The Norwesco 20000 Gallon HDPE Vertical Liquid Storage Tank (SKU N-43827) holds 20,000 gallons in a blue vertical body molded from high density linear polyethylene. It stands 242 inches tall — just over 20 feet 2 inches — on a 165 x 165 inch footprint, making it a fixed-site reservoir for bulk water storage, fire-water reserves, rural and remote supply, and agricultural or industrial process water. Carried at a 1.9 specific gravity rating, this Norwesco vertical tank is built to hold liquids substantially heavier than water without exceeding its design rating.
Will it work for your site?
The numbers that drive your foundation and rigging come straight off the spec sheet on this page. Full of water, the tank weighs roughly 166,800 lb, and at its maximum rated contents weight it carries up to 316,920 lb. That load lands on a 165.0 x 165.0 inch footprint — about 189 square feet — so the average bearing pressure runs near 882 lb per square foot full of water and roughly 1,675 lb per square foot at the maximum rated contents weight (averaged, before edge and seismic effects). The pad has to be engineered for it, not poured by eye. For above-ground polyethylene tanks at this scale, work through our Concrete Pad Sizing for Above-Ground Polyethylene Tanks guide, which walks the ACI 360R-10 framework and where the ACI 318 boundary applies. To confirm 20,000 gallons is the right volume for your draw and refill cycle, run the Tank Sizing Calculator and read the Tank Sizing Guide; the 20,000 Gallon Vertical Liquid Storage Tank buyer's guide covers this size class in depth.
Siting, fittings, and what to watch
At just over 20 feet tall and roughly 166,800 lb full of water, this body cannot be repositioned once it is set, so confirm overhead clearance for power lines and roof eaves, fill-pipe reach, and crane and rigging access before delivery day. Use the technical drawing on this page to confirm outlet locations and overall dimensions, and because the fitting and outlet configuration is not published in the listing specs, call 866-418-1777 to confirm the exact layout before you order rather than assuming an outlet size. The most common mistake on a tank this large is under-building the foundation: the difference between the full-water figure and the maximum rated contents figure is real load that the slab, the soil bearing, and any seismic detailing have to account for.
Specific gravity and what it means for your pad
The 1.9 specific gravity rating is real shell headroom: at 20,000 gallons, contents at about 1.9 times water density work out to the 316,920 lb maximum-contents figure (20,000 gal x ~8.34 lb/gal x 1.9). That tells you the shell is rated for heavier-than-water service, but your foundation still has to be designed for the actual weight of whatever you store, not the water figure. For fire-protection reservoirs specifically, the Fire-Water Reservoir Tank Design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection.
A note on wall thickness and long-term inspection
On tall vertical HDPE tanks, the wall is thickest at the base where hydrostatic pressure is greatest and tapers toward the top. Premature failures often originate at the vapor-saturated headspace rather than the liquid side, which is exactly where routine liquid-level inspection misses them. Our guide on HDPE Tank Wall Thickness at the Vapor-Saturated Headspace explains the ASTM D1998 sizing logic operators should understand before they specify a unit this size.
This tank ships LTL freight, quoted live to your ZIP from the nearest Norwesco plant — Albertville, AL; St. Bonifacius, MN; or Washington Court House, OH. Freight is quoted from the plant closest to you, so a Southeast site typically ships from Albertville, an Upper-Midwest site from St. Bonifacius, and an Ohio-Valley site from Washington Court House — get the number for your own ZIP rather than estimating. Because a unit this size moves as oversized freight, use the Freight Cost Estimator for a freight quote to your address, or call 866-418-1777 to arrange delivery and site access. Listed price is before freight.
