A barrel to Nigeria ships by sea from £120 per barrel door to door, plus a ₦5,000 handling fee paid in Nigeria on delivery. Because you pay per barrel and not per kilo, a full barrel and a half-empty one cost exactly the same — packing well is the single biggest saving available.
Barrel shipping is priced differently from most cargo, and that difference is worth understanding before you pack. You are not buying kilos — you are buying a barrel-shaped piece of a container. What you put in it is your business.
What you actually pay for
| Item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The barrel shipment | from £120 | Per barrel, by sea, door to door |
| Handling | £20 | Per shipment, not per barrel |
| Collection | Quoted by postcode | Across our six regions; drop-off also available |
| Customs clearance | Included | Part of door-to-door service |
| Import duty | Only if applicable | Personal effects usually clear without it — see below |
Why a half-empty barrel is the most expensive barrel
This is the whole game. The barrel costs the same whether it holds 20kg or 65kg, so every empty litre is money you have already spent and not used. People routinely send barrels a third empty because they ran out of ideas rather than space.
The fix is to plan the load before you pack it. Our barrel planner shows you exactly how full you are and — more usefully — whether you are about to run out of space or weight, which are two very different problems.
What can push the total up
- A second barrel. Two barrels means two barrel charges. Consolidating into one is the biggest single saving there is.
- Commercial goods. New items in quantity read as an import rather than personal effects, and Customs assesses duty accordingly.
- Prohibited items. Not a cost so much as a risk — but a held shipment costs time, and sometimes the goods. Check anything doubtful with our items checker.
- Peak-season lateness. Book late for Christmas and your options narrow. The deadlines page counts down the current cutoffs.
How to get more into the same money
- Fill the gaps. Socks, underwear and small soft items into every space — it costs nothing and protects the contents.
- Vacuum-bag the soft things. Duvets and coats compress enormously; compression is free capacity.
- Strip retail packaging. Boxes inside boxes are just air you are shipping.
- Balance heavy and light. Food at the bottom, clothing around and above it.
- Coordinate with family. If two households are both sending, one well-packed barrel beats two half-packed ones.
Our packing guide walks through the order to do all of that in.
Barrel or boxes?
Barrels win on protection and on price-per-volume — they are waterproof, they stack, and they survive handling that flattens cardboard. Boxes make sense when you have less to send or an awkward shape that will not fit a drum. If you are unsure which is cheaper for your load, send us the list and we will price both.
Prices shown are our standard guide figures for sea freight, door to door. Your exact quote depends on collection postcode and destination state — ask us and we will confirm it before anything is collected.
Common questions
How much does it cost to ship a barrel to Nigeria?
Barrels ship by sea from £120 per barrel, door to door, plus a ₦5,000 handling fee paid in Nigeria on delivery. The price is per barrel rather than per kilo, so a full barrel and a half-full one cost the same — which is why packing it properly matters so much.
Is it cheaper to send one big barrel or two small ones?
One barrel, almost always. You pay per barrel and per shipment, so two separate shipments means paying the handling twice. If everything fits in one, consolidate — and if it nearly fits, it is usually worth squeezing rather than splitting.
Does the price change depending on what is inside?
The barrel rate covers ordinary personal effects and food. What changes the total is anything that attracts duty — commercial quantities, new goods for resale, electronics in volume — because Customs assesses those separately on arrival.
Do I pay extra for the barrel itself?
We can supply the barrel; ask when you book and we will tell you whether it is included or charged separately. Many people reuse a barrel they already have, which is fine as long as it is a proper shipping drum with a ring clamp.
Is delivery in Nigeria included?
With our door-to-door service, yes — the price covers the sea leg, customs clearance and delivery to the recipient's address in any of the 36 states. The one thing paid at the Nigerian end is the ₦5,000 handling fee, and you know about it now — nothing else.
When is the cheapest time to send a barrel?
Outside the peaks. Space tightens from October to December and again before Easter, and late bookings in those windows get whatever is left. Sending in the quieter months gives you more choice of sailing and a calmer run.