The Chem-Tainer 56 Gallon PE Rectangular Open Top Tank is a compact polyethylene rectangular tank built for open-access water storage, batching, and transfer work where you dip, fill, or hand-load from the top. With a 56-gallon working capacity and an open-top design, it answers the kind of job people search for as a rectangular open top tank or open tank: parts rinsing, water staging, secondary catch, and small-batch holding where a sealed vessel would only get in the way. The rectangular footprint packs more usable volume into a tight bench or corner than a round tank of the same capacity.
Will it work for your job?
This is a 56-gallon rectangular open top tank molded in polyethylene, configured here for water service. It ships as a bare open-top vessel - no pre-installed bulkhead fittings or drain outlet - so you load and empty from the top, or add a field-installed bulkhead with the appropriate gasket if you need a bottom draw. For the exact length, width, height, and top-opening geometry, see the technical drawing on this page, since rectangular tanks are bought on fit. If you are weighing this against a larger or differently shaped vessel, run your numbers through the Tank Sizing Calculator or read the Tank Sizing Guide to confirm the capacity matches your duty cycle.
Mounting and water-weight planning
Filled to capacity with water, plan for roughly 467 lb of full water weight on whatever it sits on - a real number worth checking against your bench, rack, or pad before you set it. Across a rectangular footprint, that 467 lb means the base must be continuously and evenly supported: an open-top rectangular tank should not bridge a gap or perch on an uneven frame, or the walls will distort over time. If you are placing it on a slab or building a pad, the framework in our concrete pad sizing guide for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through how to size and support poly tanks so the base stays flat and the walls stay true.
The mistake to avoid
The common error with an open-top water tank is treating it like a sealed, pressurized, or chemical-rated vessel. This tank is specified here for water and water-like media at atmospheric pressure. Anything denser than water, or any chemical duty, calls for a tank rated for that service - do not assume the open-top, atmospheric design will carry it. If your job involves chemical storage or solids that need to drain cleanly, a cone-bottom design is the better starting point; our Chem-Tainer cone-bottom 30 vs 45 drainage comparison walks through that choice. Keep this tank to water staging, rinse, catch, and batch duty and it will earn its keep.
Because this is a smaller tank shipping LTL freight, get a real number before you order - that single step matters most for out-of-region buyers, where LTL on a light poly tank can run higher than expected. It ships from our plant in West Babylon, NY, quoted live to your ZIP. Use the Freight Cost Estimator for an instant figure, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it for you. For larger water-storage projects - reuse trains, rainwater capture, or rural fire-water reserves - our industrial water reuse tank topology guide and fire-water reservoir design guide cover sizing the larger storage stack.
