ISO 22T · tank container
Tank Container Dimensions
Yuri Kan Checked against 7 of 88 published sheets
A tank container (ISO tank) most often holds 25,000 litres (about 6,600 US gallons) of liquid, per 5 of 6 sheets, in a stainless-steel vessel inside a standard 20 ft frame of 6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m (19′10½″ × 8′ × 8′6″), per ISO 668. Shells on the sheets range 20,000–26,000 litres; tare is 3,040–3,920 kg, about 3,640 kg, with max gross up to 36,000 kg, so dense liquids hit the weight limit before the volume limit. The UN dangerous-goods rules keep a shell out of the band between 20% and 80% full unless it is divided into sections of 7,500 litres or less, and cap the fill at 97% less the room the liquid needs to expand.
| Metric | Imperial | |
|---|---|---|
| External dimensions | 6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m | 19′10½″ × 8′ × 8′6″ |
| Tank capacity | 25.0 m³ | 883 ft³ |
| Tare weight | 3,640 kg | 8,025 lb |
| Max payload | 32,360 kg | 71,342 lb |
A tank container is a stainless-steel pressure vessel inside a standard 20 ft ISO frame, moving liquids, gases and powders: chemicals, food-grade product, fuels. Because the frame matches a 20 ft dry box exactly (6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m), it rides any ship, chassis or railcar that takes a standard twenty.
The numbers in this chart
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Outside, L × W × H | 6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m |
| Capacity | 25.0 m³ |
| Payload | 32,360 kg |
Checked : outside sizes set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; every other figure against 7 published sheets of 5 lines and lessors. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources
Typical shells hold 20,000 to 26,000 litres, and 25,000 litres is the size most sheets print. The practical limit is almost always weight: at 36,000 kg max gross for many tanks, a full 26,000 L shell of dense liquid hits the road weight limit before it hits the volume limit.
Against drums, the arithmetic is plain: one 25,000 L tank holds what 125 drums of 200 L each hold, loads and discharges through one hose connection instead of 125 bungs, and returns clean from a certified depot for the next product.
Every tank carries a T-code and a data plate stating test pressure, capacity and permitted cargoes — the paperwork side of the type is as important as the steel, since the code determines which UN-numbered products the shell may legally carry. The UN rules have the shell inspected and pressure-tested every 5 years, with an intermediate inspection halfway, every 2.5 years.
The numbers in this chart
| Container | kg | lb |
|---|---|---|
| 40 ft high cube container | 28,670 | 63,207 |
| 40 ft HC double door container | 26,730 | 58,930 |
| 40 ft high cube reefer | 29,380 | 64,772 |
| 40 ft open top | 26,630 | 58,709 |
| 40 ft flat rack | 40,000 | 88,185 |
| 20 ft flat rack | 31,060 | 68,476 |
| 20 ft tank container | 32,360 | 71,342 |
Checked : the figures in this chart against 44 of 88 published sheets from 20 lines, lessors and makers: those that print these figures. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources
20 ft tank container: dimensions and weight
| Metric | Imperial | |
|---|---|---|
| External dimensions | ||
| Length | 6.058 m 20 ft tank container · Outside length 6,058 mm Set by the standard | 19′10½″ |
| Width | 2.438 m 20 ft tank container · Outside width 2,438 mm Set by the standard | 8′ |
| Height | 2.591 m 20 ft tank container · Outside height 2,591 mm Set by the standard | 8′6″ |
| Specification | ||
| Tare weight | 3,640 kg | 8,025 lb |
| Max gross weight | 36,000 kg | 79,366 lb |
| Max payload | 32,360 kg | 71,342 lb |
| Tank capacity | 25.0 m³ | 883 ft³ |
| TEU | 1 | |
Beside each figure, its evidence: ISO set by the standard · ✓ 16 sheets that agree, counted · range the sheets disagree · 1 sheet one source. A mark opens the sheets behind the figure.
Checked : outside sizes set by ISO 668, read in IS 6566:2001, GOST R 51876-2008 and GOST R 53350-2009; every other figure against 7 published sheets of 5 lines and lessors. A sheet agrees within ±5 mm, or ±2 % for a mass and ±1 % for a volume; a maximum gross is a rating and must be the same. Every figure and its sources
Data: ISO 668 (1995 text, read in IS 6566:2001) · CMA CGM Equipment Guide · Crowley, Seaco, SeaCube, VTG
Types of tank containers
The workhorse is the general-purpose chemical tank (T11 class), but the family is wide. Baffled tanks add internal surge plates so a partial load may travel between 20% and 80% full, which the rules allow when each section holds 7,500 litres or less. Food-grade tanks are dedicated stainless shells with sanitary fittings for juice, wine, oils and liquid food — never swapped with chemical service. Gas tanks (T50 class) are heavier pressure vessels for LPG, ammonia and refrigerant gases, and reefer tanks add heating or cooling to hold temperature-sensitive product in spec.
The T-codes themselves — T1 through T22 — are the UN portable-tank instructions for liquids and solids, and they rank shells by minimum test pressure, shell thickness and openings: T1 is tested at 1.5 bar, T11 to T14 at 6 bar and T15 to T22 at 10 bar, and T20 to T22 call for shells of 8 to 10 mm of reference steel. T11 is the standard tank on the lessors’ sheets. A cargo assigned one code may also travel in a stricter tank the rules list for it — for T11, any of T12 to T22 — never in a lighter one.
The Tank container on one page, plus the whole pack
Every dimension in millimetres, metres and feet, the door opening, tare, payload and volume, and the floor drawn to scale with EUR and US pallets on it. In the same email, the container pack: all 17 containers by the job, 17 sheets like this one, the 85 owner prefixes, an A3 wall chart and an Excel workbook.
- 17 containers, by the job
- 17 container sheets
- 85 owner prefixes
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Fill rules
The UN Model Regulations (4.2.1.9) set the limits. A shell may not travel more than 20% but less than 80% full, where surge becomes dangerous, unless partitions or surge plates divide it into sections of 7,500 litres or less. The top limit is 97% less the room the liquid needs to expand at the warmest it may get in transit, and 95% less that room for toxic (Division 6.1) and corrosive (Class 8) liquids of packing groups I and II. A heated cargo may fill a shell to 95% at most at any time, whatever its expansion. The International Tank Container Organisation recommends 95% for every cargo, as many operators require.
The rule shapes commercial practice: you size the shell to the parcel, not the other way round. A 25,000 L parcel would fill a 26,000 L tank to about 96%, over the 95% many operators allow, so the shipper trims the parcel or books a shell it fills within the window. Operators keep fleets of mixed capacities to land each parcel between 80% and the top limit.
Frequently asked questions
How many litres does a tank container hold?
A tank container most often holds 25,000 litres (25.0 m³, about 6,600 US gallons), per 5 of 6 sheets; the sheets we read print shells from 20,000 to 26,000 litres. A swap-body tank on a longer frame holds more: 35,000 litres, from one sheet (Seaco).
How many gallons does an ISO tank hold?
The most common ISO tank, 25,000 litres, holds about 6,600 US gallons, per 5 of 6 sheets. The shells on the sheets we read, 20,000–26,000 litres, are about 5,280–6,870 US gallons.
How much does a tank container weigh?
An empty 20 ft tank container weighs about 3,640 kg (8,025 lb), depending on shell size and pressure rating — sheets print 3,040–3,920 kg. Maximum gross runs up to 36,000 kg on many modern tanks, per all 6 sheets, allowing a payload of about 32,360 kg where road limits permit.
How much does a tank container cost?
We quote no price for an ISO tank: no two dealers we read publish one, and a tank’s value turns on its T-code, its remaining test validity and its last cargo rather than on its age. Ask a lessor or a tank dealer for a quote on a named unit.
Are tank containers the same size as normal containers?
Yes: the frame is exactly a 20 ft ISO footprint, 6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m (19′10½″ × 8′ × 8′6″), per ISO 668, so it handles and stacks like any 20 ft box.
What do tank container T-codes mean?
T1–T22 are the UN portable-tank instructions for liquids and solids, ranked by minimum test pressure (1.5 bar for T1 up to 10 bar for T15 to T22), shell thickness and openings. T11, tested at 6 bar, is the standard tank on the lessors’ sheets; T50 covers liquefied gases under pressure. A cargo assigned one code may also travel in a stricter tank the rules list for it, never in a lighter one.
Why is it called an ISO tank?
Because the frame is built to ISO 668 dimensions and carries ISO 6346 markings like any other container: 6.058 × 2.438 × 2.591 m (19′10½″ × 8′ × 8′6″) with standard corner castings. That is the whole point of the design — an ISO tank drops into any 20 ft slot on any ship, chassis or railcar worldwide.