Barrel | Types, Uses & Unit of Measurement (2024)

barrel, large, bulging cylindrical container of sturdy construction traditionally made from wooden staves and wooden or metal hoops. The term is also a unit of volume measure, specifically 31 gallons of a fermented or distilled beverage, or 42 gallons of a petroleum product. According to the 1st-century-ad Roman historian Pliny the Elder, the ancient craft of barrel making, also called cooperage, was invented by the inhabitants of the Alpine valleys.

Slack barrels, made to hold dry products, may be made of pine or softwood and do not require precise workmanship. Smaller versions, usually called kegs, long were used to contain heavy bulk products such as nails. Tight barrels, made to hold liquids, must be constructed carefully of high-grade woods, such as white oak, with bungholes for filling and emptying.

Wood for barrel staves and headings is usually air-dried for at least a year, then kiln-dried for 10 to 20 days before being cut and planed to the needed size and finish. A crucial operation is jointing of the edges of the staves and giving them the proper bilge (middle bulge) so that the joints will be tight and the circumference uniform. The bulge gives the barrel added resistance to internal pressure.

The most complex part of the operation is called raising the barrel. Staves are set vertically into a head truss ring, and a temporary hoop is placed over the other end. In this arrangement, the staves are passed through a steam tunnel to soften them for drawing into final shape and then dried again. Whiskey barrels are charred on the inside at this point, so that they will develop flavour in the whiskey as it ages. Beer, formerly stored and shipped in wooden barrels, now is placed in one-piece metal barrels. A machine called a crozer trims the ends of the staves and cuts the croze, the groove near the end of the stave where the head pieces fit. The temporary end rings are pulled off, the head pieces fitted, and permanent head hoops put in place. The temporary bilge hoops are removed, and the rest of the permanent hoops are put on.

Tight barrels have been superseded for the most part by metal drums and bulk-tank transportation, and slack barrels by paper-shipping sacks, corrugated paperboard cartons, and fibreboard drums.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

Barrel | Types, Uses & Unit of Measurement (2024)

FAQs

Barrel | Types, Uses & Unit of Measurement? ›

A barrel (bbl) is defined a non-SI Metric System Unit typically used to measure the volume of liquid hydrocarbons. One-barrel weighs 42 U.S. gallons, equal to 0.159 cubic meters; 158.99 litres; or, 0.137 ton (the latter depends on the density of the petroleum).

What is a barrel as a unit of measurement? ›

Definitions. In the oil industry, one barrel (unit symbol bbl) is a unit of volume used for measuring oil defined as exactly 42 US gallons, approximately 159 liters, or 35 imperial gallons.

What is the unit of a barrel? ›

A barrel (bbl) is a unit of volume, almost always used for crude oil and petroleum products. It is equivalent to 42 US gallons or 159 liters.

Is a barrel 42 or 55 gallons? ›

The fill volume of a barrel is equal to 42 U.S. Gallons or 35 Imperial Gallons.

How much is a barrel measurement? ›

barrel, unit of both liquid and dry measure in the British Imperial and United States Customary systems, ranging from 31.5 to 42 gallons for liquids and fixed at 7,056 cubic inches (105 dry quarts, or 115.63 litres) for most fruits, vegetables, and other dry commodities.

What is 1 barrel measurement? ›

A barrel (bbl) is defined a non-SI Metric System Unit typically used to measure the volume of liquid hydrocarbons. One-barrel weighs 42 U.S. gallons, equal to 0.159 cubic meters; 158.99 litres; or, 0.137 ton (the latter depends on the density of the petroleum).

How many gallons are in a barrel? ›

A standard barrel of oil contains 42 gallons. This is the U.S. measurement that has been used since the 1800s, as it was the volume of a standard wooden barrel used for hauling many types of liquid.

What is a barrel equivalent to? ›

The barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) is a unit of energy based on the approximate energy released by burning one barrel (42 US gallons, 35 imp gal or about 159 litres) of crude oil.

How is barrel size measured? ›

Briefly, “The ATF procedure for measuring barrel length is to measure from the closed bolt (or breech-face) to the furthermost end of the barrel”, and “The overall length of a firearm is the distance between the muzzle of the barrel and the rearmost portion of the weapon measured on a line parallel to the axis of the ...

What does 2 barrels mean? ›

of a firearm : having two barrels mounted side by side or one beneath the other. 2. : twofold. especially : having a double purpose. asked a double-barreled question.

How did 42 gallons become a barrel? ›

In August 1866 a handful of America's earliest independent oil producers met in Titusville, Pennsylvania , and agreed that henceforth, 42 gallons would constitute a barrel of oil. Pennsylvania led the world in oil production as demand for kerosene soared.

Why are whiskey barrels 53 gallons? ›

What they came up with was pretty ingenious. By increasing the barrel size to 53 gallons, they could store more whiskey per barrel, but the new containers would still fit on the original racks without having to massively upgrade the rickhouses (which would have required massive amounts of lumber).

Why is bbl short for barrel? ›

The extra 2-gallon was to allow for evaporation and leaking during transportation. These 42-gallon crude barrels were painted in blue and called blue barrels, and abbreviated as "bbl", guaranteeing a buyer that it was 42-gallon barrel of crude. By 1872, the standard oil barrel was firmly established as 42 US gallons.

How to convert barrels to gallons? ›

An oil barrel (bbl) is 42 US gallons.

How many gallons of gasoline are in a barrel of crude oil? ›

Petroleum refineries in the United States produce about 19 to 20 gallons of motor gasoline and 11 to 12 gallons of ultra-low sulfur distillate fuel oil (most of which is sold as diesel fuel and in several states as heating oil) from one 42-gallon barrel of crude oil.

What unit is oil measured in? ›

Let's first discuss crude oil measurement. Oil is measured in barrels, with a barrel being equal to 42 gallons.

What is barrel in weight? ›

A barrel is 160 liters. The specific gravity of crude oil is 0.8. The mass is 128 kg. The weight is 1250 N. In US customary units this would be 282 pounds.

Why is a barrel of oil 42 gallons? ›

Wooden casks were large and too heavy while the smaller containers proved unprofitable. It was then decided that the best way to transport oil would be inside a 42 gallon wooden tierce, a size for wine storage set by King Richard III in 1483. It weighed approximately 300 pounds and could be moved by a single man.

How big is a barrel of liquor? ›

While there's no restriction on the size of the barrels, most distilleries use 53 gallon barrels.

Is barrels a US customary unit? ›

Larger customary measurements include a barrel equal to 31.5 gallons and a hogshead which is equal to 2 barrels or 63 gallons.

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