The Chem-Tainer 850 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank is a 124-inch-tall polyethylene vertical tank on a 48 x 48 inch footprint, built to stack real volume into a compact pad area for water and liquid storage. It carries a 1.5 specific gravity rating, which is the single most important number to understand before you order and the headline capability of this build. This page covers what the tank holds, how it ships, and the one mistake that catches buyers on a tank this size.
Will it work for your storage job
At 850 gallons in a true vertical storage tank configuration, this tank measures 124 inches tall by 48 inches in both width and length, so it builds capacity upward rather than spreading across the ground. Two weight figures drive your planning: filled with plain water the contents weigh 7,089 pounds, and at the tank's full 1.5 specific gravity rating the maximum rated contents weight climbs to 10,634 pounds (roughly 12.5 pounds per gallon). That 1.5 rating is the premium spec here, this is already the higher-SG build, so it covers heavier industrial liquids that many standard 1.0 to 1.1 specific gravity water tanks cannot hold. The body is molded polyethylene rated for liquid storage. If you are weighing this capacity against other sizes or confirming 850 gallons is the right call, work through the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide, and read the 850 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank buyer's guide for a full breakdown of this exact size. See the technical drawing on this page for the dimensioned layout.
Fittings and material compatibility, confirm before you order
The outlet and fitting configuration is not specified on this listing, so do not assume a bulkhead size, gasket, or lid is included. Call 866-418-1777 to confirm the bulkhead fitting size, gasket material, and lid before ordering. This matters beyond convenience: the polyethylene body handles the 1.5 specific gravity load, but real chemical compatibility is governed by the seal and bulkhead materials as much as the shell. Confirm that the gasket or o-ring and the bulkhead fitting material are both rated for your specific liquid alongside the PE body, since the wetted parts and the seals all have to be compatible. We can walk through that on the phone before you commit.
The pad, height, and weight mistake to avoid
The error people make on a tank this tall is underbuilding the foundation. A full vertical tank at 1.5 specific gravity puts more than five tons onto a 48 x 48 inch footprint, and that load concentrates on a small base. The pad has to be level, continuous, and rated for the maximum contents weight, not just the water weight, so size the foundation to the 10,634-pound figure if you ever intend to store a liquid heavier than water and pour it to engineered specs rather than dropping the tank on bare ground or a thin slab. Our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI framework for getting this right. There is also a delivery-fit angle: at 124 inches tall this tank exceeds standard 8-foot (96-inch) door and ceiling clearance, so confirm overhead clearance at the install site and the unload path before the LTL truck arrives. If your application is a fire-water reservoir or private fire-protection storage, the fire-water reservoir design guide covers sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection for this kind of vertical tank.
How it ships
An 850-gallon vertical tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP code. It ships from the nearest Chem-Tainer plant in either Marked Tree, Arkansas or Merced, California, so your freight cost depends heavily on which plant serves your region. Get an exact number through the Freight Cost Estimator before you buy, or call us at 866-418-1777 and we will quote it for you. If you are comparing this tank against equivalents from other manufacturers, the Snyder vs Norwesco vs Chem-Tainer vertical storage tank comparison shows how the brands stack up on a like-for-like basis.
Ready to move on this vertical storage tank? Run your ZIP through the Freight Cost Estimator for a live LTL quote, or call 866-418-1777 to confirm specs, fittings, the nearest shipping plant, and lead time with our team.
