The Chem-Tainer 55 Gallon Plastic Portable Utility Tank is a flat-bottom polyethylene tank built for compact, ground-level storage and transport of water and water-based fluids. At 42 inches long by 26 inches wide and 16 inches tall, it holds 55 gallons over a 26.0 x 42.0 inch footprint - a low, slim utility tank profile that fits on a pickup bed, a trailer, a skid, or a tight equipment shed where a taller vertical tank will not work. The white polyethylene lets you read the fluid level through the wall, and the wide, shallow shape keeps the center of gravity low when the tank rides full.
Will this 55 gallon utility tank work for your job?
This is a 55-gallon utility tank rated to a 1.5 specific gravity, so the polyethylene wall is built to carry contents heavier than water. Plain water fills it to roughly 459 pounds, and the tank is rated to a maximum contents weight of 688 pounds. Those two numbers connect directly: 688 divided by 459 is right at 1.5, which is the SG rating in plain math - the wall is built to carry fluids up to one-and-a-half times the density of water without overstressing. Use the loaded figure, not the empty one, when you plan the support underneath: a full tank concentrates real weight on a small footprint, so size the deck, skid, or pad to the 688-pound rated load. The Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide help you match volume and loaded weight to the space and structure you have.
Mounting, support, and fittings
Because this is a flat-bottom design, it wants continuous, level support across the whole base rather than a few point loads. A flat bed, a full-contact skid, or a poured pad all work; what you want to avoid is letting the tank bridge a gap or sit on rails that dig into the bottom under load. For permanent ground-level installs, our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI framework for sizing the slab to the loaded weight. If the tank is going on a farm vehicle or trailer for field use, the discussion of portable utility tanks and the 49 CFR 173.5 agricultural exemption covers how these flat-bottom utility tanks are classified for farm fleet transport. One thing to confirm before you order: the fill, drain, and lid configuration is not specified here, so check the exact port and cover layout with us at 866-418-1777 rather than assuming a particular fitting or opening is in place.
The mistake to avoid
The 1.5 SG rating describes the wall's strength, not a license to put anything in the tank. It is built for water and water-based fluids; before you store anything denser or more aggressive than water, confirm the fluid against the manufacturer's chemical-resistance chart at its actual concentration and temperature. That confirmation has to include the seal path, not just the wall - if the tank carries a fill or drain port, the gasket and seal elastomer on that fitting must be confirmed compatible with the stored fluid at its concentration and temperature, since the polyethylene body and the port seals are different materials. The other common miss is the support: 688 pounds of rated contents on a 26 x 42 inch footprint is a lot of load on a small area, so build the base for the full, loaded tank from day one.
This tank ships LTL freight from the nearest of our plants - Marked Tree, AR or Merced, CA - with the origin and carrier set by your delivery point. The origin matters to your bill: a West Coast destination ships from Merced and an Eastern one from Marked Tree, so the live ZIP quote is the only accurate freight number. Get an exact figure with the Freight Cost Estimator or call us at 866-418-1777 and we'll size the tank, the support, and the freight to your site.
