Vertical Liquid Storage Tanks
Vertical Liquid Storage Tanks
These are the flat-bottom vertical tanks rated for liquids heavier than water: 981 tanks from 10 to 20,000 gallons, 12 to 165 inches in diameter, from Snyder Industries, Norwesco, Chem-Tainer and Enduraplas. 933 of the 981 are rated 1.5 or 1.9 specific gravity, which is what separates this page from the broader Vertical Tanks category. If you are storing plain water, the 1.0 rated tanks there cost less for the same gallons. If you are storing fertilizer, a chemical, a brine or anything else that weighs more than 8.34 pounds per gallon, start here.
What is on this page
- Snyder Industries: 668 tanks, 22 to 20,000 gallons. 412 rated 1.9 and 213 rated 1.5, in white, natural white and black. 298 are crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE), most of them rated to 140 F; the rest are high-density linear polyethylene or polyethylene rated to 120 F.
- Norwesco: 168 tanks, 10 to 20,000 gallons, 125 of them rated 1.5 in white or natural white, plus 38 rated 1.9 (31 in Norwesco's light blue heavy-duty colour) and 15 doorway tanks molded narrow enough to carry through a doorway.
- Chem-Tainer: 96 tanks, 45 to 5,000 gallons, 53 rated 1.5 and 43 rated 1.9, mostly natural white or white.
- Enduraplas: 49 tanks, 100 to 10,000 gallons, every one rated 1.9, in natural white, green and black.
By size: 48 tanks under 100 gallons, 198 from 100 to 499, 71 from 500 to 999, 251 from 1,000 to 2,999, 206 from 3,000 to 5,999, 121 from 6,000 to 9,999 and 86 at 10,000 gallons and above. Other tank shapes have their own categories under shop tanks by shape.
Reading the specific gravity rating
The rating is the heaviest liquid the wall is designed to hold, expressed as a multiple of water. 1.5 means up to 12.52 pounds per gallon; 1.9 means up to 15.87 pounds per gallon. The wall gets thicker as the rating goes up, so a 1.9 tank of a given size weighs more and costs more than the 1.5. Rate the tank from the heaviest liquid it will ever see, including the one you might switch to next year. A 1.5 tank filled with a 1.9 liquid is overloaded at the bottom of the wall, where the pressure is highest, and that is where it fails.
Material and temperature
Material, from the spec table: polyethylene (396 tanks), crosslinked polyethylene (298), high-density linear polyethylene (167) and HDPE (108). 283 tanks are rated to 140 F continuous, nearly all of them XLPE; 540 are rated to 120 F, and the rest list no temperature. The product page names the resin; the chemical you plan to store decides whether linear or crosslinked is the right one, so check compatibility for that chemical before you order.
Colour
White (413) and natural white (286) are translucent enough to read the liquid level through the wall, which is the usual choice for a chemical tank. Black (195) blocks light for liquids that degrade in sunlight. Light blue (31) is Norwesco's 1.9 heavy-duty colour. Green (25), opaque white (10) and blue (6) make up the rest.
Lids and fittings
18 inch threaded vented manways are the most common (510 tanks), then 16 inch (214), with 8 inch lids on the small tanks and 20 to 26 inch manways on the large ones. The usual outlet is a 2 inch polypropylene female NPT bulkhead fitting, often with a siphon tube on the Snyder heavy-duty tanks; 3 inch outlets, some with a 2 inch reducer, are fitted on the larger sizes. Some tanks ship with no fitting so you can specify your own. Fitting size and position are on each product page's spec table and drawing.
Certifications
The Certifications line on each product page records what the manufacturer states for that model: FDA-compliant resin on most, NSF/ANSI 61 where the maker lists it, and an IAPMO or CSA listing only on the models those certifiers name. A rating for heavy liquids does not by itself make a tank suitable for drinking water; read the model's own line before you use it that way.
Honest limitations
- Stationary only. Set the tank on a flat, level pad that supports the whole footprint. None of these are built to travel full.
- 120 F is the limit for most of this page. Hot liquid needs the 140 F XLPE models.
- The specific gravity rating is about weight, not chemistry. A 1.9 tank is not automatically compatible with every 1.9 liquid; the resin has to suit the chemical too.
- Translucent tanks stored outdoors let light in. For a light-sensitive liquid, pick black.
How to pick
- Specific gravity first, from the heaviest liquid you will store.
- Capacity. Snyder and Norwesco go to 20,000 gallons in one tank.
- Resin and maximum temperature against the chemical and how it arrives.
- Diameter and height against the pad, the roof and the truck route.
- Colour: translucent to see the level, black to keep light out.
- Manway and outlet against the pump and pipe you have.
Freight
Prices on this page are list prices before freight. LTL freight is quoted to your ZIP from the plant that makes the tank; the smallest tanks ship parcel and the largest (278 flagged oversize) need a phone quote. Get a quote in the freight cost estimator or call 866-418-1777.
