The Chem-Tainer 39 Gallon PE Rectangular Open Top Tank is a compact open-top polyethylene basin for batch handling, parts washing, secondary containment, and short-term water staging - jobs where you need unobstructed top access and a footprint that tucks into a tight bay. At 39 gallons, a full charge of water weighs roughly 325 pounds, so the surface under it has to carry that load without flex. Read the rectangular footprint and interior height off the technical drawing on this page before you commit to a shelf, bench, or pad.
Will it work for your job?
This is a rectangular open top tank molded from polyethylene - a true open tank, not a closed cylindrical vessel. The open top is the whole point: you get clean access to dip, scoop, fill, mix, or drop a pump straight in, which is why these get pulled for open top staging, washdown, and rectangular tank applications where a round drum wastes corner space. Confirm the inside height and top opening against the technical drawing so your bucket, basket, or agitator clears. In the listed configuration this is a bare open-top basin - no pre-installed bulkhead, outlet, or drain - so any plumbed fitting is a field add. For matching a basin to a flow or a process volume, the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide walk you through capacity versus footprint so you don't oversize the bench or undersize the catch.
Freight: how it gets to you
This tank ships LTL, with freight quoted live to your ZIP rather than rolled into the list price. It fulfills from Chem-Tainer's Hummelstown, Pennsylvania point (with West Babylon, NY as the alternate origin), so East Coast and Mid-Atlantic destinations tend to see the shortest lanes. Because the load on a filled tank drives both freight class and your support structure, settle the pad question and the freight number together - get the exact figure for your address with the Freight Cost Estimator or by phone at 866-418-1777.
The mistake to avoid
The trap on an open top rectangular tank is treating it like a sealed, pressure-rated, or potable vessel. It is an open basin: not for pressurized service, not for sealed transport, and the open design leaves liquid exposed to air, debris, and evaporation if it lives outdoors or under traffic. Don't assume chemical service either - polyethylene resistance depends on the specific chemical, its concentration, and temperature, so that has to be verified before you put anything but water in it. And match the real full load to your support: 39 gallons of water is about 325 pounds of dead weight, and many shelves and folding benches are not rated for that. Size the pad or stand for the filled weight, not the empty tank - the concrete pad sizing guide covers how to set a base that carries the filled load.
Ready to move? Pull your freight number with the Freight Cost Estimator, size the basin to your process with the Tank Sizing Calculator, or call 866-418-1777 to confirm the nearest shipping point. We quote freight straight to your ZIP.
