15 U.S.C. §§ 234–236

The standard barrel for fruits, vegetables, and other dry commodities other than cranberries shall be of the following dimensions when measured without distention of its parts: Length of stave, twenty-eight and one-half inches; diameter of heads, seventeen and one-eighth inches; distance between heads, twenty-six inches; circumference of bulge, sixty-four inches, outside measurement; and the thickness of staves not greater than four-tenths of an inch: Provided, That any barrel of a different form having a capacity of seven thousand and fifty-six cubic inches shall be a standard barrel. The standard barrel for cranberries shall be of the following dimensions when measured without distention of its parts: Length of staves, twenty-eight and one-half inches; diameter of head, sixteen and one-fourth inches; distance between heads, twenty-five and one-fourth inches; circumference of bulge, fifty-eight and one-half inches, outside measurement; and the thickness of staves not greater than four-tenths of an inch.

It shall be unlawful to sell, offer, or expose for sale in any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, or to ship from any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia to any other State, Territory, or the District of Columbia or to a foreign country, a barrel containing fruits or vegetables or any other dry commodity of less capacity than the standard barrels defined in section 234 of this title, known as the third, half, and three-quarters barrel, and any person guilty of a willful violation of any of the provisions of sections 234 to 236 of this title shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and be liable to a fine not to exceed $500, or imprisonment not to exceed six months, in the court of the United States having jurisdiction: Provided, however, That no barrel shall be deemed below standard within the meaning of said sections when shipped to any foreign country and constructed according to the specifications or directions of the foreign purchaser if not constructed in conflict with the laws of the foreign country to which the same is intended to be shipped.

Reasonable variations shall be permitted and tolerance shall be established by rules and regulations made by the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. Prosecutions for offenses under this section or sections 234 or 235 of this title may be begun upon complaint of local sealers of weights and measures or other officers of the several States and Territories appointed to enforce the laws of the said States or Territories, respectively, relating to weights and measures: Provided, however, That nothing in this section or sections 234 and 235 of this title shall apply to barrels used in packing or shipping commodities sold exclusively by weight or numerical count.