What Skolnik Industries Inc does

Skolnik Industries, Inc. is a Chicago-based, family-founded manufacturer of high-performance steel drums founded in 1985 and now operating as a subsidiary of Quantum Containment Systems following a January 2026 strategic partnership with Pelican Energy Partners. The company produces carbon steel and stainless steel drums spanning 5 to 110 gallons, in open head and tight head configurations, with closure systems that include the proprietary Leverlock ring (the only U.S. manufacturer of UN-rated open heads with Leverlock closure), bolt ring, and tri-sure variants. Manufacturing is concentrated at its 4900 S. Kilbourn Avenue facility in Chicago, and finished products include Type 7A nuclear containment drums, Mil-Spec military drums, seamless stainless drums for sanitary applications, salvage and overpack drums, TIH (Toxic by Inhalation) overpacks, wine barrels, and fully customized drums engineered in-house.

The core technology is physical steel forming and finishing backed by audited regulatory qualifications: ISO 9001:2015, NQA-1 Nuclear Quality Assurance, and UN/DOT compliance for hazardous materials transport. An on-site test lab supports unique design testing, while in-house engineering enables custom heights, coatings, fittings, and drum-within-a-drum configurations. Drums are built thicker and heavier than industry minimums, with seamless stainless options (304 and 316) that eliminate crevices for food, pharmaceutical, flavor, and personal care use cases. Value-added services include custom labeling, palletization, and international containerized shipping support.

Skolnik operates a sales-led go-to-market with direct enterprise relationships (Department of Energy, Military, Argonne National Laboratory, Merck & Co., GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Idaho Environmental Coalition, Basco, Millennium Petrochemicals, Alliant Energy, Labelmaster, Spoto Wines) supplemented by a website-based request-for-quote system for mid-market and distributor customers. Revenue is generated primarily from one-time hardware sales priced on a custom quote basis, with configuration (size, steel type, closure, lining, fittings) driving final price and order size. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; orders range from small mixed-item less-than-truckload shipments to large nuclear and emergency bulk deployments served by flexible shipping across global destinations.

Name

Skolnik Industries Inc

Legal name

Skolnik Industries, Inc.

Website

http://www.skolnik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Skolnik Industries, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Chicago, manufactures high-performance carbon and stainless steel drums (5-110 gallons) for nuclear, military, chemical, pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and hazmat-logistics customers, including the only U.S.-made UN-rated Leverlock closure open-head drum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Packaging

NAICS

Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324)

SIC

Metal Shipping Barrels, Drums, Kegs & Pails (3412)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Drums (Steel Drums) (IMALADAD)

Keywords

• Steel drum manufacturing
• Industrial packaging
• Hazardous material containers
• Nuclear containment packaging
• Stainless steel drums

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Steel Drum Sales: Skolnik manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of steel drums including carbon steel, stainless steel, salvage drums, Type 7A, Mil-Spec, nitric drums, process drums, wine barrels, and custom configurations. Products range from 5 to 110 gallons. Value-added services include custom labeling, palletization, and international shipping support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Skolnik Industries manufactures high-performance carbon steel and stainless steel drums (5 to 110 gallons) for safe storage, handling, and transport of hazardous chemicals, radioactive materials, pharmaceuticals, food products, and other sensitive industrial contents. The company produces UN-rated and DOT-compliant open head and tight head drums with proprietary closure systems, plus seamless stainless drums, Type 7A nuclear packages, Mil-Spec drums, custom-engineered configurations, and wine barrels, supported by in-house engineering, custom labeling, palletization, and international shipping services.

Product overview

Skolnik Industries Inc is a manufacturer of high-performance steel drums and industrial packaging trusted by the Department of Energy, the Military, and leading companies worldwide. The product portfolio consists of carbon steel drums, stainless steel drums, salvage drums, seamless stainless drums, Type 7A drums for nuclear applications, Mil-Spec drums, and custom-designed drums—all engineered to exceed DOT and UN compliance standards. The company offers drums in various capacities from 5 to 110 gallons, with specialized configurations including Leverlock closure drums, UN certified drums, food grade drums, hazardous waste containers, TIH overpack drums, and spill containers. Value-added services include custom labeling, palletization, and international shipping support. Skolnik serves diverse markets including aerospace, batteries/EV, chemical, construction, distributors, flavors & fragrance, health & beauty, industrial manufacturing, lubricants & petrochemicals, metals & mining, oil & gas, paints/coatings/inks, pharmaceutical, nuclear, food & beverage, and wine & spirits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carbon Steel Drums High-performance carbon steel drums designed for secure storage and transport of various industrial materials, built to exceed DOT and UN compliance standards. Available in capacities from 5 to 110 gallons for enterprise and government buyers.
• Stainless Steel Drums Stainless steel drums providing superior corrosion resistance and purity for sensitive materials in food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and health & beauty applications, available in types 304 and 316.
• Salvage Drums Overpack drums designed and certified to hold damaged, leaking, or non-compliant containers, meeting stringent DOT and UN regulations for hazardous waste recovery operations.
• Seamless Stainless Drums Seamless, crevice-free stainless steel drums that prevent bacteria buildup and ensure product purity for sanitary applications in food processing, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries.
• Type 7A Drums 7A Type A packages engineered for nuclear and radioactive material containment, meeting 49 CFR 173.465 requirements with rigorous water spray, drop, and penetration testing.
• Mil-Spec Drums Military specification drums designed to meet stringent U.S. military requirements for standardized, reliable logistics operations and government procurement programs.
• Custom Designed Drums Custom-configured steel drums with tailored specifications including height adjustments, specialized coatings, unique welding requirements, and custom plug placement designed by in-house engineering.
• Stainless Steel Wine Barrels Stainless steel wine barrels providing a neutral storage environment for wineries and distilleries, available in 30-gallon and 80-gallon sizes for fermentation and aging applications.
• Nitric Stainless Steel Drums Specialized drums crafted from 304 stainless steel with crevice-free design and weld-in flanges for nitric acid storage and transport in chemical and industrial applications.
• Stainless Process Drums Industry-standard process drums with seamless, crevice-free stainless steel construction ideal for food processing, pharmaceuticals, and personal care product manufacturing.
• Leverlock Closure Drums UN-rated open head drums featuring the only U.S.-manufactured Leverlock ring closure for quick, tool-free, secure in-field operations, reducing closure time from 6 minutes to 30 seconds.
• UN Certified Drums UN-compliant packaging ranging from 3 to 110 gallons, tested per DOT and UN packaging requirements for hazardous materials transport across industrial sectors.
• Food Grade Drums FDA-compliant stainless steel drums designed for food processing and storage, meeting rigorous food safety requirements for ingredients, oils, syrups, and flavor concentrates.
• Hazardous Waste Containers Steel drums designed for safe management, transportation, and disposal of hazardous waste materials, used during natural disaster cleanup and regulated waste-discarding programs.
• TIH Overpack Drums Toxic by Inhalation (TIH/PIH) overpack drums certified for solids with 1A2/X plus 15 psi hydrostatic pressure per CFR 49 for highly hazardous chemical containment.
• Spill Containers All-steel spill containers for secondary containment and cleanup of hazardous or chemical spills, meeting UN and DOT regulations for environmental response.
• Replacement Parts for Drums Manufacturer replacement parts including gaskets, closure rings, nuts, bolts, plugs, and calibrated torque wrenches to maintain UN certification of installed drums.

Quantifiable outcome

• Closure time reduced from 6 minutes to 30 seconds with Leverlock system

Named customers9 records

Segments16 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Myers Container: U.S. supplier of new and reconditioned steel drums and IBCs. A direct competitor in standard steel drum product lines serving chemical and industrial customers.
• Mauser Packaging Solutions: Large global manufacturer of steel and plastic drums, IBCs, and reconditioned containers. Directly competes with Skolnik across UN-rated chemical and hazardous material packaging, including the nuclear and chemical verticals Skolnik serves.
• Cleveland Steel Container Corporation: U.S. manufacturer of steel pails and drums serving paint, coatings, chemical, and food markets. A direct specialty competitor in carbon and stainless steel containers of comparable size to Skolnik.
• Schutz Container Systems: Manufacturer of intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and steel drums serving chemical, food, and pharmaceutical customers. Comparable product set and customer base, particularly for industrial hazardous materials containment.
• Great Western Container: U.S. steel drum manufacturer producing a comparable range of open-head and tight-head drums. A direct competitor for industrial and chemical drum customers in North America.
• Industrial Container Services: Drum manufacturer, reconditioner, and distributor offering new and reconditioned steel and plastic drums. Overlaps with Skolnik in steel drum sales and hazardous material packaging.
• Container Technologies Industries (CTI): Manufacturer of drums, overpacks, and nuclear packaging. Now part of Quantum Containment Systems alongside Skolnik under Pelican Energy Partners — a same-holding-company peer with overlapping nuclear and hazardous material product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Greif, Inc. Global industrial packaging leader (NYSE: GEF) producing steel drums, IBCs, fibre containers, and specialty packaging. A direct competitor in steel drums with substantially greater scale and a multi-plant footprint.
• Eagle Manufacturing: Manufacturer of safety containers, drum spill containment, and hazardous material handling products. Overlaps with Skolnik's spill containers and TIH overpack drum offerings but covers a broader industrial safety portfolio.
• Berlin Packaging: Largest U.S. rigid packaging supplier distributing metal, plastic, and glass containers. A competitor for industrial packaging distribution channels serving chemical, food, and pharmaceutical end markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SkolnikIndustries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skolnik-industries-inc.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Skolnik Industries Inc