The Norwesco 6500 Gallon Black Vertical Storage Tank is a large-volume polyethylene storage tank built for bulk water and rural-site reservoir duty. Standing 147 inches tall on a 120-inch by 120-inch footprint, this black vertical tank holds 6,500 gallons and carries a 1.5 specific gravity rating, so it has headroom for liquids heavier than water without being pushed past its design limit. The black resin blocks light, which helps suppress algae growth, and that is one reason this style of Norwesco vertical storage tank is a common pick for long-term water storage, fire-water reserves, and industrial water reuse.
Will it work for your site?
Filled with water at a 1.0 specific gravity, this tank carries roughly 54,210 pounds of contents. At its full 1.5 SG rating, the contents weight climbs to about 81,315 pounds. Those are real numbers to plan around: a 6,500-gallon vertical tank is a permanent fixture, not something you reposition once it is set. The 120-inch square footprint and 147-inch height tell you the pad area and overhead clearance you need before delivery. For anything other than plain water, match the liquid's specific gravity against the 1.5 rating before you commit. If you are weighing this size against a smaller unit, the Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide will help you right-size for your draw-down and refill cycle.
Fittings, foundation, and placement
Fitting and outlet configuration is confirmed at the time of order, so call 866-418-1777 to lock in the bulkhead and outlet layout your installation needs; you can also reference the technical drawing on this page for the general arrangement. On the foundation side, a tank carrying up to 81,315 pounds of contents demands an engineered base. A vertical polyethylene tank this size needs a level, full-contact pad sized for the 120-inch by 120-inch bearing area and rated for the loaded weight, with no voids or high spots that would concentrate stress on the tank floor. Our guide on concrete pad sizing for above-ground polyethylene tanks walks through the ACI 360R-10 framework for getting the slab right. If this tank is part of a rural fire-protection plan, the fire-water reservoir tank design guide covers NFPA 22 sizing discipline and cold-climate freeze protection. For grey-water, rainwater, or HVAC condensate aggregation, see our write-up on industrial water reuse tank topology, and if you are feeding this tank from a roof catchment, our first-flush diverter sizing guide follows the Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting, 3rd edition.
The mistake to avoid
The common error on a tank this large is underestimating the loaded weight when sizing the foundation. Buyers plan around the empty tank or the gallon figure and forget that 6,500 gallons of water alone is over 27 tons, and the rated load at 1.5 SG runs to more than 40 tons. Pour and cure the pad to carry the full rated load before delivery day, not after. Second, do not read the 1.5 SG rating as license to store any heavy liquid in a black water tank without checking compatibility first; the rating is a ceiling, not a guarantee for a given chemical.
This Norwesco vertical storage tank ships LTL freight from the Fairfield, TX plant, quoted live to your ZIP. Get your exact number with the Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote the freight and confirm lead time for your site.
