Metal IBC totes: specs and recycling

What sets it apart

Wikipedia says metal IBCs can withstand fire for at least 30 minutes if fitted with a pressure venting device. Ibctanks.com says plastic and composite IBCs should never hold Class I flammables, while metal IBCs suit onsite storage of Class I flammables and Class II and III combustibles.

Recycling

A metal tote is emptied, cleaned and sold as scrap metal. Stainless steel has more value than carbon steel as a metal, but we state no price.

Flammables

A metal tote that held a flammable must be empty under the same rule. The RCRA empty guide applies, and the heel test is the same.

Carbon steel and stainless

Metal IBCs come in carbon steel or stainless steel, according to Powerblanket and Wikipedia. Stainless is chosen for products that attack carbon steel and for hygiene, and carbon steel for lower cost and for products that do not. Both are heavier than a plastic tote and both are built to last.

Wikipedia notes that approval is often to UL 142. That is a standard for steel aboveground tanks for flammable and combustible liquids, and it is why a metal tote is the type chosen for storing flammables onsite.

Recycling and reuse

A metal tote that is empty and clean is sold as scrap metal or reused. It does not shred to regrind; it is cut or baled. If its last contents were a flammable, make sure the vapors are cleared before anyone cuts it.

Reuse is also possible for the same product. The RCRA empty guide applies to metal totes as it does to plastic ones.

A different job

This page is short on local detail because no local industry we found uses metal totes. We describe the type so a reader can tell what they have, and we say whether we can help when they ask.

Cutting and cleaning rules

Before a metal tote is cut for scrap, it should be emptied, vented and cleaned, particularly if it held a flammable. Fumes in an empty tank are a hazard of their own. Whoever does the cutting should know the tote’s last contents.