The Chem-Tainer 500 Gallon Open Top Tank (SKU TC5260AB) is a cylindrical polypropylene vessel built for batch mixing and atmospheric water storage where you need full access from the top. Molded in white polypropylene, it stands 63 inches tall on a 57-inch diameter round footprint and holds 500 gallons. The open-top design lets you load product, drop in a mixer or agitator, inspect contents, and clean the interior without working around a fixed lid - the reason buyers shopping a 500 gallon open top tank reach for this geometry over a closed shell.
Will this tank work for your job?
This is an open top tank, so the 57-inch diameter round footprint and 63-inch height are your two governing dimensions for siting it under a fill line or beneath low overhead. Filled with water it carries roughly 4,170 pounds, so the pad or floor underneath has to be flat, fully supporting, and rated for that load - a cylindrical tank concentrates its weight on a round base, and any unsupported edge or soft spot will stress the wall. For help matching this 500 gallon size to your throughput and refill cycle, run the numbers in our Tank Sizing Calculator or read the Tank Sizing Guide. The technical drawing on this page shows the wall profile and overall dimensions to scale.
What to plan for before it ships
The single most common mistake on this tank is expecting it to arrive plumbed. It does not: this is a bare open-top shell with no factory-installed bulkhead fittings, outlets, or gaskets. Any drain, bulkhead, or fitting-and-gasket assembly has to be field-installed or specified separately, so plan that work and source the hardware before the tank lands. Because the top is open, it is also not a sealed or pressurized vessel - it is meant for atmospheric storage and mixing, and contents stay exposed unless you add your own cover. Set it on a continuously supported, level surface before you fill; a 500 gallon column of liquid is unforgiving of a tilted or partially supported base. If this is going outdoors, expect the open top to collect rain, debris, and sunlight. For mounting it on a pad, our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground tanks walks through getting the base right.
If you need full drain-down
A flat-bottom open top tank holds a residual heel - it will not gravity-drain completely, and it does not handle settling solids well. If your process needs to empty cleanly or move slurry, a cone-bottom geometry is the better fit. Our comparison of Chem-Tainer cone-bottom tanks at 30 degrees vs 45 degrees walks through drainage rate, residual heel, and solids handling so you can decide whether this open-top flat-bottom or a cone bottom matches your draw-down needs.
Freight
This tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP. It can ship from the nearest stocking plant - Albertville, AL; Hanford, CA; Hummelstown, PA; Keaau, HI; or West Babylon, NY - so the cost depends on which point is closest to you. Get a real number for your address with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call us at 866-418-1777 and we will route it from the closest plant and quote it for you.
