Source-checkedQuality of life & UI

Useful Barrels

by GigaWatte · for Project Zomboid

Barrels can actually be more than just a sprite! Multiplayer support is currently not fully implemented or tested. Please use it in MP at your own risk. Features available Use your Pipe Wrench to…

976KDownloads
2 mo agoLast updated
Steam WorkshopSource

About Useful Barrels

From Steam Workshop

Barrels can actually be more than just a sprite! Multiplayer support is currently not fully implemented or tested. Please use it in MP at your own risk. Features available Use your Pipe Wrench to…

Barrels can actually be more than just a sprite!

Multiplayer support is currently not fully implemented or tested. Please use it in MP at your own risk.

Features available

  • Use your Pipe Wrench to open the lid of the barrel!
  • Store any fluid inside
  • The amount of liquid inside the barrel affects the encumbrance
  • Rubber Hose to take gas from the barrel
  • Funnel for pouring gas into the barrel
  • Funnel may speedup pouring action
  • Refueling vehicle from the barrel. and vice versa
  • Refueling generator from the barrel
  • Randomized initial fluid and amount
  • Sandbox vars to control mod behaviour as you want
  • Chuckleberry Finn's Mod Update and Alert System integration for ingame ChangeLog

Notes

  • Uses new FluidContainer system of B42
  • Barrels are now less fragile! But anyway Walkers will break it pretty quickly
  • Gasoline does not evaporate from the barrels with closed lid
  • Modded vehicles and trailers are supported if the vehicle has a part with the "gastank" category and the part containerType contains the word "Gasoline" (this information is mostly for modders)
  • Please! Any full 800L barrels in your characters pocket or car trunk is your responsibility, there is no proper way to haul them. For now at least.
  • I'd also recommend checking out the Functional Gutters mod.

How to

Base usage

  • Find a Pipe Wrench and any metal barrel in the game (there are only four types available)
  • Move it to the garage at your base
  • Right click on it and select "Uncap ..." option
  • Find a Rubber Hose and a Funnel, then place them on the barrel to enable fluid transfer

Refuel generator

  • The generator must be near the barrel with at least 1 liter of fuel
  • The generator must be turned off and have free space for fuel
  • Find a Rubber Hose if you haven't found it yet, then place it on the barrel (or keep it in your inventory)
  • Right click on the generator and select "Refuel From Barrel"

Refuel vehicle

  • The vehicle must be near the player
  • The vehicle's engine must be turned off
  • The gas tank must have free space
  • The barrel with gas must be near the vehicle
  • Find a Rubber Hose if you haven't found it yet, then place it on the barrel (or keep it in your inventory)

Rain collector barrel

  • Find a Welding mask and a Welding torch with at least 2 uses
  • Right-click on the barrel
  • Find the "Cut Lid" option - it may appear at the top or inside the existing barrel submenu

Future plans

  • Better multiplayer support

Mods compatibility

  • Modded vehicles (and fluid trailers) should be compatible if: vehicle has part and part category contains "gastank", part contentType contains word "Gasoline".
  • Other mods, such as IDBFS, could introduce their own overrides of the game's tiles, which may lead to issues with UB.

Known bugs

  • In case of game crash FuidContainer may not save it's contents.
  • Water level updates are not triggered while it's raining, so changes in the water level won't be rendered unless there is some manual interaction with the fluid.
  • Filling a barrel at a gas pump is buggy and doesn't always work.

FAQ

  • Q: b41 when?
  • A: I dont have any plans to port it on b41. And there is already a mod for b41, it's called "Fuel API"
  • Q: How to move my 800l barrel now?
  • A: It's quite hard to implement right now properly. I hope TIS devs add some good functionality to makeit in the future.

Credits

Thanks a lot to SP4RTAN for updating the translations for the 42.15 game update. Thanks to Mr_Ordinary_ for UA translation. Thanks to 浪里个浪2346134 for CN translation. Thanks to NopOYes for PTBR translation. Thanks to MainFish for RU translation. Thanks to Hx for KO translation. Thanks to RedSystem for TR translation. Thanks to Dust Runner for ES translation. Thanks to Bobitec for FR translation. Thanks to Steven Ts for IT translation. Thanks to anormalЬ for DE translation. Thanks to Si-Cafe for JP translation. Thanks to Chuckleberry Finn for Mod Update and Alert System. Thanks to Chuckleberry Finn for pz-translator tool.

Workshop ID: 3436537035 Mod ID: UsefulBarrelsMP

Highlights

From source data

Footprint

Rated a light load on a server.

Last update

Its author last shipped an update 2 mo ago.

Useful Barrels on Nxeon

From our catalogue
One-click install
Supported on Nxeon Project Zomboid servers. We download it from Steam Workshop, place it, and restart the server.
Server load
light
Smallest plan we suggest
Project Zomboid — 6 GB (6 GB RAM). This follows our own load rating above, not a benchmark.
Latest build
2026-08-30, released 2026-08-30

Game versions by loader

LoaderGame versionsNewest
Workshop

From 1 recorded build of Useful Barrels.

Run Useful Barrels on a Project Zomboid server

Pick a server or deploy a new one above; it is installed in one click.

What kind of mod it is

From the catalog
Listed on Steam Workshop as “QoL”

Quality of life & UI

Small conveniences, tweaks and interface improvements players notice straight away.

Compatibility

Game
Project Zomboid

Verified at the source

  • ✓Steam WorkshopOfficial listing, checked 2026-11-01Open ↗
  • ✓AuthorGigaWatte, as published on Steam Workshop
  • ✓LicenseNot published by the sourceFree

Useful Barrels, answered

Generated from the mod’s own source data.

Is it free?

Yes. Useful Barrels is free to download from Steam Workshop.

How do I add it to my Nxeon server?

Use “Add to a server” on this page, or open NxLabs from your dashboard. We install it, restart your server and switch it on.

NxLabs

Run Useful Barrels on a Project Zomboid server.

Deploy in about a minute from $9.00 a month, then add Useful Barrels in one click.