The Chem-Tainer 500 Gallon Vertical Double Wall Liquid Chemical Storage Tank (SKU TC5971DC) is a self-contained primary-plus-secondary containment unit molded in natural white polyethylene and rated to a 1.9 specific gravity. It stands 71 inches tall on a 59 x 59 inch footprint, so the outer wall doubles as built-in secondary containment without a separate berm. The double wall construction is the point here: an inner tank holding up to 500 gallons nested inside an outer shell that captures a release, which is the architecture SPCC and similar spill-prevention programs are written around. That 59-inch width is also a delivery fact worth checking early, since it gates through-door placement, and the 71-inch height calls for clear overhead room at the install spot.
Will this tank work for your chemical?
Start with weight, because a double wall vertical loads a slab harder than people expect. Filled with water this tank carries about 4,170 pounds. At its full 1.9 SG rating the contents can reach roughly 7,923 pounds, nearly 1.9 times the water weight and about 3,750 pounds more. A pad or secondary-containment slab sized only for "a 500-gallon water tank" is under-spec by almost double, so size your foundation, anchoring, and any supporting structure for the 7,923-pound maximum, not for water. The 1.9 rating is the top of the standard range for this family and covers dense acids and concentrated solutions that a standard 1.5 SG tank cannot hold, so no higher-SG variant is needed for the listed chemicals. Confirm your fill height and contents weight against the technical drawing on this page before you pour a foundation, and use the Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide if you are still settling on a size.
Chemical compatibility
This tank is molded in polyethylene with a 1.9 SG rating. The resin grade reads as HDLPE in our data but is shown unconfirmed, so verify HDLPE versus XLPE (cross-linked) with us before committing the tank to chemical service, since cross-linking changes resistance to oxidizers and solvents. All compatibility below comes from our chemical-resistance data, which is concentration and temperature specific, so match your exact concentration and operating temperature before ordering. No fittings or gaskets ship with this tank, so they are specified and bought separately to suit your chemical.
Documented compatible chemicals for this resin and SG, with the fitting and gasket materials called out by the chart:
- Acetic Acid 60% - PP/PVC fittings, EPDM gaskets
- Aluminum Sulfate 50% - PVC, EPDM
- Calcium Chloride 40% - PVC, EPDM
- DEF 32.5% - 316SS, EPDM
- Ethylene Glycol 100% - PVC, EPDM
- Ferric Chloride 50% - PVC, EPDM
- Ferric Sulfate 60% - PVC, EPDM
- Ferrous Sulfate 20% - PVC, EPDM
- Hydrochloric Acid 37% - PVC, Viton
- Hydrofluoric Acid 48% - PP/PVC, Viton
- Hydrofluosilicic Acid 26% - PP/PVC, Viton
- Hydrogen Peroxide 50% - PVC, Viton
- Magnesium Chloride 30% - PVC, EPDM
- Peracetic Acid 30% - 316SS, Aflas
- Phosphoric Acid 85% - PVC, Viton
- Polyaluminum Chloride - PVC, EPDM
- Potassium Carbonate 50% - PVC, EPDM
- Potassium Hydroxide saturated - PVC, EPDM
- Propylene Glycol - PP/316SS, EPDM
- Sodium Bisulfate - PVC/PP, EPDM
- Sodium Bisulfite - PVC/PP, EPDM
- Sodium Carbonate 30% - PVC, EPDM
- Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) under 16.5% - PVC, Viton
- Sodium Thiosulfate 40% - PVC, EPDM
- Sulfuric Acid 98% - CPVC, Viton
- Urea Solution 50% - PP/PVC, EPDM
- Zinc Orthophosphate - PP/316SS, EPDM
- Ozonated Water up to 10 PPM - PVC, EPDM
Notice the gasket material changes with the chemical: EPDM for most salts and bases, but Viton for the strong oxidizers and acids like sulfuric, hydrochloric, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium hypochlorite, and Aflas for peracetic acid. The most common mistake on this tank is ordering EPDM fittings across the board and then watching them fail on a Viton- or Aflas-rated chemical. Match the fitting and gasket to your specific chemical, and see the full Chemical Compatibility Database to confirm concentration and temperature.
Sizing level instrumentation correctly
A double wall chemical tank earns its keep with the right overfill and level safeguards. Our guide on tank level gauge selection for chemical service walks through radar, ultrasonic, hydrostatic, and magnetostrictive options, and the writeup on tank spillover redundancy engineering covers high-level alarms and automatic cutoff valves. For the compliance picture behind double wall storage, see our SPCC 40 CFR 112 walkthrough and the Snyder vs Norwesco vs Chem-Tainer vertical comparison if you are weighing brands.
Freight
This 500 gallon vertical double wall storage tank ships LTL freight from the Chem-Tainer plant in Merced, California. Because LTL is priced by distance, weight, and your ZIP, freight is quoted live rather than included in the list price. Get an exact number with our Freight Cost Estimator or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it to your delivery ZIP and confirm HDLPE versus XLPE resin for your chemical before you order.
