GlueMFG fills ethyl cyanoacrylate super glue in bulk from 20 kg to 1000 kg per order line. The standard unit is a moisture-sealed HDPE drum; larger volumes ship as palletised multiples of the same drum. Viscosity is set on the line before filling, so a repacker receives a single homogeneous batch instead of blended lots.
Most buyers first meet super glue as a 3 g blister card or a 20 g bottle. Repackers, industrial assembly plants, and private-label brands do not buy it that way. They buy the monomer in drums and either fill their own bottles or feed it straight into a production line.
This page covers what that bulk supply actually looks like at GlueMFG: how viscosity is fixed before filling, what the drum is, and what a bulk shipment means for your paperwork.
Viscosity Control on the Production Line
Before anything is drummed, batch viscosity is set and checked. The clip below is from our cyanoacrylate line. It shows the monomer flow behaviour that decides whether a batch is a thin wicking grade or a thicker gap-filling grade.
Viscosity is the single specification that most often gets confirmed too late. A wicking grade around 3 mPa-s penetrates a tight seam by capillary action but runs straight off a vertical surface. A gel above 1500 mPa-s holds a gap but will not travel into a joint. Confirm the substrate and the assembly gap first, and the grade follows from that.
The Bulk Drum
Bulk orders are filled into food-grade HDPE drums with a sealed screw cap. HDPE is used rather than steel because ethyl cyanoacrylate polymerises on contact with moisture, alkaline residues, and some metal surfaces. An inert, moisture-sealed wall is what protects the 12-month shelf life.
Bulk Packaging at a Glance
| Bulk range | 20 kg to 1000 kg per order line |
| Standard unit | 20 kg / 25 kg HDPE drum, sealed screw cap |
| Larger volumes | Palletised multiples of the standard drum |
| Product | Ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate (CAS 7085-85-0), 90-100% |
| Viscosity grades | Wicking through gap-filling gel, set per batch to order |
| Shelf life | 12 months unopened, stored cool and dry |
| Transport status | General cargo, not restricted under IMDG / IATA / ADR |
| Trial quantity | One drum; production runs typically from 500 kg |
| Lead time | 7-15 days depending on grade and documentation |
Keep drums closed and cool until the moment of repacking, and repack in a low-humidity area. Ambient moisture is what starts cure. Do not decant into containers that previously held water, alcohols, amines, or alkaline cleaners.
Who Buys It in Drums
Repackers
Fill their own branded bottles, blister cards, or tubes locally. Bulk drums avoid import duty on finished retail packaging.
Industrial assembly
Feed the monomer directly into dispensing equipment on an assembly line. Batch consistency matters more than packaging.
Private-label brands
Order bulk plus separate packaging, or have us fill under your artwork. Both routes start from the same drum.
Bulk cyanoacrylate is unforgiving of a humid repacking room. If you do not have a low-humidity filling area and moisture-sealed bottles ready, order finished retail packs first and move to drums once the filling line is proven. A ruined 500 kg batch costs far more than the packaging you saved.
Documents for a Bulk Shipment
Bulk drums ship as general cargo: no UN number, no packing group, and no dangerous-goods declaration. The closed-cup flash point is 91.0 C, above the 60 C threshold for Class 3 flammable liquids, so the product falls outside RID/ADR, IATA DGR, and the IMO IMDG Code. The SDS, the CNAS-accredited transport hazard classification report, and a batch COA are supplied with the shipment on request.
Related GlueMFG Pages
Browse the GlueMFG product catalog for current super glue and adhesive SKUs, review the industrial adhesive manufacturing overview, or return to the GlueMFG homepage for OEM packaging and export support.
FAQ
What bulk sizes is cyanoacrylate super glue available in?
From 20 kg up to 1000 kg per order line. The standard unit is a 20 kg or 25 kg HDPE drum with a sealed screw cap; larger volumes ship as multiples of that drum on a pallet, so a 1000 kg order is typically 40 to 50 drums.
Why is bulk cyanoacrylate packed in HDPE rather than steel?
Ethyl cyanoacrylate polymerises on contact with moisture and with alkaline or metallic surfaces. Food-grade HDPE with a moisture-sealed cap is inert to the monomer and keeps the drum stable through a normal 12-month shelf life when stored cool and unopened.
Is a bulk drum shipment classified as dangerous goods?
No. The closed-cup flash point is 91.0 C, above the 60 C threshold for Class 3, so the product is not subject to RID/ADR, IATA DGR, or the IMO IMDG Code and moves as general cargo.
Can you fill bulk glue to a specific viscosity?
Yes. Viscosity is set on the production line and checked per batch. Typical grades run from roughly 3 mPa-s for wicking and penetrating applications up to 1500 mPa-s and above for gap-filling and gel formulations. Tell us the substrate and the assembly gap and we will quote the matching grade.
What is the MOQ and lead time for bulk drums?
One 20 kg drum for a trial, with production quantities usually starting at 500 kg. Lead time is 7 to 15 days depending on grade and whether the batch needs a fresh COA.