UF6 is moved around the world in transport containers approved to international standards. Although minor variations exist in the container design, all those used for commercial transport are similar and consist of a carbon steel cylinder with a set diameter that depends on whether or not the UF6 is enriched. The most commonly used cylinder for natural or depleted UF6 is the 48Y, where the 48 signifies the diameter in inches and the Y signifies the particular design variation. The most commonly used cylinder for product is the 30B, a 30 inch diameter cylinder. The 48 inch feed cylinders hold around 12 500 kg of UF6, while the 30 inch product cylinders hold around 2200 kg of UF6.

A small heel is left in a UF6 cylinder after it has been emptied. The heel is usually less than 2 kg in weight and consists of non-volatile impurities and corrosion products, such as UF4 and iron fluoride. It may also contain elevated levels of thorium-234 (434Th), a daughter product of the 438U decay chain. As volatile UF6 is removed from the cylinder the non-volatile thorium remains and becomes concentrated by factors as high as 10 000. With uranium no longer present to act as a radiation shield the decay of this isotope and its immediate daughter, protactinium-234, can give rise to significant radiation levels, requiring that even nominally empty cylinders be treated with care; however, the 24 day half-life of 234Th means that radiation levels soon decay.

UF6 cylinders require periodic inspection and testing in order to demonstrate compliance with transport regulations and need to be washed and cleaned for testing. This is done using a water-based wash solution, which could contain additional cleaning agents, such as sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide. The process needs to be controlled for product cylinders so that there is no possibility of criticality as the water in the wash solution will act as a moderator. Cylinders are often not cleaned between inspections but rather have fresh feed or product material filled over the top of the heel.