500 Gallon Propane Tank dimensions

Nominal rating versus real geometry

A tank's name is a trade label. Its geometry is a measurement. On a propane vessel these two numbers are related but not equal, and knowing which one you are quoting matters whenever the figure ends up on an invoice, a permit or a purchase order.

Rated 500 gal. Computed from the dimensions in the table above: 500.0 gal. The label and the geometry agree to within half a percent here, which usually means the published dimensions were themselves derived from the rating rather than measured independently.

Densities are the reference values tabulated on our methodology page, near 60–70 °F. Real fluids vary with temperature, grade and composition — a 10 °F swing moves a hydrocarbon density by roughly 0.4 %. Add the empty vessel weight to get a gross figure.

Siting and clearances

Separation distance is set by water capacity, not by how much propane you keep in the vessel. OSHA's Table H-23 and NFPA 58's Table 6.4.1.1 both work from the container's water capacity in gallons — the number on the nameplate — so a tank kept half empty is sited exactly as a full one.

Distances are measured to the nearest important building or group of buildings and to the property line, and separately between containers. Beyond the headline distance, keep the area within 10 feet clear of weeds and dry grass, keep the relief valve's discharge path away from openings, and give the delivery truck a route that does not require dragging hose past ignition sources.

Underground propane vessels have their own distance rules and their own corrosion protection requirements, and they are not simply the aboveground tank buried. Local amendments are common and frequently stricter than either national document — confirm with the authority having jurisdiction before you pour a pad.

The standards behind this vessel

Stationary propane containers are pressure vessels built to ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, Division 1. The nameplate stamps the water capacity and design pressure, and on a pressure vessel the nameplate — not a tape measure — is the authoritative capacity. That is why the chart on this page solves the shell length so the computed geometry matches the nameplate rather than the other way round.

Siting is governed by two documents that do not entirely agree. OSHA's 29 CFR § 1910.110, Table H-23 sets minimum distances by water capacity: 10 ft to the nearest important building for containers up to 500 gallons, 25 ft for 501–2,000 gallons (reducible to 10 ft for a single container of 1,200 gallons water capacity or less that is at least 25 ft from any other LP-gas container over 125 gallons), and 50 ft for 2,001–30,000 gallons. Most states adopt NFPA 58 instead or as well, and its Table 6.4.1.1 differs — notably for containers of 125 gallons and under. Confirm which your jurisdiction enforces before siting anything.

Fill limits come from NFPA 58: a container equipped with a fixed maximum liquid level gauge is filled to roughly 80 % of water capacity, leaving vapour space for thermal expansion. Propane's expansion coefficient is about six times water's, which is what that headspace is protecting against.

For depth-by-depth volumes on this tank, use the inch-by-inch chart; for a different set of dimensions, the dip chart generator will build one.

Sources and standards

The geometry on this page is computed, not copied. These are the documents that define the units it is expressed in and the codes that govern a propane vessel in service.

1. 29 CFR § 1910.110 — Storage and handling of liquefied petroleum gases (Table H-23, minimum distances)U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, via the electronic Code of Federal Regulationshttps://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1910/subpart-H/section-1910.110Federal separation distances for LP-gas containers, by water capacity: under 125 gal — 10 ft above ground; 125–250 gal — 10 ft; 251–500 gal — 10 ft and 3 ft between containers; 501–2,000 gal — 25 ft (reducible to 10 ft for a single container of 1,200 gal water capacity or less, if it is at least 25 ft from any other LP-gas container over 125 gal); 2,001–30,000 gal — 50 ft.
2. NFPA 58 — Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code (separation distances, Table 6.4.1.1; filling limits, Ch. 7)National Fire Protection AssociationPaid standard — cited by designation; obtain from the publisher.The model code most US states adopt for propane installations, and the one your local inspector is most likely working from. It is not identical to OSHA's Table H-23 — notably for containers of 125 gal water capacity and under — so confirm which is enforced locally. NFPA publishes free read-only access to its codes at nfpa.org.
3. ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 1 — Rules for Construction of Pressure VesselsAmerican Society of Mechanical EngineersPaid standard — cited by designation; obtain from the publisher.Stationary propane containers are ASME vessels. The nameplate stamps water capacity, design pressure and the manufacturer's data — and the nameplate, not a tape measure, is the authoritative capacity for a pressure vessel.
4. Handbook 44, Appendix C — General Tables of Units of MeasurementNational Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commercehttps://www.nist.gov/document/2026-nist-handbook-44-appendix-cThe legal-metrology reference for U.S. customary units. Fixes the U.S. liquid gallon at exactly 231 cubic inches and tabulates the full liquid-volume chain (minim → fluid dram → fluid ounce → gill → pint → quart → gallon).
5. Methodology — the partial-fill formulas and liquid densities used on this sitetankvolumecalc.comhttps://tankvolumecalc.com/methodology/Every chart value here comes from a closed-form partial-fill formula, not interpolation: circular segments for cylinders, a piecewise obround model for 275/330 heating-oil tanks, and scaled spherical caps for dished heads. Densities and their bases are tabulated there.
6. Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) — Ch. 1 “Vocabulary”, Ch. 11.1 “Temperature and Pressure Correction Factors”, Ch. 12.1 “Calculation of Static Petroleum Quantities”American Petroleum Institute (with ASTM D1250 / ISO 91 volume correction tables)Paid standard — cited by designation; obtain from the publisher.The industry standard for turning a gauged tank volume into a traded quantity: observed volume, gross standard volume at 60 °F, and net standard volume after sediment and water. A unit conversion is only the first step of that chain.

Every linked source above was retrieved and checked on 2026-09-02. Factors quoted as exact are exact by definition in the cited document, not rounded by us.