The Chem-Tainer 500 Gallon Plastic Vertical Liquid Storage Tank is a polyethylene vertical tank built for general liquid storage, with a 500-gallon working capacity, a 63-inch diameter footprint, and a 53-inch overall height. If you are sizing a vertical storage tank for water or other compatible liquids and want a compact 63 x 63 base that still holds 500 gallons, this is the configuration to look at. Three things decide whether it is right for your site: whether it fits and holds your liquid, how it ships, and the one spec that trips most buyers up.
Will it work for your application?
This is a vertical tank with a stated capacity of 500 gallons and outside dimensions of 63 inches wide by 63 inches long by 53 inches tall, giving you a 63.0 x 63.0 inch footprint. The shell is polyethylene with a 1.5 specific gravity rating, which means the resin is rated to carry contents up to 1.5 times the weight of water. Full of plain water at roughly 8.34 pounds per gallon, the tank holds about 4,170 pounds of liquid; loaded to its full 1.5 SG rating it is engineered for up to 6,255 pounds of contents. Use those weights when you design the pad or platform underneath it - a flat, fully supported, level base sized to the full 63-inch diameter is what keeps a vertical poly tank stable under load. If you are unsure whether 500 gallons is the right working volume for your draw rate or refill cycle, run the numbers through our Tank Sizing Calculator or read the Tank Sizing Guide before you commit. See the technical drawing on this page for inlet, outlet, and lid placement, and confirm the fitting sizes you need are called out before you order.
How it ships
This tank ships LTL freight from Hummelstown, PA, the nearest named plant for this SKU, and freight is quoted live to your ZIP rather than rolled into the list price. Because a 500-gallon vertical tank is bulky and light for its volume, freight is priced on dimensions as much as weight, so the delivery ZIP matters. Get an exact number before you order with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it for you.
The mistake to avoid
The spec that catches buyers on this tank is the 1.5 specific gravity rating. That 1.5 number is the maximum density the shell is built to hold - it does not mean every liquid up to that weight is appropriate for this polyethylene tank. For water and other compatible liquids inside that weight range you are well within spec. But before you store anything denser than water, or anything other than water, confirm two things: the weight (your liquid's specific gravity must stay at or below 1.5) and the chemical compatibility of the contents against the manufacturer's resistance data for the actual resin. If your liquid exceeds 1.5 SG, step up to a higher-SG-rated tank rather than maxing this one out - a tank loaded past its rating is overloaded from day one. And remember that compatibility is decided at the penetration, not just the shell: match the bulkhead fitting and gasket material to your stored liquid, not only the tank wall.
To compare this 63 x 63 configuration against other 500-gallon natural-white verticals, see our buyer's guides on the 500 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank (48 x 68) and the 500 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank (48 x 73) - both are taller, narrower 500-gallon builds, so they are useful footprint comparisons rather than spec matches for this shorter, wider tank. Ready to move? Get your freight quote with the Freight Cost Estimator or call 866-418-1777.
