When shipping and receiving drums around the world, speed, safety and precision all matter. Whether you’re unloading barrels from a shipping container in Rotterdam or loading drums for export in Dubai, every delay or dropped drum costs time, money and even your reputation.

That’s where British drum handling equipment from St Clare Engineering makes a difference. Our forklift attachments for loading and unloading barrels are designed and manufactured in the UK to meet global demand, with high-quality engineering, ISO 9001 certification, and full export support.

In this article, we look at how our attachments solve the challenges of moving drums in and out of containers and lorries — and why customers around the world trust our equipment for this critical job.

Why unloading barrels is such a challenge

Barrels are heavy, awkward to manoeuvre, and often packed tightly in containers. Without the right tools, unloading them can be slow, hazardous, and highly labour-intensive.

Some common risks include:

  • Crushed fingers or toes when manually moving drums
  • Back injuries from lifting heavy loads
  • Spillages or leaks due to dropped or damaged barrels
  • Delays in unloading due to lack of proper handling equipment
  • Compliance issues if safety standards are not met.

Whether you’re in manufacturing, chemical production, food processing or warehousing, the message is the same: when loading or unloading, you need to ensure safe handling of drums.

Forklift attachments for safe, fast drum handling

At St Clare Engineering, we design and build specialist forklift drum attachments that do the heavy lifting for you — literally!

Our Grab-O-Matic range includes:

Our attachments allow you to load or unload barrels by forklift with confidence. The drums remain upright and stable during movement, reducing the chance of spills, and they can be placed precisely where needed with minimal effort.

Efficient loading and unloading — wherever you operate

Our forklift drum handling equipment is used globally in locations such as:

  • Middle East: Drum handlers for the oil and gas sector in countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where robust drum handlers are required for the high-volume usage ATEX-certified equipment can also be specified if required. Learn more about our drum handlers for oil and gas exporters.
  • Far East – Supporting logistics and warehouse and manufacturing operations in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, where reliability and speed matter most. Read more about out drum handling forklift attachments for logistics operations
  • Europe – Supplying transport and industrial manufacturers across, Ireland, France, Sweden, The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Finland, where high performance and safety are priorities.
  • We also supply our drum handlers to countries across Africa, as well as to Pakistan, Australia, Vietnam, USA and elsewhere. And closer to home, we help whisky producers move their precious barrels in Scotland!

Because our equipment is made in Britain, many of our customers enjoy tariff-free or reduced duty when importing our drum handling solutions, particularly compared to equipment from non-UK sources.

Wherever you’re handling drums around the world, we can support your project with:

  • Full export documentation
  • CE marked equipment
  • Maintenance and testing advice
  • Global customer service and technical support.

Built in Britain. Trusted worldwide.

All our products are proudly manufactured in the UK to international quality standards, including rigorous testing. Our factory in Eastleigh, Hampshire, is ISO 9001 certified and follows strict safety protocols throughout production.

This gives you confidence not only in the product’s durability but also in its compliance with safety legislation in your country.

Customers tell us they choose our British-made equipment because:

Unloading barrels by forklift: speed and safety combined

If you’re managing a container load of 80 drums, speed matters. Our Grab-O-Matic 2-DLR double drum handler can unload the entire load in under 30 minutes — far faster than manual handling or improvised tools.

Every St Clare drum handler is built to reduce:

  • Loading and unloading time
  • Risk of dropped or damaged drums
  • Operator fatigue and injury
  • Warehouse congestion.

And because they’re forklift-mounted, you don’t need extra lifting machinery or space-consuming gantries. Add in our time-saving Quick Release System and you’ll find that your forklift driver is both safer and faster, delivering even greater efficiency in drum handling.

Need to move more than one drum at a time?

We offer a full range of drum handling equipment, from pedestrian drum handlers right through to multiple drum-handling forklift attachments:

  • 2-drum handlers – most popular for standard containers
  • 3-drum and 4-drum handlers – for high-throughput environments
  • Bespoke overhead drum cages – where forklifts can’t be used
  • Custom-engineered solutions – built for your exact needs

Things to consider before choosing a forklift drum attachment

To ensure the safest and most efficient setup for drum handling, think about:

Drum type
Are your barrels steel, plastic, or fibreboard? Do they have rims or smooth sides? Check your drum type to find out the best drum handling attachment for your needs.

Contents
Are you handling hazardous, flammable, food-grade or delicate materials? We can offer drum handling equipment tailored to the contents of your drums.

Environment
Are you working in hot climates, freezer storage, or explosive zones? Our British made drum handling forklift attachments have no hydraulics, electronics or plastic components, making them suitable for many extreme environments, whilst we also build ATEX rated drum handling equipment.

Forklift compatibility
What’s the make and model of your forklift? We’ll ensure perfect fit and balance.

Check out our Ultimate Guide to choosing the right drum handling forklift attachment.

Our team is always available to answer any questions before recommending the right model for your operations.

Ready to improve your drum unloading process?

If your business depends on moving barrels efficiently and safely, don’t leave it to chance. Our British-manufactured forklift attachments are already trusted by companies across the world.

Talk to St Clare Engineering about:

✅ Reducing unloading time
✅ Improving safety
✅ Avoiding tariffs
✅ Complying with international standards
✅ Future-proofing your operations

Andy Bow – St Clare Engineering Ltd

Tel: 02380 643402
Fax: 02380 642189
Email: sales@stclare-engineering.co.uk
Web: www.stclare-engineering.co.uk