The Chem-Tainer 165 gallon vertical liquid storage tank gives you a compact, high-strength footprint for indoor or sheltered liquid storage. It stands 58 inches tall on a 31 x 31 inch square footprint - just 2.7 square feet of floor space - holds 165 gallons of natural-white HDPE, and carries a 1.9 specific-gravity rating, a heavy-duty rating for this size class. That rating is the number to anchor on: it tells you exactly how dense a liquid this tank is built to hold, full, every day.
Will it work for your application?
This is a vertical storage tank molded from polyethylene in natural white. The load math is the decision that matters most: empty, it is light; full of water, it carries roughly 1,376 pounds; at its full 1.9 specific-gravity rating, it is engineered to support up to 2,615 pounds of contents. Size your pad and supports to 2,615 pounds if you intend to store anything denser than plain water, because the 31 x 31 inch footprint concentrates that weight over a small area. If you are unsure whether 165 gallons is the right volume for your draw-down, run the numbers through our Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide before you buy.
Specs and configuration
Height is 58 inches, width and length are each 31 inches, and the body is natural-white HDPE rated to 1.9 specific gravity. Check the technical drawing on this page for the fitting and outlet layout so you can match your inlet, outlet, and vent plumbing before delivery. One detail buyers miss: the gasket or seal material on your fittings has to match the stored liquid, not just the tank wall - an EPDM or Viton mismatch can fail even when the polyethylene itself is fine. Because this is a vertical HDPE storage tank, it suits a wide range of water and general liquid-storage duty where a tall, small-footprint vessel fits the space better than a sprawling horizontal one. For a fuller walk-through of this exact size, see our 165 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank buyer's guide, and if you are weighing brands at larger volumes, our Snyder vs Norwesco vs Chem-Tainer comparison shows how the three lines stack up. Storing outdoors in a cold climate? Our cold-climate freeze-protection guide covers reservoir and fire-reserve duty in detail.
The mistake to avoid
The common error on a small vertical tank like this is treating the specific-gravity rating as a fill ceiling rather than a density ceiling. The 1.9 rating means the tank can safely hold a liquid up to 1.9 times the density of water - it does not mean you should overfill it. This SKU is already the heavy-duty rating for its size, so 1.9 is the ceiling: if your liquid exceeds 1.9 specific gravity, this is not the tank for it - call us at 866-418-1777 and we will point you to one that fits. And if your stored liquid is anything other than water, confirm material compatibility before you commit; a vertical HDPE storage tank is a broadly capable workhorse, but the liquid, not just the gallons, decides the right vessel.
This tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP. It is stocked at our Bensenville, IL; Hanford, CA; and Hummelstown, PA plants, so most orders ship from the location nearest you - get a real number through the Freight Cost Estimator or call 866-418-1777 to lock in your route and timeline. Have your delivery ZIP and any dock or liftgate needs ready and we will quote the fastest, lowest-cost route to you.
