# Why are Buckets Round? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 29, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431 "2016-08-29T21:23:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/1 "2016-08-29T21:23:05Z")
Buckets, Pails, Barrels, why are they round? The question occurred to me while re-reading _Little House in the Big Woods_. Grandpa Ingalls is described as making buckets for collecting maple sap. The illustrations show the buckets as round, as most buckets are of course. However, it seems to me that making round buckets from scratch using wooden staves would be a pain in the ass. Is there a reason square buckets wouldn’t work? Would they leak or something? Of course now, with plastics, you can make buckets whatever shape you want. But when the average person thinks buckets, they think cylindrical. Is this just habit? Or do square buckets not work well? ---
**Author:** ![SigMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SigMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SigMan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/2 "2016-08-29T21:27:54Z")
The staves are made like a wedge so when they are put together and the iron rings hammered in place they form a seal. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/3 "2016-08-29T21:33:11Z")
You can pour out liquid from any angle with a round bucket and hit what you’re pouring into. You need to adjust a square bucket to be accurate. And of course, in the beginning it was easier to make a round one watertight. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/4 "2016-08-29T21:35:34Z")
Round is stronger … just one seam instead of four … ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/5 "2016-08-29T21:40:29Z")
Depends what you’re putting in the bucket. The cat litter I use comes in square buckets. Makes it easier to store a bunch of them close together with no wasted space, I think. The lids are made so the buckets can stack, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/6 "2016-08-29T21:44:50Z")
> [@SigMan](#): > > The staves are made like a wedge so when they are put together and the iron rings hammered in place they form a seal. This is the correct answer. Wooden barrels and buckets are created by straining the staves against metal rings - if the rings were square, rather than circular, the forces acting on them would be trying to bend them toward a more circular shape. Buckets are actually round for similar reasons that soap bubbles are round - it’s all about forces pushing outwards against a constraining boundary. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/7 "2016-08-29T21:47:12Z")
Round iron hoops to bind staves, etc. - remember the round hoops could be heated, hammered onto the tapered barrel ends, and pushed down to where they forced the staves into a tight seal. The more acute the angle, the more likely you get a slip (broken corner) than a seal, so an n-go is more stable and solid than a square. For simpler construction, like the parts of a water wheel, you do see rectangular “buckets”. If that leaks a bit during the 1 or 2 seconds it’s holding water - who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/8 "2016-08-29T22:08:50Z")
Mixing stuff in a square bucket is harder. You don’t want to mix mortar or something in a square cat litter bucket. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/9 "2016-08-29T22:16:53Z")
Aside from the issue of force, round is an efficient use of materials, too. A round bucket that holds a given volume is going to require less stuff to make the bucket than a square bucket that holds the same volume. Optimal (in terms of materials) would be a hemispherical bucket, but that would be awkward for a number of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/10 "2016-08-29T22:55:57Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > This is the correct answer. Wooden barrels and buckets are created by straining the staves against metal rings - if the rings were square, rather than circular, the forces acting on them would be trying to bend them toward a more circular shape. I guess the unstated fact in this design is that the wooden slats are under constant compression by the hoops. Otherwise the bucket would leak water at the seams between the slats. A square bucket could be made more easily, but it would be harder to apply the constant force required to keep the seams closed. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/11 "2016-08-29T22:56:25Z")
Remember also that the earliest examples of buckets would have been made of hide, intestine or some other animal material that would need to be sewed to make water-tight. One seam is best. Of course, if they use a stomach or length of intestine with a knot in it, no sewing is necessary. All of this would be done well before the smelting of metals for hoops and nails. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/12 "2016-08-29T23:04:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Remember also that the earliest examples of buckets would have been made of hide, intestine or some other animal material that would need to be sewed to make water-tight. Surely they’d be more likely to be woven from grasses or strips of bark? They wouldn’t be water-tight in the long term, but for short-term use, they’d be just fine. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/13 "2016-08-29T23:14:39Z")
Even more reason for them to be round! Same-same for ceramics. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/14 "2016-08-29T23:16:14Z")
Remember the round, cardboard quarts of automobile oil? This design, using calculus, was the most efficient use of materials. Round is good. Now, with plastic, the equation has changed. They now come in rectangular containers. Probably better for shipping. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/15 "2016-08-29T23:32:42Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Probably better for shipping. Yep. No wasted space between containers. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/16 "2016-08-29T23:46:46Z")
Might also have to do with how wide thin wooden sides of a bucket would be more likely to crack and split with the wet dry cycles. The thinner staves can swell and shrink with less chance of that. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/17 "2016-08-29T23:55:15Z")
They stayed round though, after plastic came along. I suspect this is because liquid sloshes less in a round bucket. Any straight side will make the liquid stop fast, and rush against itself, increasing the chance of it going over the edge. In a round one, the water tends to swirl, and so stay inside. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/18 "2016-08-30T00:11:39Z")
A square bucket will constantly crash into your knees with a sharp edge as you fetch your pail of water. Ergonomics is not a modern concept. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/19 "2016-08-30T02:30:58Z")
Barrels are round so they can be rolled place to place. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431/20 "2016-08-30T02:37:05Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Barrels are round so they can be rolled place to place. Surely they’re round for the same reason buckets are…the traditional construction method is the same, staves and hoops. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-buckets-round/764431.md?page=2)