Fixed bunds solve a fixed problem. A flexible portable bund solves the other one — the delivery standing on the yard for two days, the generator on a temporary compound, the decanting job in a corner of the site that has no containment at all. It folds out where you need it and packs away when the job is done.
When a portable bund is the right answer
Reach for one when the containment requirement is temporary, mobile or awkwardly shaped. Typical uses are temporary fuel and chemical storage compounds, plant and generator standing areas, decanting and transfer operations away from a bunded store, emergency response to a leaking container, and any spill risk on ground that is not sealed. On unmade or permeable ground a portable bund is often the only practical containment there is — a steel sump pallet needs a level, load-bearing surface underneath it.
The honest limit is that these are containment, not storage. If drums or IBCs are going to live somewhere permanently, they belong on a proper bunded pallet or in a bunded store — see drum sump pallets and IBC containment pallets.
What we stock
GPC Flexible Portable Bunds are manufactured from 900 gsm PVC-coated polyester, with a modified PVC-coated fabric specified for chemical and environmental durability. Aluminium angle brackets provide secure wall support, so the sides stand up properly under load rather than folding flat the moment a vehicle wheel touches them. Mats and liners are also available.
Three capacities are stocked:
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FPB3750 — 3,750 litre capacity
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FPB4375 — 4,375 litre capacity
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FPB9750 — 9,750 litre capacity
All three are made by GPC Industries in the UK.
Sizing a portable bund
The same containment arithmetic applies as anywhere else: hold the greater of 110% of the largest single container or 25% of the total volume stored. A single 1,000 litre IBC needs 1,100 litres, so the 3,750 litre FPB3750 covers a small compound comfortably. Three IBCs total 3,000 litres, so 25% is 750 litres while 110% of one is still 1,100 litres — the larger figure governs. The 9,750 litre FPB9750 is the one to specify when a road tanker, bowser or a substantial plant compound is involved and the "largest single container" is much bigger than a drum.
Two practical points. Outdoors, rainfall accumulates in the bund and eats into the volume you are relying on, so build emptying into the site checks. And check the fabric against the substance before you order — PVC-coated polyester is chemically durable across a wide range, but no single fabric is inert to everything, and the supplier's compatibility advice should be confirmed for aggressive acids and solvents.
Using them well
Set the bund on ground as level and as clear of sharp material as you can manage; a liner is worth having on rough hardstanding. Keep the walls supported by the aluminium brackets rather than propped, so the rated volume is real. And treat the bund as part of a wider procedure — spill kit, a nominated responder and a written method matter as much as the bund itself. Our guide to what UK spill containment law requires sets out the duties, and spill pallets explained covers the fixed alternatives.
For the full range of bunded pallets, sumps and containment equipment, see spill containment; for chemical and flammable stores, hazardous storage.
