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The drum record: what to write down before a drum changes hands
A buyer who cannot see a drum prices in everything they do not know. The drum record answers those questions in writing, once, so a business can decide without a site visit. It is also what you would want to have kept if a question came up after the sale.
The record
The fields come from what BASEC says to look for on cable, what the Construction Products Regulation expects to travel with it, and what manufacturers say about storage. The sources are on checking surplus cable.
| Section | Field | How to fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Sheath print | Photograph | A sharp, close photograph of the printing on the sheath, showing the whole legend |
| Transcription | Manufacturer, type code (e.g. 6242Y), standard (BS or BS EN), cores and size in mm², voltage, BASEC or HAR mark, date or batch code | |
| Approval | Certificate number | BASEC certificate number from the drum label or the supplier |
| Search result | What BASEC's public search returned, and the date you checked | |
| Fire class | CPR class and DoP | The full class (e.g. Cca-s1b,d1,a1), the DoP number or a copy, and the UKCA or CE marking from the drum label |
| Length | Metre marks | The mark at the outer end, and at the inner end if it can be reached |
| Or by weight | Gross weight, drum's empty weight, datasheet kg/km, and the words "estimated by weight" | |
| Continuity | One continuous length, or cut pieces (list them) | |
| Condition | Ends | Sealed or open, since when |
| Storage | Indoors or outdoors, upright or on a flange, how long | |
| Damage | Any visible sheath damage, with photographs; flanges, battens and bolts sound | |
| Drum | Drum details | Material, flange diameter, maker or owner, whether it is returnable to someone |
| Provenance | Origin | Original supplier and invoice date; the job it was bought for, if you can say |
| Seller | Company | Registered name and Companies House number |
| VAT | VAT number, and the date it was checked on GOV.UK | |
| Collection | Where and how | Town or postcode area, and whether a forklift or a vehicle with a drum stand is needed |
Rules that make it worth reading
- Facts, not grades. "Ends sealed since delivery in March; stored indoors, upright" tells a buyer more than "good condition".
- Say how you know. A length read from metre marks and a length estimated by weight are different facts. Write down which.
- Date your checks. A BASEC search or a VAT check is true on the day it was made.
- Keep the photographs. They are the record of condition at the moment the drum left you.
Condition at handover
If a sale is ever questioned, the question will be: what state was the drum in when it changed hands? A record written, photographed and dated before collection answers it for both sides. It is the same principle as a proof of delivery for freight, applied to one drum. Cargovate, which publishes this site, builds software around that principle for shipments.
Ready to send one? List a drum.
Last reviewed 2026-10-19