Bitumen Tonnage, Volume and Container Loadout
The arithmetic buyers run before an enquiry: drums per tonne, drums per container, tonnes to litres, and how temperature changes the volume. Every figure states the assumption behind it so it can be checked rather than taken on trust.
Drums, bags and tonnes
| Question | Figure | Assumption behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Net weight of a standard export drum | 150, 180, 185 or 200 kg | Net of bitumen only. Tare of a new steel drum is about 8 kg |
| Gross weight of a 185 kg net drum | about 193 kg | Net plus the drum tare of about 8 kg |
| Drums per metric tonne | 5.41 | At 185 kg net. 5.00 at 200 kg net; 6.67 at 150 kg net |
| Drums per 20 ft container | 80 | Floor loaded, limited by floor area and drum diameter rather than by weight |
| Tonnage per 20 ft of drums | 20.35 MT | 110 drums at 185 kg net. 16.5 MT at 150 kg net |
| Jumbo bags per 20 ft container | 16–20 | One tonne per bag; spread depends on bag dimensions and palletisation |
| Flexitank or bitutainer per 20 ft | 20–22 MT | One unit per container |
| Structural payload ceiling, 20 ft | approx. 28 MT | ISO 668. Road axle limits and the SOLAS verified gross mass declaration usually cap the load below this |
Tonnes, litres, cubic metres and barrels
Bitumen is traded by weight, but tanks, road tankers and storage are sized by volume, so the conversion comes up on nearly every bulk enquiry.
| Density @ 25 °C | Litres per tonne | Cubic metres per tonne | Barrels per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.01 g/cm³ | 990 | 0.990 | 6.23 |
| 1.03 g/cm³ (typical) | 971 | 0.971 | 6.11 |
| 1.05 g/cm³ | 952 | 0.952 | 5.99 |
| 1.06 g/cm³ | 943 | 0.943 | 5.93 |
One barrel is 158.99 litres. Density is measured to ASTM D70 and appears on every certificate of analysis; use the figure for the actual parcel rather than the range, because the spread across the range is close to five per cent on the same tonnage.
Why hot volume and cold volume are not the same
The coefficient
Bitumen expands at roughly 0.0006 of its volume per degree Celsius. Between an ambient 15 °C and a working 160 °C that is about a nine per cent increase in volume for exactly the same mass. A tank that holds 30 tonnes cold does not hold 30 tonnes hot.
The commercial consequence
This is why bulk parcels are contracted and invoiced by weight, not volume, and why a tank dip taken at working temperature must be corrected to a reference temperature before it can be reconciled against a bill of lading. A dip read hot and compared against a cold figure will appear to show a shortage that does not exist.
Common conversion questions
How many drums of bitumen are in a 20 ft container?
One hundred and ten drums is the standard export loading pattern. At 185 kg net per drum that is 20.35 metric tonnes; at 150 kg net it is 16.5 tonnes. The count is limited by floor area and drum diameter rather than by weight, which is why the tonnage moves with the fill and the container is rarely close to its 28 tonne structural payload ceiling.
How many litres are in one metric tonne of bitumen?
Approximately 970 litres at a density of 1.03 g/cm3, which is about 0.97 cubic metres or roughly 6.1 barrels. Use the density figure printed on the certificate of analysis rather than the range, because a parcel at 1.01 gives 990 litres and one at 1.06 gives 943 litres, a spread of nearly five per cent on the same tonnage.
What is the difference between net and gross weight on a drum?
Net is the bitumen alone; gross includes the drum. A new steel drum has a tare of about 8 kg, so a 185 kg net drum ships at roughly 193 kg gross. On a 110 drum container that is 20.35 tonnes net against 21.23 tonnes gross. A price quoted per tonne is normally per tonne of bitumen, and this is the single most common invoice dispute in the trade, so settle it in the contract.
How many jumbo bags fit in a 20 ft container?
Sixteen to twenty one-tonne bags, giving 16 to 20 tonnes. The spread depends on bag dimensions and whether they are palletised. Jumbo bags carry a lower packing cost per tonne than drums but require a melting facility at destination, so the saving only materialises if the receiving plant is equipped for them.
Does bitumen volume change with temperature?
Yes, and materially. The coefficient of volumetric expansion is around 0.0006 per degree Celsius, so the same mass occupies roughly eight to nine per cent more volume at 160 degrees than at 15 degrees. This is why bulk parcels are contracted and invoiced by weight rather than by volume, and why a tank dip taken hot must be corrected to a reference temperature before it means anything commercially.
Other technical references
Need a loadout worked out for your enquiry?
Send the tonnage, the packing you want and the destination port, and the container count, gross weight and documentation set come back with the offer.