The Chem-Tainer 45 Gallon PE Rectangular Open Top Tank is a compact polyethylene vessel built for water handling where you need open access from the top and a footprint that fits against a wall or in a corner. Rated at 45 gallons, it holds roughly 375 pounds of water when full, so you can plan supports, shelving, or a stand around a known load rather than a guess. The upright rectangular walls use space more efficiently than a round drum in tight quarters, and the open top makes it straightforward to fill, dip, mix, or monitor by eye. It also ships from Merced, California, which keeps LTL freight short for buyers across the West Coast.
Will it work for my job?
This is a 45-gallon rectangular open top tank molded from polyethylene, sized for batching, rinse stations, parts soaking, small-volume water storage, and any setup where an open tank beats a closed drum for access. Because the top is open, treat the rated 45 gallons as a working capacity and leave freeboard so you don't slosh when moving or stirring. The 375-pound full-water figure is your governing load number, and that is water only - add the tank's own empty weight (see the technical drawing on this page) for the total your pad or shelf has to carry. Confirm your overhead clearance and reach into the tank before you commit a location, since open-top access is the whole point of this rectangular tank format. To compare this against other sizes and shapes, the Tank Sizing Calculator and our Tank Sizing Guide walk through capacity, footprint, and weight tradeoffs.
What ships in the box
This tank ships as a bare open-top vessel: no pre-installed bulkhead fittings, outlets, or lid come plumbed into it. That is normal for an open-top water tank and gives you a clean slate to add the fittings your setup needs - but plan for it, because nothing is drilled or tapped out of the box. If you want help matching a bulkhead, outlet, or cover to this tank, call us at 866-418-1777 and we'll spec it with you before you order.
Mistake to avoid
The most common error with an open top water tank is setting it on an uneven or partially supported base. Polyethylene tanks need a flat, fully supported surface across the entire bottom; bridging the tank across joists, a rim, or a cracked pad concentrates that 375-pound load and stresses the floor of the tank over time. If this is going on a poured pad, our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks covers the framework for getting that base right. Also remember this is a water tank with an open top, not a sealed pressure or transport vessel - keep it stationary and continuously supported in service.
Freight and ordering
This tank ships LTL freight from the Merced, California plant, quoted live to your ZIP code rather than bundled into the list price. Use the Freight Cost Estimator to get a freight figure to your address, or call us at 866-418-1777 and we'll quote it and confirm lead time. If you're staging water for reuse or remote-site supply, our pieces on industrial water reuse tank topology and fire-water reservoir tank design for rural and remote sites show how a tank this size fits into a larger storage train. See the technical drawing on this page for dimensional detail before you finalize your layout.
