Storage tanks

Stainless steel for storage tanks

Stainless steel is an optimal material choice for storage tanks. It has inherent corrosion resistance that provides protection against the chemicals being stored inside the tank. This is a major advantage compared with carbon steels that require coatings.

Superior solutions for storage tanks

There are stainless steel alloys available beyond the conventional, 304L and 316L, offering improved performance and potentially more cost-effective utilization. Meet Outokumpu Forta duplex range. It can potentially reduce initial investment cost more than 10% and reduce maintenance cost up to 100% for large storage tanks.

Learn more about duplex stainless steel

Outokumpu Forta duplex range

Calculate Material Consumption

Use our calculators to calculate material consumption for both storage tanks as well as pressure vessels. 

The pressure vessel calculator is used to calculate estimated plate thickness for cylindrical shell of a vessel and compare different alloys and their relative thicknesses. 

The storage tank calculator is used to calculate material consumption of a cylindrical shell of a tank and compare selected alloys. 

Calculate plate thickness of tank shells

Calculate plate thickness of a pressure vessel

Benefits of using stainless steel in storage tanks

Applications

  • Process industry storage tanks
  • Storage tank terminals
  • Food & wine tanks
  • Pressure vessels
  • Road tankers
  • Cryogenic tanks

Performance

  • High strength
  • Excellent corrosion resistance
  • High resistance to stress corrosion cracking
  • High erosion resistance
  • Low thermal expansion
  • High fatigue resistance
  • Good weldability
  • High energy absorption
  • Good weight and cost saving potential

Why use Duplex stainless steels for storage tanks?

Duplex stainless steels combine many of the outstanding properties of ferritic and austenitic steels. Thanks to high levels of chromium and nitrogen, and frequently molybdenum, these steels offer good resistance to local and uniform corrosion.

Furthermore, their low nickel content implies a stable price, which, combined with high strength, makes Duplex a cost-efficient alternative to lower strength stainless as well as coated carbon steels.

When investing in a new storage tank park, considering the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) is just as important as the initial costs for materials and construction. By doing so, you’ll often find that using Duplex stainless steel is a very cost competitive alternative. For example, stainless steel doesn’t require regular repainting to maintain its function, the general need for maintenance is much reduced, and the overall life-length of tanks made with Duplex stainless steel is simply outstanding.

Thanks to superior strength compared to standard stainless steels, Duplex lets you reduce material weight – and cut costs! The Duplex grades of today offer high corrosion resistance, which means low maintenance costs and no need for coating.

Expert guide

Why is duplex the right material choice for storage tanks?

Outokumpu’s Duplex Guide for Storage Tanks presents all the core aspects of duplex stainless steel as a storage tank material in one complete document. Learn from our experts and find out which benefits of duplex are the most relevant for your storage tank project.
Download the guide

Recommended products

Supra
Forta
Cold rolled coil, strip and sheet
Hot rolled coil, strip and plate
Quarto plate
Specialized components

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