A barrel to Nigeria ships by sea for a flat £100 to our Lagos office, plus a ₦5,000 handling fee paid in Nigeria on collection; door delivery is quoted by state. 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 | £100 | Per barrel, by sea, to our Lagos office |
| Handling | ₦5,000 | Paid in Nigeria on collection, per shipment — sea carries no UK-side handling fee |
| Collection | Quoted by postcode | Across London and the home counties; drop-off from anywhere |
| Customs clearance | Included | Handled by us in Lagos |
| Door delivery | Quoted by state | Optional — collection from our Lagos office is free |
| 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 to our Lagos office. 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?
£100 per barrel by sea to our Lagos office, plus a ₦5,000 handling fee paid in Nigeria on collection. Door delivery to any state is quoted by state. 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?
Only if you need one — we sell drums at £55, so a barrel and the drum together is £155. 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?
The published price covers the sea leg and customs clearance to our Lagos office, where the recipient collects. Delivery to the door in any of the 36 states is available and quoted by state — a Lagos address is a short run, a northern one can be a day on the road. The ₦5,000 handling fee is paid in Nigeria on collection.
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.