The packaging you choose affects your landed cost per litre, your shelf positioning and your customs handling. Here's how edible oil export packaging breaks down and who each format suits.
Retail bottles (250 mL – 5 L)
PET or glass bottles for supermarket and modern-trade shelves. This is where private-label branding lives — your label, your bottle, ready to sell. Bottles ship in cartons on pallets inside 20ft/40ft containers.
Best for: retail brands, supermarket supply, distributors selling to consumers.
Jerry cans (10 L – 25 L)
HDPE jerry cans for food service, restaurants and small wholesalers. Stackable, durable and easy to decant.
Best for: HORECA, catering distributors, repackers.
Drums (190 kg / 200 L)
Steel or HDPE UN-rated drums for industrial buyers and food manufacturers. Palletized for mixed container loads.
Best for: factories, oleochemical buyers, mid-volume importers.
IBC totes (1,000 L)
Intermediate bulk containers for repeat industrial volumes that don't justify a full flexitank.
Flexitank (≈ 20,000 – 24,000 L)
A single-use food-grade bladder fitted inside a standard 20ft container — the lowest cost per litre for bulk liquid oil.
Best for: refiners, large repackers and bottlers.
Quick comparison
| Format | Typical volume | Container fit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail bottles | 0.25–5 L | Cartons, palletized | Retail / private label |
| Jerry cans | 10–25 L | Palletized | Food service, repackers |
| Drums | 190 kg / 200 L | ~80 per 20ft | Industry, manufacturers |
| IBC tote | 1,000 L | ~20 per 20ft | Repeat industrial |
| Flexitank | 20,000 L+ | 1 per 20ft | Bulk / lowest cost |
How to decide
- Selling to consumers? Bottles + private label.
- Supplying kitchens or repackers? Jerry cans or drums.
- Refining or re-bottling locally? Flexitank or IBC for the best per-litre price.
Many buyers combine formats — e.g. flexitank for bulk plus a pallet of branded bottles for sampling.
Tell us your market and we'll spec the packaging
We pack palm oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil and more in every format above, plus full OEM bottling. Get a packaging quote.