The Chem-Tainer 250 Gallon 20-Degree Open Top Cone Bottom Tank (SKU TC4246CA) is a polyethylene cone-bottom vessel built for batch chemical service where you want liquid to drain toward a center outlet instead of pooling on a flat floor. It stands 46 inches tall on a 42 x 42 inch footprint, holds 250 gallons, and carries a 1.5 specific gravity rating. The open top gives you full access for mixing, manual additions, and inspection, and the 20-degree cone moves liquid and light solids toward the drain. Be honest with yourself about your product, though: 20 degrees is the gentle end of the cone range, so it drains slower and leaves more heel on viscous or solids-heavy batches than a 30 or 45-degree cone. If drainage rate and residual heel matter, the 30-degree vs 45-degree drainage comparison and the cone-bottom buyer's guide show how cone angle changes what stays behind.
Will it work for your application?
At 250 gallons this open top cone bottom tank weighs about 2,085 lb full of water and is rated to carry up to 3,128 lb of contents at its 1.5 specific gravity limit. That headroom is what lets it hold liquids heavier than water, but the rating is a hard ceiling, not a suggestion. Before you commit, run your batch size and product density through the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide so loaded weight stays inside the 1.5 SG envelope. A cone tank does not stand on its own point, so it ships into a stand or support structure that you supply or order separately. Confirm the outlet size and port locations with us or on the technical drawing on this page, and if you are still planning where vent, fill, level, and drain connections should go, the tank-top fitting placement guide lays out a layout that avoids cross-contamination and operator error.
Chemical compatibility
This is a polyethylene tank with a 1.5 specific gravity rating, and the resin is listed as HDLPE with a question mark. Treat that as a hard gate: confirm HDLPE versus XLPE with us before chemical service, because crosslinked and linear polyethylene behave differently with aggressive chemistries on this list, and we will not warrant chemical service until the resin is confirmed. Within the 1.5 SG rating, this tank suits acetic acid (60%, PP/PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets), aluminum sulfate (50%, PVC, EPDM), calcium chloride (40%, PVC, EPDM), ferrous sulfate (20%, PVC, EPDM), magnesium chloride (30%, PVC, EPDM), sodium carbonate (30%, PVC, EPDM), urea solution (50%, PP/PVC, EPDM), and ozonated water (up to 10 PPM, PVC, EPDM). Two on this list break the PVC pattern: DEF / diesel exhaust fluid (32.5%) calls for 316SS fittings, not PVC, with EPDM gaskets. Match the fitting and gasket material to the chemical, not just the tank, and always verify against the OEM chemical-resistance chart for your exact concentration and operating temperature. Check each chemical in our Chemical Compatibility Database before you finalize the build.
The mistake to avoid
The costly error on a cone-bottom buy is putting a heavy or aggressive chemical in a tank that is not rated for it. This is a 1.5 SG tank, and several chemistries people store in cone-bottoms need a 1.9 SG vessel instead. Some of that group runs on EPDM gaskets, such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, potassium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, polyaluminum chloride, sodium bisulfate, sodium bisulfite, sodium thiosulfate, and zinc orthophosphate. The aggressive-oxidizer and strong-acid subset needs more than a heavier tank, it needs Viton or Aflas gaskets and in some cases CPVC or 316SS fittings rather than PVC: sulfuric acid (CPVC, Viton), hydrochloric acid (PVC, Viton), hydrofluoric acid and hydrofluosilicic acid (PP/PVC, Viton), hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite (PVC, Viton), and peracetic acid (316SS, Aflas). If your product is on either list, ask us about the 1.9 SG version and the right gasket before you order, not after.
This open top cone tank ships LTL freight from the nearest of our plants in Hanford, CA or West Babylon, NY, with the rate quoted live to your ZIP. Get a number in seconds with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 to confirm the resin, SG rating, outlet and fitting layout, and the right cone stand for your install before you buy.
