The Chem-Tainer 36 gallon open top batch storage tank (SKU TC1548AA) is a tall, narrow cylindrical vessel built for batch mixing, decanting, and small-volume storage where floor space is tight. At 48 inches tall on a 15 by 18 inch footprint, it holds 36 gallons in a column rather than a sprawling tub, so it tucks against a wall or beside a process line without eating a workbench. It is molded from polyethylene in natural white, and what separates it from a plain water tub is its rating: 1.9 specific gravity.
Will it work for your batch?
Sized full of water, this tank weighs about 300 pounds, but it carries a maximum rated contents weight of 570 pounds. That higher number is the one to size to. Across 36 gallons, 570 pounds works out to roughly 15.8 pounds per gallon, versus the 8.34 pounds per gallon of water, which is exactly what the 1.9 specific gravity rating means: it is built to carry dense brines, slurries, and concentrates that weigh nearly twice what water does, where a standard water-only tank would be over its limit. Size your support to that 570 pound figure, not to the water weight. The footprint is 15.0 by 18.0 inches, so plan your pad or shelf around that base plus room to lift product over a 48 inch rim. Because it is an open top design, you fill, stir, and dip from the top rather than through a fitted port, which keeps mixing and sampling simple. To confirm 36 gallons matches your actual batch volume and turnover, run the numbers through the Tank Sizing Calculator or read the Tank Sizing Guide before you commit to a size.
How it ships
This open top tank ships LTL freight from the Chem-Tainer plant in West Babylon, New York, with the cost quoted live to your ZIP code rather than bundled into the list price. Because it is a tall, low-density item, it cubes out before it weighs out, so freight class and your distance from New York drive the cost more than the actual poundage does. Get a number before you buy using the Freight Cost Estimator or by calling 866-418-1777. If you are spec'ing more than one storage tank for a process train or a reuse loop, our guide on industrial water reuse tank topology walks through banding storage by quality stage.
The mistake to avoid
Two traps come with a tank this tall, narrow, and open. First, stability: a 48 inch column on a 15 by 18 inch base has a high center of gravity, so it wants a flat, level surface that fully supports the entire footprint, not a partial ledge or an uneven floor. For a permanent install, size a proper pad rather than improvising, and see our walkthrough on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks. Second, drainage: this ships as an open vessel with no factory outlets or bulkhead fittings, and the open top means no sealed headspace. If you need bottom draining or a closed, pressurized container, this is not the tank, look at a cone- or flat-bottom design with an outlet instead. Dimensions and the base layout are shown on the technical drawing on this page; confirm them against your space before ordering.
Ready to move? Get your freight quote through the Freight Cost Estimator or call 866-418-1777 to lock in a price to your ZIP. Use the Tank Sizing Calculator to make sure 36 gallons of open top storage is the right call before you order.
