Dimensions / Industrial & logistics / Pails / Round plastic pail
A round plastic pail is a UN 1H2 packaging: a removable-head plastic drum, because RID and 49 CFR count pail-shaped packagings as drums. A 5 gallon one is about 12-1/8 in across the top and 14-3/4 in tall with its cover (M&M’s M4, 308 × 375 mm), weighs 1005 g, has a 0.09 in wall and is rated for 475 lbs of top load. Solids pails carry a mark such as 1H2/Y27/S (27 kg gross), liquids pails one such as 1H2/Y1.5/30. UN lids go on with a press at 90 to 110 psi, and a plastic pail may carry dangerous goods for five years from the month it was made.
| 5 gal pail: top OD; height with cover (M&M M4) | Solids mark: maximum gross mass | Largest round plastic pail under UN rules; net mass |
|---|---|---|
| 12-1/8in14-3/4 in | 27kg1H2/Y27/S | 450L400 kg |
Sources: M&M Industries, RID 2025. Checked October 2026.
M&M’s M4 5.0 gallon pail and a pallet are filled in. Enter your pail’s mark, your load and your pallet; each check follows a rule or figure on this page.
Copy the mark on the pail. A solids mark such as 1H2/Y27/S gives the maximum gross mass in kg before the S; a liquids mark such as 1H2/Y1.5/30 gives the relative density (left off at 1.2 or less, so enter 0) and the test pressure in kPa. The top-load rating is on the maker’s sheet.
1H2/Y27/S is a solids mark: packing groups II and III, up to 27 kg gross a pail (RID 6.1.3.1); this pail is 25 kg.
M&M’s M4 5.0 gallon solids mark, 1H2/Y27/S, is filled in with a 25 kg example load of a packing group III solid.
10 pails a layer in offset rows on 1219 × 1016 mm, and 4 layers of 375 mm under the 1778 mm limit: 40 pails, enough for 36.
CHEP’s 48 × 40 in pallet and FedEx Express Freight’s 70 in skid height are filled in. Round pails fit more in offset rows than in a straight grid.
With 4 layers a pallet, stacked 2 high, the bottom pail carries 7 pails of 25 kg: 175 kg, 40 kg under its 215 kg top-load rating. The upper pallet’s own weight is not counted.
M&M rates the M4 at 475 lbs of top load; Hofmann allows warehousing two pallets high.
Selling HDPE pails? Photograph the pail, mark its top and bottom diameters, height with lid and UN mark in SizeMarker and send it with your quote.
Mark a photoMakers’ sheets first, then distributors. Sizes as each sheet prints them; OD is outside diameter.
| Pail | Top OD; height | Weight; wall | UN mark; top load or limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| M&M Industrial M4 5.0 galThis page | 12-1/8 in; 14-3/4 in with cover (308 × 375 mm, our conversion) | 1005 g; 0.09 in | 1H2/Y27/S; 475 lbs |
| M&M Industrial M2 5.0 gal | Top inside 11-1/4 in; 14-1/2 in, 14-5/8 in with cover | 1005 g (2.21 LBs); 0.09 in | 1H2/Y27/S; 450 lbs |
| M&M M2 5.0 gal, 70 mil | Same pail, thinner wall | 770 g; 0.07 in | No UN rating; 400 lbs |
| M&M Life Latch New Generation, liquid 5.0 galScrew-top | Bottom OD 10.51 in; 16.46 in, 16.75 in with cover | 1191 g; .090 in minimum | 1H2/Y30/S and 1H2/Y1.5/30; 425 lbs |
| Berry Global TU5G90DMUNSB, solids | 11.8 in on the page, 12.24 in on the drawing; 14.5 in | 90 mil | UN solids with the 5LTBU lid |
| Hofmann UN1910, 5 gal | 12.40 in with lid, 10.38 in lower; 14.60 in with lid | 890 g; 0.090 in | 1H2/Y1.5/30; 210 kg at 40 °C for 30 days |
| Superfos 766 UN, 20.9 lEU, polypropylene | 326 mm; 346.8 mm | 782 g | UN for groups II and III, solids or liquids; 21.8 l brimful |
| Jokey JET 2000, 20 LTaylor-Davis, distributor | Base 269 mm; 383 mm and 321 mm, not labelled | 0.68 kg | UN1H2/Y24/S |
| Uline S-14960, 5 galDistributor | 11 7/8 in top, 10 1/4 in bottom; 14 1/2 in | Unit weight 3.10 lbs | 1H2/Y1.5/30; 70 lbs maximum load |
| U.S. Plastic 23220, 5 galDistributor | 11.91 in, 10.25 in bottom; 14.5 in | 0.090 in | Not UN; 70 lbs, stack up to 6 high |
| The Cary Company 56WPP5, 5 galDistributor | 11-13/16 in, 10-3/8 in bottom; 14-5/8 in | 2.19 lbs; .090 in | 5.62 gallons to rim, 5.42 to cover |
Sources: M&M Industries · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · M&M Industries · Berry Global · Berry Global · Hofmann · Superfos (Amcor) · Taylor-Davis · Uline · U.S. Plastic · The Cary Company
RID 2025 (the same paragraphs as ADR and the UN Model Regulations) and 49 CFR.
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Why 1H2RID 1.2.1, 6.1.4.8.5; 49 CFR 171.8 | A pail-shaped packaging counts as a drum; with an opening wider than 7 cm it is a removable-head drum, 1H2 |
| Largest sizeRID 6.1.4.8; 49 CFR 178.509 | 450 litres; 400 kg net mass |
| Solids markRID 6.1.3.1 (c)(ii), (d) | Maximum gross mass in kg, then S: 1H2/Y27/S means 27 kg gross |
| Liquids mark | Relative density (left off at 1.2 or less) and test pressure in kPa: 1H2/Y1.5/30 means 1.5 and 30 kPa |
| Packing group I liquidsRID P001 | Removable-head pails only for liquids thicker than 2 680 mm2/s, up to 250 l |
| Filling to the gross mass49 CFR 173.24a (b)(2) | Not over the maximum gross mass marked on the packaging |
| Month of manufactureRID 6.1.3.1 (e) | 1H types carry the month as well as the year |
| Period of useRID 4.1.1.15 | Five years from manufacture for dangerous goods; steel pails have no limit |
| Cold drop and long stackingRID 6.1.5.3, 6.1.5.6.2 | Dropped at −18 °C or lower; liquid pails stacked 28 days at 40 °C or more |
| Non-hazardous pailsASTM D4504-94(2025) | Molded polyethylene open-head pails of 1 to 7 gal (3.8 to 26.5 L) for nonhazardous goods |
| Food contact21 CFR 177.1520 | Olefin polymers that may be used in contact with food; makers write “FDA approved materials” |
Sources: RID 2025 · 49 CFR · ASTM D4504 · 21 CFR 177.1520 · M&M Industries
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Closing a UN lidU.S. Plastic; Uline; Hofmann | Pneumatic press at 95 to 100 psi (U.S. Plastic), 90-110 PSI (Uline) or 90 Psi (Hofmann); Uline advises against a mallet |
| What the cover addsM&M M2 | Pail 14-1/2 in, with cover 14-5/8 in: 1/8 in |
| Practical fillBerry drawing | 5.30 gal / 20.06 liters with the solids lid; 5.00 gal / 18.93 liters with the liquid lid |
| One width, several heightsM&M sales sheet | The M2 3.5 to 6.5 gallon pails share an 11.25 in top inside width; only the height changes |
| Hot fillU.S. Plastic; Superfos | Up to 190°F (HDPE, U.S. Plastic); up to 95° C (polypropylene, Superfos) |
| Empty pails a palletM&M; Cary | M&M 120 nested on 51-1/4 × 40 in; Cary 240 in two nested units, 97 in high |
| Pallet and height limitCHEP; FedEx Express Freight | 1219 × 1016 × 141 mm (48 × 40 in); skids over 70 in (1778 mm) need prior approval |
| Filled pails in the check aboveOur calculation | 308 mm pails fit 10 a layer in offset rows against 9 in a straight grid; 4 layers of 375 mm under 1778 mm make 40 |
| StackingHofmann; Uline | Max 2 pallets high for warehousing (Hofmann); empty pails 6 high, 60 lbs each (Uline) |
Sources: U.S. Plastic · Uline · Hofmann · M&M Industries · Berry Global · M&M Industries · Superfos (Amcor) · The Cary Company · CHEP (B4840A) · FedEx Freight
About 12 in across the top and 14-1/2 in tall: M&M’s M2 is 14-1/2 in (14-5/8 in with its cover), U.S. Plastic’s 11.91 × 14.5 in and Cary’s 11-13/16 × 14-5/8 in. The bottom is narrower, about 10 1/4 in, so empty pails nest.
1H2 is a removable-head plastic drum, the class pails fall in; Y covers packing groups II and III; 27 is the maximum gross mass in kg and S means solids. A liquids pail reads like 1H2/Y1.5/30: relative density 1.5, test pressure 30 kPa.
1005 g (2.21 LBs) for M&M’s 90 mil M2 and M4, 890 g for Hofmann’s UN pail and 770 g for M&M’s 70 mil version.
Yes. The makers give 90-110 PSI of air (Uline), 95 to 100 psi (U.S. Plastic) or 90 Psi (Hofmann), and Uline advises against a mallet or roller.
Empty and nested, 120 on M&M’s 51-1/4 × 40 in pallet or 240 in Cary’s two-high unit. Filled with lids on, the check above fits 40 on a 48 × 40 in pallet: 10 a layer in offset rows, 4 layers under 70 in.
Buyers ask for the top and bottom diameters, the height with the lid, the practical fill, the wall in mil and the empty weight, the UN mark for solids or liquids, the lid and gasket, the closing pressure and the top-load rating, and how many pails go on a pallet. Mark the real pail, its lid and its mark on your own photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
