A barrel to Nigeria holds 220 litres — but weight, not space, is usually what stops you. Add what you're planning to send and watch the barrel fill: this tells you whether it fits, what's limiting you, and flags anything Customs won't allow before you pack it.
Plan your barrel
Empty — start adding items
Food staples
- Rice check first 10kg bag · 13 L · 10 kg
- Garri 5kg bag · 8 L · 5 kg
- Beans 5kg bag · 7 L · 5 kg
- Semolina / poundo 5kg bag · 7 L · 5 kg
- Egusi / ogbono 1kg pack · 1.5 L · 1 kg
- Dried crayfish 500g pack · 2 L · 0.5 kg
- Dried fish / stockfish 1kg · 6 L · 1 kg
- Seasoning & spices bundle · 2 L · 1 kg
Groceries
- Milo / drinking chocolate 1kg tin · 1.5 L · 1 kg
- Powdered milk 900g tin · 1.3 L · 0.9 kg
- Custard 1kg tin · 1.5 L · 1 kg
- Instant noodles carton of 40 · 20 L · 4.5 kg
- Tinned tomatoes pack of 12 · 4 L · 5 kg
- Biscuits & snacks large pack · 5 L · 1 kg
- Cereal box · 5 L · 0.5 kg
- Vegetable oil check — may be banned 5L bottle · 5.5 L · 4.6 kg
Clothing & shoes
- Adult clothing outfit · 2 L · 0.5 kg
- Children's clothing outfit · 1 L · 0.25 kg
- Shoes pair · 3 L · 0.8 kg
- Duvet / bedding set set · 15 L · 2 kg
- Towels pack of 4 · 8 L · 2 kg
Household
- Cooking pots set of 3 · 20 L · 5 kg
- Plates & cutlery set · 8 L · 3 kg
- Blender 1 item · 10 L · 3 kg
- Clothes iron 1 item · 4 L · 1.5 kg
- Washing powder / soap check — may be banned large pack · 6 L · 3 kg
Personal & baby
- Hair extensions & products pack · 3 L · 0.3 kg
- Toiletries & cosmetics check first bundle · 5 L · 2 kg
- Nappies large pack · 15 L · 2 kg
- Medicines check — may be banned small box · 2 L · 0.5 kg
- Books 5 books · 4 L · 3 kg
- Toys bundle · 10 L · 2 kg
Weight runs out before space — every time
This is the thing most first-time senders get wrong. A barrel packed with rice, beans, tinned tomatoes and cooking staples hits the weight cap while it still looks half empty. Meanwhile a barrel of clothes, bedding and nappies fills to the brim and weighs almost nothing.
The efficient barrel mixes the two: heavy food at the bottom, light bulky goods packed around and above it. The planner shows you which limit you're heading for, so you can balance the load instead of discovering the problem at collection.
How to pack it so nothing arrives broken
- Heaviest at the bottom. Rice, tins and pots form the base — never on top of anything fragile.
- Bag everything edible. Seal food in plastic before it goes in. If something leaks in transit, it ruins the clothes rather than the barrel.
- Use clothes as packing material. Wrap fragile items in towels and bedding — it protects them and uses space you were paying for anyway.
- Fill every gap. Anything that can shift will shift over several weeks at sea. A tightly packed barrel travels better than a half-full one.
- Write a list as you pack. You'll need the contents for customs, and it saves an argument later about what was inside.
Check before you pack, not after
Several everyday items are prohibited imports even in a personal barrel — cooking oil, retail-pack soap and detergent, and common tablets like paracetamol among them. The planner flags them as you add them, and our prohibited items checker covers everything else. It takes a minute, and it's a lot cheaper than losing a barrel at the port.
Volumes and weights are realistic packed estimates for planning, and the 70 kg cap is a typical figure — confirm your exact allowance with us when you book.
Barrel questions
How much fits in a barrel to Nigeria?
A standard shipping barrel holds 220 litres with a practical weight cap around 70 kg. In real terms that is roughly a 10kg bag of rice, several bags of garri and beans, a carton of noodles, tinned food and still room for clothes — but weight usually runs out before space does.
What size is a shipping barrel?
The standard drum used on the UK–Nigeria route is 220 litres — about 90cm tall and 58cm across. We can supply the barrel, or you can pack your own.
Why does weight matter more than space?
Dense goods hit the weight limit long before they fill the barrel. A barrel packed with rice, tinned tomatoes and cooking staples will be over the cap while still looking half empty. Mixing heavy food with light bulky items like clothes and bedding uses the barrel properly.
How do I pack a barrel so nothing breaks?
Heaviest items at the bottom, fragile in the middle wrapped in clothing, and fill every gap — an item that can move is an item that can break. Seal food in plastic bags before it goes in, in case anything leaks in transit.
Can I put anything I want in a barrel?
No. Cooking oil, retail-pack soaps and detergents, common medicines and several foods are on the Nigeria Customs prohibition list even inside personal barrels. The planner flags these as you add them — or check any item with our prohibited items checker.
What does it cost to ship a barrel to Nigeria?
Barrels ship by sea from £120 per barrel, door to door. The price is per barrel rather than per kilo, which is exactly why filling it properly matters. Ask us for a quote on yours.