The 20000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank from Norwesco is built for large-scale bulk storage where a single, high-capacity polyethylene vessel needs to hold tens of thousands of gallons in a fixed footprint. At 242 inches tall and 165 inches in diameter, this vertical storage tank carries a full 20,000 gallons in a circular footprint just under 14 feet across (165 in = 13.75 ft), making it a workhorse for fire-water reserves, agricultural water, process water, and industrial reuse storage trains. Rated to a 1.5 specific gravity, its polyethylene wall is the heavy-duty grade rather than a water-only 1.0 build, so it carries denser liquids up to 1.5 SG structurally.
Will it work for your site?
This is a vertical tank rated to a specific gravity of 1.5, so the wall is engineered to carry liquids heavier than water. Filled with water, contents weigh roughly 166,800 lb; at the full 1.5 SG rating the tank is built for up to 250,200 lb of contents. That maximum load sits on a 165-inch-diameter base (about 148.5 sq ft), which works out to roughly 1,685 lb per square foot of bearing pressure at full rated contents. Size and engineer your pad around that number, not just the water weight. The footprint is 165.0 inches in diameter, and the 242-inch height means you should confirm overhead clearance, access for fill and discharge plumbing, and any local height or anchoring requirements before the tank arrives. To confirm the right capacity and dimensions for your application, use the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide.
Foundation and large-tank planning
A vessel of this size lives or dies on its foundation. A full 20,000-gallon tank concentrates a six-figure load onto its base, so the pad has to be level, properly sized, and engineered for that bearing pressure. Our guide to concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI 360R-10 framework and where the ACI 318 boundary applies. If this tank is going into a private fire-protection system, the fire-water reservoir design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline and freeze-protection engineering for cold-climate service. For reuse storage of grey-water, rainwater, or HVAC condensate, see our breakdown of industrial water reuse tank topology. A deeper walkthrough of this exact model lives in the complete buyer's guide.
The mistake to avoid
The most common error on a tank this size is reading the 1.5 specific-gravity rating as a license to store anything that fits under 1.5 SG. That rating describes the structural capacity of the wall, not chemical resistance. This is a water-service tank; if you intend to store a chemical, confirm with the manufacturer that the polyethylene and any sealing materials are compatible with your specific fluid and concentration before filling. Note that fitting sizes, gasket material, and bulkhead penetrations are configured to order on a vessel this large rather than pre-listed for this SKU, so plan your inlet, outlet, and overflow penetrations up front and call 866-418-1777 to spec them. Retrofitting penetrations on a tank this size is far harder than specifying them when the tank is ordered.
This tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP, from the nearest of three Norwesco plants: Albertville, AL, St. Bonifacius, MN, and Washington Court House, OH. A Southeast, Upper-Midwest, or Ohio-Valley buyer gets a materially shorter haul, which is exactly why it pays to run your ZIP through our Freight Cost Estimator for an exact number rather than a rough guess. Call 866-418-1777 to confirm capacity, fittings, freight, and lead time for your project.
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