Whether you keep a couple of oil drums in a workshop or run a bulk store of lubricants, fuels and chemicals, how you store them matters — for safety, for housekeeping, and increasingly for the law. Get it wrong and a single leaking 205-litre drum can contaminate a drain, trigger an Environment Agency clean-up bill, and shut down an area of your site. This guide explains how to store oil drums and chemical drums safely in the UK, what the regulations expect, and how to choose the right drum storage equipment for your operation.
Why drum storage needs more thought than a corner of the yard
A full 205-litre steel drum weighs around 200kg. Stack or handle it carelessly and you have a manual-handling and crush risk. Leave it on bare ground and rainwater pools on the lid, rust takes hold, and the contents can seep out unnoticed. Store oils or chemicals without secondary containment and any leak goes straight to the floor — and from there to a drain, the soil, or a watercourse.
Good drum storage solves three problems at once: it keeps drums off the ground and stable, it contains leaks and spills in a sump or bund, and it makes drums easy to handle and dispense without lifting. The right equipment does all three.
What the UK regulations expect
Two regimes usually apply. The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 (with equivalent rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) cover oils — including lubricating oil, diesel and waste oil — stored above certain thresholds. The headline requirement is secondary containment: a bund or drip tray able to hold at least 110% of the largest container's volume, or 25% of the total stored, whichever is greater. The store must be sited away from drains and watercourses, and the container must be of sufficient strength and integrity for the job.
Where the substance is hazardous to health or flammable, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) 2002 also bite — driving requirements around ventilation, separation from ignition sources, and fire-rated storage. The safest approach is to read the product's safety data sheet, complete a risk assessment, and let that decide the level of containment and protection you need. Our guide to spill containment and bunding: what UK law requires works through the capacity rule in detail.
Indoor or outdoor — and upright or on its side?
Indoors, drums are usually kept upright on a sump pallet or in a drum store, in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from heat and ignition sources. Outdoors, the same containment rules apply but you also need to keep rainwater out — both off the drum lids and out of the bund, where it would eat into your containment capacity. Covered or fully enclosed drum stores solve this.
For dispensing, drums are best laid horizontally on a stillage or drum rack with the tap at the low end and a drip tray beneath. Upright storage suits sealed drums in reserve; horizontal racking suits drums in daily use. Many sites run both.
Types of drum storage equipment
The KC Supply drum storage range is built around the GPC system, so you can match the equipment to how — and where — you store:
- Sump drum storage pallets — low-profile bunded pallets that sit a single drum or a group of drums above an integral sump. The simplest way to add secondary containment to upright drums, indoors or out.
- Vertical drum stores — hold drums upright in a framed unit with a sump base, keeping a footprint tight while protecting the floor. Good for reserve stock and bulk holding.
- Horizontal drum stores — cradle drums on their side for tapped dispensing, with a drip tray catching run-off during decanting.
- Drum storage units (8–20 drums) — larger racked units that store and dispense multiple drums on single or double tiers, with around 150mm ground clearance and roughly 760mm fork centres so they can be relocated by forklift.
- Covered drum storage systems — open-sided but roofed, keeping rain off drums and out of the sump for outdoor use without fully enclosing the store.
- Fully enclosed drum stores — lockable steel housings with high and low ventilation, suited to hazardous or higher-risk substances where security, weather protection and controlled airflow all matter.
- Drum storage unit with sump base — a combined hold-and-contain unit for sites that want storage and containment in a single piece of equipment.
For oils and chemicals that demand a larger bund, or for IBCs alongside drums, pair these with the wider spill containment range of sump pallets, IBC bunds and flexible portable bunds.
How to choose drum storage
Work through five questions:
- What are you storing? Oils trigger the oil storage rules; hazardous or flammable substances pull in COSHH and DSEAR and may need an enclosed, ventilated or fire-rated store. The safety data sheet is your starting point.
- How many drums, and how fast are they moving? Reserve stock suits upright vertical stores; drums in daily dispensing suit horizontal racks with drip trays.
- Indoor or outdoor? Outdoors, choose covered or fully enclosed units and confirm the bund stays effective once rainwater is accounted for.
- What containment volume do you need? Size the sump to hold 110% of your largest drum, or 25% of the total — whichever is greater.
- How will drums be moved? Forklift-handled units need the right ground clearance and fork centres; manual handling needs drum trolleys and dollies so nobody lifts a full drum.
Good housekeeping that keeps you compliant
Store oldest drums to the front and use them first. Keep lids and bungs closed. Inspect drums and sumps regularly for corrosion, damage and accumulated liquid, and empty any rainwater or spilled product from the bund promptly so containment capacity stays intact. Keep spill kits nearby, label drums clearly, and site the store away from drains and surface-water gullies. None of this is onerous — but it is exactly what an inspector or insurer will look for.
Frequently asked questions
Do oil drums legally need a bund or drip tray? Above the thresholds in the oil storage regulations, yes — you need secondary containment holding at least 110% of the largest container or 25% of the total. Even below the threshold it is sensible practice and often required by insurers.
Can oil drums be stored outside? Yes, provided they are bunded, kept off the ground, protected from rainwater (covered or enclosed units help), and sited away from drains and watercourses.
Should drums be upright or on their side? Upright on a sump pallet for sealed reserve stock; horizontal on a rack with a drip tray for tapped dispensing. Many sites use both.
What about flammable or hazardous drum contents? Those bring COSHH and DSEAR into play — think ventilation, separation from ignition, and in some cases fire-rated, enclosed storage. See our hazardous storage range and let your risk assessment set the level of protection.
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Always work from the product safety data sheet and your own risk assessment, and refer to the current Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations, COSHH and DSEAR when designing a drum store.
Browse the full drum storage range or talk to our team about specifying a compliant store for your site.