Powder keg

A powder keg is a barrel of gunpowder. The powder keg was the primary method for storing and transporting large quantities of black powder until the 1870s and the adoption of the modern cased cartridge. The barrels had to be handled with care, since a spark or other source of heat could cause the contents to deflagrate.

In practical use, powder kegs were small casks to limit damage from accidental explosions. Today they are valued as collectibles. Specimens of early American kegs for gunpowder are found in sizes like 8+3⁄4 inches (22 cm) tall by 6+1⁄2 inches (17 cm) diameter and 13 inches (33 cm) tall by 11 inches (28 cm) diameter, often with strappings of reed or sapling wood rather than metal bands to avoid sparks.^[1] Kegs for blasting powder used for mining or quarrying were often larger than kegs for shipping and storing powder for firearms.