The Snyder Industries 5500 Gallon ASTM Black Vertical Storage Tank is a full-scale bulk water tank molded in black polyethylene and built to ASTM D1998, the standard for polyethylene upright storage tanks. It carries a 1.5 specific gravity rating, so it holds the full weight of water and denser contents without stressing the wall. At 132 inches tall on a 120 x 120 inch footprint, this is a large-volume vertical tank built for sites that need serious standing capacity in a single vessel.
Will it work for your site?
At 5,500 gallons, a full tank of water weighs 45,870 lb, and the 1.5 SG rating lets you load contents up to 68,805 lb before you reach the rated limit. That headroom is why the 1.5 rating matters: plain water sits at 1.0, so this vertical storage tank is engineered with margin to spare for water service and leaves room for heavier liquids up to the rated density. Usable volume is not the same as nameplate gallons once you account for freeboard, and our Snyder freeboard sizing guide under ASTM D1998 walks the math on the real volume you can actually draw. Plan your pad for the loaded weight, not the empty shell, and confirm the 120 x 120 inch footprint and 132-inch height against your slab and any overhead clearance before you order.
Sizing and foundation
A tank this size lives or dies on the pad under it. Above-ground polyethylene at 45,870 lb full needs a properly engineered slab; our concrete pad sizing guide walks the ACI 360R-10 framework for exactly this class of black tank. If you are still settling on volume, the Tank Sizing Calculator and Tank Sizing Guide help you match standing gallons to draw rate and refill cycle. For fire-water reservoir duty at rural or remote sites, our NFPA 22 reservoir design guide covers standing-reserve sizing and cold-climate freeze protection. Fitting and outlet configuration for this vertical storage tank is confirmed at quote, so tell us where you need your connections and we will spec them with your order.
The mistake to avoid
The common error on a tank this large is underbuilding the foundation and skipping the loaded-weight math. Size your slab and any anchoring to the 45,870 lb full-water weight, and if you intend to store anything denser than water, work to the 68,805 lb rated-contents figure and confirm your liquid stays within the 1.5 SG rating. Also verify overhead clearance for the full 132-inch height before delivery day.
This black tank ships LTL freight from the nearer of two Snyder plants, Lincoln, NE or Philippi, WV, with the exact rate quoted live to your ZIP, so your cost follows whichever plant is closer to you. Note that a 132-inch, roughly 46,000 lb loaded vessel is an oversized shipment: plan for flatbed-class delivery and confirm site access and forklift or crane offload before delivery day. Get a number in seconds with our Freight Cost Estimator, or call 866-418-1777 and we will quote it and confirm access requirements for a tank of this size.
