne is lower than drums. You need a bag-melting unit at the plant — if you have one, bags are usually the best-value solid option.

Flexitank

Liquid bitumen in a one-way flexitank inside a 20ft container. Net load per container is high and packing cost per tonne is the lowest of the four, but discharge needs steam or thermal-oil heating and heated storage tanks at destination. Choose flexitank if you are a contractor or importer with a proper terminal setup.

Bitutainer

A dedicated bitumen tank container with insulation and its own heating connections. It behaves like a small mobile terminal: heat it, pump out, return the unit. Per-tonne logistics cost is higher than flexitank, but it is far more forgiving where infrastructure is limited yet storage exists. Deposit, return and free-period terms are agreed per shipment.

The short version

No melting or storage on site → drums. Melting unit on site → framed jumbo bags. Heated tanks and high volume → flexitank. Tanks but no terminal → bitutainer. Still unsure? Choose "Not sure" in the inquiry form and we will recommend a packing against your site setup.

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