The Norwesco 13000 gallon black heavy-duty vertical storage tank holds 13,000 gallons in a 144-inch (12 ft) diameter circular footprint that stands 198 inches, or 16.5 feet, tall. It is molded from polyethylene and carries a 1.9 specific gravity rating, which is the standout number on this tank: rated to 1.9 SG, it carries dense liquids well beyond the weight of plain water, so the same shell that holds water also has real headroom for heavier contents. The black resin and the heavy-duty designation make this Norwesco vertical storage tank a workhorse for bulk water storage where wall strength and UV durability matter more than a translucent gallon-level view.
Will it work for your site?
This is a true bulk reservoir, so the planning numbers come first. Full of water the tank weighs 108,420 lb, and at its 1.9 specific gravity rating the maximum rated contents weight is 205,998 lb. That load drives everything underneath it: the pad has to carry the full filled weight across the 144-inch (12 ft) diameter footprint, and at 198 inches you are planning for a 16.5-foot vertical envelope plus fill and vent clearance overhead. Run your volume and headroom through the Tank Sizing Calculator and the Tank Sizing Guide before you commit, because a tank this size is sized once and lived with for years.
Foundation and application
A 13,000 gallon vertical tank is a foundation project as much as a tank purchase. Pour and cure a level pad rated for the filled load before delivery, and remember that the footprint is a 144-inch (12 ft) diameter circle, so the pad must be a full-diameter circle or square that covers it completely, not an undersized slab. Our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI 360R-10 framework and where the ACI 318 boundary applies. This size is a common fit for rural fire-water reserves, agricultural and irrigation supply, and industrial water reuse trains. If fire protection is the use case, read fire-water reservoir tank design for rural and remote sites for NFPA 22 sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection. For grey-water, rainwater, and HVAC condensate aggregation, our industrial water reuse tank topology guide covers quality-banded storage trains.
The mistake to avoid
The number people underestimate is the foundation, not the tank. At 205,998 lb of maximum rated contents weight, this is not a tank you set on compacted gravel or an undersized pad. Fitting and outlet configuration is not published in the spec sheet, so confirm your plumbing against the technical drawing on this page or by phone before you order valves and pipe, and verify the pad design carries the full filled load with margin. Get the foundation right first and this tank will outlast the structure it sits next to.
This tank ships LTL freight from the Norwesco plant in Albertville, Alabama, with freight quoted live to your ZIP and not included in the list price. Get an exact freight number with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote the freight and confirm lead time on this vertical storage tank for you.
