The Chem-Tainer 55 Gallon 15 Degree Plastic Vertical Cone Bottom Tank (SKU TC2236CB) is an open-top, cone-bottom polypropylene tank built for batch mixing, settling, and full-drain dispensing where you need solids and residual liquid to clear the cone rather than pool on a flat floor. It stands 36 inches tall on a 22 x 22 inch footprint, holds 55 gallons, and is molded in polypropylene with a 2.0 specific gravity rating - meaning it is engineered to hold contents up to twice the weight of water per gallon. This is a cone-bottom tank with NO stand, so the 15-degree cone needs a support structure or stand sized to carry the full load before you put it into service.
Will it work for your application?
Filled with plain water, this tank carries about 459 lb; at its maximum 2.0 SG rating the contents can reach roughly 917 lb. Use those two numbers to size your stand, platform, and floor - the cone concentrates that weight on the support ring, not a flat base, so the structure underneath has to be rated for the loaded weight, not just the empty tank. The 22 x 22 inch footprint and 36-inch height make it a compact open-top vessel for batch work, settling, and cone-drain dispensing. As an open-top cone bottom tank it ships with no factory fittings, bulkhead penetrations, or gaskets - you spec and source every wall and drain penetration yourself, and on a cone-bottom tank the drain fitting carries the working load, so get it right before you build. Our fitting placement guide walks through laying out fill, vent, drain, and the cover penetrations to avoid cross-contamination, and the Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide help confirm 55 gallons is the right working volume.
Chemical compatibility
This tank is molded in polypropylene and rated to 2.0 specific gravity, which is why it suits heavier liquids that would exceed a standard 1.5-SG polyethylene tank. Polypropylene and polyethylene resist different chemical families, so before you commit this tank to any chemical service, verify your specific chemical, concentration, and temperature against the manufacturer's chemical-resistance chart - those charts are concentration- and temperature-specific, and a match at one concentration is not a match at another. Confirm your fitting and gasket materials independently of the tank resin, since they often govern compatibility before the wall does. Start with our Chemical Compatibility Database, and call 866-418-1777 if you want a second check on your chemical before ordering.
Choosing the right cone angle
This is the 15-degree cone, the shallowest of the common Chem-Tainer cone angles. Cone angle drives drainage rate, residual heel, and how well the tank clears solids, so before you settle on 15 degrees, read our cone-angle buyer's guide covering 15, 30, and 45 degrees - it is the one resource that covers this tank's actual angle. If you are considering a steeper cone instead for faster, more complete drainage, our Chem-Tainer 30 vs 45 comparison shows what you gain by stepping up the angle.
Mistake to avoid
The most common error on a cone-bottom tank with no stand is mounting it on a structure rated for the empty weight instead of the loaded weight - at 2.0 SG this tank can carry close to 917 lb concentrated on the cone support. Size the stand and floor for the heaviest contents you will run, not for water. See the technical drawing on this page for cone geometry and overall dimensions before fabricating or buying a stand.
This tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP from the nearest stocking plant - West Babylon, NY; Hummelstown, PA; or Delano, MN. Get a freight estimate with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 to confirm the right cone angle, stand, and fittings for your job before you order.
