The Chem-Tainer 200 Gallon Open Top Storage Tank (SKU TC3648AA-BLACK) is a round open-top polyethylene cylinder — 36 inches in diameter and 48 inches tall — molded in black and holding 200 gallons. The open top gives you full overhead access for filling, mixing, batching, hand-dipping, and cleanout, which is the practical reason operators choose an open tank over a closed vertical when they need to see and work the contents. It is a straightforward, heavy-duty open top tank for water and general bulk storage.
Will it work for your job?
This 200 gallon tank is molded from polyethylene and carries a 2.0 specific gravity rating, so its wall is engineered for contents heavier than water. Filled with plain water (SG 1.0), the 200 gallons weigh about 1,668 pounds; at the full 2.0 rating the shell is built to carry contents up to roughly 3,336 pounds. That 2.0 rating is the top structural band Chem-Tainer offers on this footprint — this already is the heavy-duty version, so the correct move is to confirm your material's specific gravity stays at or under 2.0, not to hunt for a denser-rated unit. One honest note on fittings: this is a bare open-top vessel with no factory outlet, bulkhead fitting, or gasket included, so any drain or side penetration is field-added. Use our Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide to match capacity and loaded weight to your process before you order.
Setting it up right
An open-top storage tank at 48 inches tall needs a flat, load-rated foundation to carry that 1,600-plus pound filled weight across its 36-inch round base. If you are pouring a slab, our guide to concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks the ACI framework. Crews staging batch storage for water reuse — grey-water, rainwater, or HVAC condensate aggregation — will find our industrial water reuse tank topology guide useful for sequencing several open tanks into a storage train, and rural fire-water reservoir users can reference our fire-water reservoir design notes on NFPA 22 sizing and freeze protection.
The mistake to avoid
The most common error with an open-top tank is overlooking specific gravity. Because the top is open and it looks like a simple water barrel, buyers assume any liquid is fine — but the 2.0 SG rating is a real structural limit. Fill it with a denser liquid than the wall is rated for and you overload the shell. Verify your contents stay at or under 2.0 SG, and set the tank on a base matched to the loaded weight.
This 200 gallon open top tank ships by LTL freight from the nearest Chem-Tainer plant — Hanford, CA or Lincoln, NE — with the rate quoted live to your ZIP. Because the two plants split West Coast and Central lanes, your delivery ZIP is the only thing that sets the true freight number, so run it through our Freight Cost Estimator for an instant quote, or call 866-418-1777 and we will price it and confirm lead time from the closest facility.
