Millions of drums are filled with thousands of different types of materials. Almost every industry uses 55 gallon drums to store and transport liquids, slurries and powders. This includes the food industry for storage of ingredients and finished products. The pharmaceutical industry uses drums of materials throughout their operations. Almost any commercial or industrial facility can store cleaning materials, waxes and other products in these drums. Inks and varnishes are available in drums for the printing industry. Of course the chemical industry is a prime producer and consumer of materials in drums.

All of the drums must at some time, of course, be filled. An operator at the filling location may simply use a valve to fill the drum for a fixed period of time. This may not be very accurate, as the material may flow differently at different temperatures and under different conditions. It may be filled by sight, as the operator may be able to see when the level in the drum is reaching the appropriate mark.

A drum scale is an excellent method of monitoring the amount of material that has been fed into the drum. Arlyn Scales provides high quality units that are manufactured to resist the types of abuse that may occur when forklifts or other drum handling equipment is used to load and unload these drums. Stainless steel load cells are used exclusively to prevent damage. The amount of material in the drum can be easily seen on the large digital display.

A programmable feature is offered to allow the user to determine the proper full weight of the drum. Electronic outputs can be used to automatically turn the filling device, such as a valve, pump, or motor, on and off at the correct weight. Often, more than one target weight can be chosen. The first would be used for a rapid fill. The second can control a trickle feed to bring the drum to the exact correct level.