What Container Distributors does

Container Distributors is a privately-held, national industrial container supplier headquartered in Venice, Illinois (St. Louis metropolitan area), founded in 1993 and operating with 11-50 employees. The company specializes in hazardous waste containment, chemical packaging, and compliant disposal solutions, distributing steel drums (closed-head and open-head, 30- and 55-gallon), plastic/polyethylene drums, fiber drums (3 to 55 gallons, round and square), IBC tote bins, buckets/pails, drum liners, salvage/overpack drums (85- and 95-gallon), cubic yard boxes, Lab-Pak UN-rated hazardous waste shipping boxes (5 to 66 gallon), fluorescent bulb disposal containers, Clean-Pack/Clean-Sak systems, and vermiculite absorbent. All products are engineered to meet DOT, EPA, and UN performance standards for the shipment and storage of regulated materials, with specific UN ratings applied across drum and box categories.

The business operates on a quote-based, direct-sales model combining inside phone sales (1-800-366-5098 and 618-451-1050), website-based ordering through a secure storefront, and contact/quote forms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per order. Container Distributors maintains a well-stocked warehouse enabling 24-hour nationwide shipment and offers a container warehousing/inventory management service where customer-owned containers are stored and shipped on demand. The customer base is segmented across environmental services and waste management, industrial manufacturing, healthcare and pharmaceutical, offices/schools/commercial facilities, and food and beverage sectors, with the first two flagged as primary verticals. No funding rounds, acquisitions, partnerships, parent company, or management team details are disclosed in the available data.

Name

Container Distributors

Legal name

Container Distributors, Inc.

Website

https://containerdistributors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Container Distributors is a privately-held national industrial container supplier based in Venice, Illinois, selling DOT/EPA/UN-rated steel, plastic, and fiber drums, IBC totes, salvage drums, and Lab-Pak hazardous waste boxes to environmental services, manufacturing, healthcare, and commercial facility buyers with 24-hour shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Venice

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Container Sales: Direct sales of industrial containers including steel drums, plastic drums, fiber drums, IBC totes, pails, salvage drums, overpack drums, cubic-yard boxes, drum liners, and specialty containers. Both new and reconditioned options available. Quote-based pricing for custom orders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Container Distributors is a national supplier and distributor of industrial containers used for hazardous and non-hazardous material storage, transport, and disposal. The company sells steel drums, plastic drums, fiber drums, IBC tote bins, pails, salvage/overpack drums, cubic-yard boxes, lab-paks, fluorescent bulb disposal containers, vermiculite, and drum liners, maintaining a well-stocked warehouse with same-day or 24-hour order fulfillment. The product mix emphasizes UN-rated and DOT/EPA-compliant packaging for industrial, environmental, pharmaceutical, and commercial customers.

Product overview

Container Distributors is a national supplier of industrial containers and hazardous waste packaging solutions based in St. Louis, Missouri. The product portfolio is organized as a comprehensive suite of containment solutions rather than a unified software platform. The core offering spans steel drums (closed-head and open-head in 30-gallon and 55-gallon sizes), plastic/polyethylene drums (closed-head, open-head, and screwtop variants), and fiber drums (round, square, and lock-rim styles in sizes from 3 to 55 gallons). Supporting products include IBC tote bins, buckets/pails, drum liners, and cubic yard boxes. Specialty hazardous waste solutions include Lab-Pak UN-rated boxes (5 to 66 gallon), salvage/overpack drums (85-gallon and 95-gallon plastic), Clean-Pack Flap Top, Clean-Sak, fluorescent bulb disposal containers, and vermiculite for absorbent packaging. All products are designed to meet DOT, EPA, and UN performance standards for regulated material handling, with new and reconditioned options available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Closed Head Steel Drums & Barrels UN-rated carbon steel drums with closed (sealed) head construction available in multiple sizes for storage and shipping of chemicals and industrial liquids. Designed for regulated material handling.
• Open Head Steel Drums & Barrels UN-rated carbon steel drums with removable top/lid for filling and discharging solids, sludges, and viscous materials. Equipped with lever-lock or bolt-ring closures and EPDM gaskets.
• Closed Head Plastic Drums & Barrels High-density polyethylene (HDPE) closed-head drums available in multiple capacities for corrosive chemicals, food-grade liquids, and regulated industrial products. Available in blue, white, black, yellow, and natural colors.
• Open Head Plastic Drums & Barrels HDPE open-head plastic drums with removable lids for solids, viscous chemicals, and waste. Available in multiple sizes and UN-rated configurations.
• Polyethylene Closed Head Drum with Screw Cap HDPE closed-head drums equipped with threaded screw-cap closures for secure sealing of liquids and chemicals. Designed for non-UN regulated and select UN-regulated applications.
• Screwtop Polyethylene Containers Polyethylene containers with screw-top closures in various sizes for storing liquids, chemicals, and small-quantity industrial products.
• Fiber Drums (New & Used) Heavy-duty fiberboard drums with metal chime and bottom, suitable for dry chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food products, and other solid materials. Both new and reconditioned options available.
• 3 Gallon Open Head Fiber Drum Compact 3-gallon fiber drum for small-volume storage and shipment of dry chemicals and powders. Open-head design with removable lid and locking ring.
• Square Fiber Drums Square-profile fiber drums that optimize warehouse space utilization for dry product storage and shipment. Designed for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food ingredients.
• Lock Rim Fiber Drums Fiber drums equipped with a lock-rim closure system for secure closure during transport and storage of dry and semi-solid materials.
• IBC Tote Bins 275-gallon intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) for bulk liquid storage and transport, with integrated pallet base and reusable design. Used for chemicals, food-grade liquids, and industrial fluids.
• Buckets/Pails Polyethylene Containers HDPE buckets and pails in sizes typically ranging from 1 to 6 gallons with metal or plastic handles. Used for paints, coatings, adhesives, food products, and chemicals. Available in UN-rated configurations.
• Open-Head Plastic Salvage Drum & Barrel (95 Gallon) 95-gallon HDPE open-head salvage drum designed for overpacking damaged or leaking containers of hazardous materials. UN-certified for spill containment.
• 85-Gallon Open-Head Salvage Drum & Barrel 85-gallon steel salvage drum with open-head closure for overpacking damaged, leaking, or non-compliant containers of hazardous materials. UN-certified for spill response and waste collection.
• Open Head Overpack/Salvage Drums General-category open-head overpack and salvage drums in various capacities used to safely contain leaking or damaged containers of hazardous materials for transport and disposal.
• Drum Liners Plastic drum liner inserts for use inside steel and plastic drums to protect contents from contamination, simplify cleaning, and enable reuse of containers.
• Cubic Yard Boxes Large-capacity corrugated and triple-walled fiberboard boxes designed for bulk waste collection and disposal, often used in industrial and institutional cleanup operations.
• UN-Rated Boxes Various UN-certified fiberboard and corrugated boxes approved for the transport of regulated and hazardous materials under DOT/EPA packaging regulations.
• Lab-Pak Hazardous Waste Shipping Boxes UN-rated fiberboard shipping boxes for transport of small-quantity hazardous waste from laboratories, schools, and healthcare facilities. Available in 5-gallon, 55-gallon, and 66-gallon capacities with vermiculite absorbent.
• Fluorescent Bulb Disposal Containers Cardboard and fiberboard containers specifically designed for the safe collection, storage, and disposal of spent fluorescent bulbs and mercury-containing lamps in compliance with environmental regulations.
• Clean-Pack Flap Top Specialty packaging with flap-top design for cleanroom, pharmaceutical, or contamination-sensitive applications requiring controlled material handling.
• Clean-Sak Specialty flexible packaging product designed for clean handling and transport of materials requiring low-contamination environments.
• Vermiculite Loose-fill vermiculite absorbent material sold for use inside Lab-Pak hazardous waste shipping boxes to absorb and immobilize liquid waste during transport.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-hour shipping from well-stocked warehouse
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ULINE: Uline is one of the largest direct marketers of industrial packaging, shipping, and material-handling products in North America, with an extensive catalog of steel and plastic drums, pails, IBC totes, and UN-rated containers. It competes head-to-head with Container Distributors on the same buyer base (industrial, hazardous-waste, manufacturing customers) with a much larger fulfillment footprint.
• Skolnik Industries: Skolnik Industries is a manufacturer and direct seller of steel drums and containers for hazardous materials, chemicals, and industrial use. It overlaps directly with Container Distributors' steel drum and salvage drum SKUs and sells to many of the same regulated-material customers.
• The Cary Company: The Cary Company is a specialty distributor of containers, packaging, and material-handling supplies including steel and plastic drums, IBC totes, pails, and UN-rated hazardous-waste packaging. It is a close mid-market peer with overlapping verticals and similar inside-sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Greif Inc. Greif is a global manufacturer of industrial packaging products including steel drums, plastic drums, IBC totes, and fiber containers. As a manufacturer, it both supplies into and competes with Container Distributors' distribution channel for hazardous-waste and chemical customers.
• Grainger: W.W. Grainger is a broad-line industrial distribution incumbent serving facilities maintenance, manufacturing, and hazardous-materials buyers across North America. While containers are a sub-category of its vast catalog, its scale, e-commerce platform, and national branch network make it a frequent alternative for Container Distributors' accounts.
• MAUSER Packaging Solutions: MAUSER is a global manufacturer of industrial packaging including reconditioned steel drums, plastic drums, IBC totes, and specialty containers, with significant presence in hazardous-materials packaging. It competes with Container Distributors for the same regulated-material end users and also offers reconditioning services.
• Berlin Packaging: Berlin Packaging is one of the largest hybrid packaging suppliers in North America, combining container manufacturing, distribution, and value-added services. Its industrial container portfolio overlaps with Container Distributors' steel, plastic, and fiber drum offerings for industrial and regulated-material buyers.

Emerging players

• Schutz Container Systems: Schutz is a global manufacturer of intermediate bulk containers (IBC totes) and plastic drums, with a strong focus on reusable and eco-friendly industrial packaging. It competes with Container Distributors' IBC tote and plastic drum lines, particularly for hazardous liquids.
• Drum Service & Container: Drum Service & Container is a smaller specialty distributor focused on new and reconditioned steel and plastic drums for hazardous-materials and industrial customers. It is a niche peer with overlapping product range and target customers.

Regional players

• Packaging Distributors of America (PDA): PDA is a regional distributor of industrial packaging and containers serving the central United States with steel, plastic, and fiber packaging solutions. It is a direct competitor to Container Distributors in its core Midwest geography and overlapping SKU categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ContainerInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeUL47fX5naJiGsGb88nYEA/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/ContainerDistributors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/container-distributors-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/containerdist
• Pinterestpinterest.com/containerdistributorsinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Container Distributors