Types of plastic buckets and different manufacturing processes

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Types of plastic buckets and different manufacturing processes

25th May 2026

Types of plastic buckets are water buckets, paint buckets, food buckets,thin-wall commodity buckets, trash cans, and different manufacturing processes, including Injection molding, rotational molding, blow molding, extrusion molding, and thermoforming.

A plastic bucket is a common container made of plastic. It is widely used in daily life and work; besides, it has many advantages over other containers.
It is light, durable, and easy to carry in daily life. Additionally, it also has good sealing and is not easy to break.

All in all, these features make it very practical. Many manufacturers design and produce plastic buckets.

Different manufacturers have different product styles; for example, some focus on daily use, while others focus on industrial use.

Basic Types of Plastic Buckets

Water Buckets
Paint Buckets
Food Buckets
Thin-Wall Commodity Buckets
Plastic Trash Cans

Water Buckets

To begin with, water buckets are mainly for holding daily water. Besides, they are not only practical but also usually strong and sturdy. If they have lids, they can seal well.

Besides, they are very common in homes, gardens, and construction sites.
These buckets are light and durable. Consequently, they are great for daily water storage and carrying.
Their size is reasonable to hold enough water.

Types of plastic buckets and different manufacturing processes 2

Paint Buckets

To begin with, paint buckets are for storing and carrying paint or ink. Furthermore, they can also hold other thick liquids.

Generally, they have thick walls and tight lids. This, in turn, can prevent liquid from leaking out.
They are made of corrosion-resistant materials. As a result, they won’t react with paint. Moreover, these buckets are easy to clean and reuse.

Accordingly, they are cost-effective for home and industrial use. You can use them many times without trouble.

Food Buckets

Firstly, food buckets hold food, snacks, seasonings, or grains. Besides, they adopt non-toxic materials like PP. Above all, this ensures food safety for people to use.
They often have airtight lids to keep food fresh. Moreover, the lids also prevent insects from getting in. Besides, they come in many small sizes. Therefore, they are suitable for home use.

Thin-Wall Commodity Buckets

Generally, thin-wall commodity buckets are light and small. Additionally, they mainly hold small goods, snacks, or small parts.

Furthermore, they are cheap and easy to carry around.

Overall, their design is simple and beautiful. As a result, they can attract customers’ attention.

Plastic Trash Cans

Generally, plastic trash cans collect garbage in daily life and work. Besides, they are usually light and easy to clean.

Consequently, they are suitable for homes, offices, and public places.
They often have lids to stop odor from spreading. Additionally, they are made of durable plastic.

They are not easy to break. Hence, they can be used for a long time in different places.

Different production processes of plastic buckets

Injection Molding
Rotational Molding
Blow Molding
Extrusion Molding
Thermoforming

Injection Molding

Injection molding is the most widely used process.
It has high production efficiency. Furthermore, it makes products with precise sizes. What’s more, the quality is also stable.

Consequently, it is great for large-scale mass production.
The process is simple to understand. Firstly, dry plastic raw materials like PP or HDPE.

Accordingly, this removes moisture and avoids bubbles. After that, put dried plastic particles into an injection molding machine.

Then heat and melt the particles into a viscous liquid. Subsequently, inject the liquid into a closed bucket mold.

Meanwhile, use high pressure to fill the mold. Afterwards, cool the mold down slowly.
Open the mold and take out the plastic bucket. Finally, trim excess plastic and polish the product.

Rotational Molding

Rotational molding is also called rotomolding. It is a special production process. Primarily, it is mainly applied to large water storage buckets and chemical buckets.

Additionally, it is also used for manufacturing agricultural water tanks.
First, put plastic powder (usually PE) into a hollow mold. Then, heat the mold and rotate it along two axes.
The mold’s linear speed is usually 6-35rpm. Meanwhile, gravity and heat make the powder melt. Then the melted powder coats the mold’s inner wall evenly.
Cool the mold with air for stable quality. Then, open the mold and take out the finished product. There is no high-pressure step in this process.
>Hence, the product has no internal stress. Furthermore, it has excellent toughness and can bear impact. It can also stand pressure well.

Blow Molding

Blow molding, especially hollow blow molding. It is another core process for plastic buckets. It is mainly for large-capacity hollow buckets. Furthermore, the process has several simple steps.

First, melt plastic raw materials. Afterwards, extrude the melted plastic into a tubular parison.

Then, clamp the parison into a split mold. Insert a blow rod and inject high-pressure air. Air pressure makes the parison expand.

Consequently, it fits closely with the mold’s inner wall. Besides, the cooling time is over 60% of the whole cycle.

Then, open the mold and take out the product. Trim the product to get the finished bucket.

Extrusion Molding

Basically, extrusion molding makes simple-structured buckets. It also makes bucket bodies.
First of all, melt plastic raw materials with an extruder. Then, extrude them into a continuous bucket blank through a die.

Finally, cut the blank to the needed length. Then, process the bucket bottom and mouth.

Thermoforming

Basically, thermoforming is for thin-wall buckets and small lids. Besides, it heats plastic sheets to a softened state.

Then, press the sheet into the mold. First, use air pressure or mechanical pressure.

Afterwards, cool the sheet to form the needed shape. Moreover, it boasts a fast production speed. In addition, the mold cost is low.

However, at the same time, the performance of this product is relatively low.
>Thus, it is mostly for disposable plastic buckets.

Haichen Injection Molding Plastic Buckets

Haichen is a professional injection molding machine manufacturer, and it has been in the industry for many years.

Furthermore, it owns advanced technology as well as a professional technical team. In addition, it has rich experience not only in designing plastic buckets but also in mass production.

Besides, it is capable of customizing products strictly according to customer demands; meanwhile, it carries out rigorous quality control throughout production.

As a result, Haichen’s plastic buckets boast reliable quality; consequently, their prices stay highly reasonable.

Evidently, these products are well-received by global clients; hence, numerous buyers prefer to choose Haichen goods.

What’s more, the brand supplies diversified plastic buckets to satisfy diverse demands.

Specifically, it provides proper products for household use; equally important, it also launches items fit for outdoor and industrial scenarios.

All in all, Haichen is absolutely a trustworthy and reliable manufacturer.

Haichen injection molding machine model		Types of plastic buckets	The weight of the bucket	The capacity of the bucket	bucket size	Mould Cavity	Mould Material
HCK310	IML plastic buckets	IML plastic buckets	30g	500GM	Top outer diameter:93.6MM • Height:114MM • Bottom outer diameter:74.10MM • Top inner diameter:85.20MM • Weight:19.75 GM • Thickness:0.45 MM	1 Cavity	P20/H13
HCK530	Paint bucket	Paint bucket	300g	4L	Bottom Diameter: 260mm Top diameter：290 Height: 380mm	1 Cavity	P20/H13
HCK800	Water Bucket	Water Bucket	1500g	85L	Diameter: 520mm Height: 400mm	1 Cavity	P20/H13
HCK1300	Trash can	Trash can	1735g	80L	Diameter: 510mm Height: 590mm	1 Cavity	P20/H13

Haichen Injection Molding Machine Parameters

	UNIT	HCK310			HCK530			HCK800				HCK1300				HCK1500				HCK1850
international size rating		1900			4000			6500				14000				18200				22000
		A	B	C	A	B	C	A	B	C	D	A	B	C	D	A	B	C	D	A	B	C	D
	mm	60	65	70	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	120	130	140	150	130	140	150	160	140	150	160	170
Screw L:D ratio		21.7	20.0	18.6	23.4	22.0	20.8	23.2	22.0	20.0	18.3	23.8	22.0	20.4	19.1	23.7	22.0	20.5	19.3	23.6	22.0	20.6	19.4
Shot volume	cm3	919	1078	1251	2187	2468	2767	3544	3927	4752	5655	7351	8628	10006	11486	9291	10776	12370	14074	11545	13254	15080	17024
Shot weight(PS)	g	836	981	1138	1990	2246	2518	3225	3574	4324	5146	6689	7851	9105	10452	8455	9806	11257	12807	10506	12061	13723	15492
	oz	29.5	34.6	40.1	70.2	79.2	88.8	113.8	126.1	152.5	181.5	235.9	276.9	321.2	368.7	298.2	345.9	397.1	451.7	370.6	425.4	484.1	546.5
Injection pressure	Bar	2078	1771	1527	1912	1700	1510	1846	1666	1377	1157	1925	1640	1414	1232	1959	1689	1471	1293	1913	1666	1464	1297
Injection rate	cm3/s	281	330	383	509	574	643	712	789	954	1136	1136	1334	1547	1775	1341	1555	1785	2031	1525	1751	1992	2249
Plasticizing capacity	g/s	42	51	60	59	70	89	76	88	110	132	135	159	198	233	156	195	229	246	191	225	241	258
Max. screw speed	r/min	200			140			120				115				113				111

Clamping force	KN	3100			5300			8000				13000				15000				18500
Space between tie bars	mm	670×620			870×820			1050×1000				1250×1250				1450×1350				1650×1500
	mm	950×880			1270×1220			1470×1390				1820×1820				2090×2080				2410×2280
Opening stroke	mm	610			850			1030				1300				1500				1650
Min. mold height	mm	270			320			400				550				700				800
Max. mold height	mm	670			870			1050				1300				1450				1700
Distance between platens(daylight)	mm	1280			1720			2080				2600				2950				3350
Ejector stroke	mm	170			220			270				320				350				400
Ejector force	kN	90			120			190				220				320				430
Number of ejectors		13			13			17				25				25				25

Systolic pressure	Bar	175			175			175				175				175				175
Pump motor	kW	38			60			42+42				42+42+42				42+54+54				42+54+54+54
Heating capacity	kW	20.0			40.0			50.0				71.0				91.0				100.0

Oil tank capacity	L	400			650			800				1100				1300				1500
Machine dimension(L×W×H)	m×m×m	6.5×1.6×2.3			9.1×2.2×3.0			11×2.35×3.5				12.7×2.7×4.2				13.8×3.1×4.5				15.6×4.6×5.2
Machine weight	t	9.7			21			38				65				87				130
Hopper capacity	kg	50			50			100				100				400				400

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