Dimensions / Industrial & logistics / ISO tank containers / T50 gas tank
A T50 is the UN portable tank instruction for liquefied gases under pressure, such as propane, butane, ammonia and LPG. Its pressure is set per gas: the T50 table gives each gas a minimum MAWP by shell class, such as 18.0 bar for propane in a sun-shielded tank over 1.5 m across, and a maximum filling ratio in kg per litre: propane 0.42, butane 0.51, ammonia 0.53. 20 ft T50s keep the 6,058 × 2,438 × 2,591 mm frame but carry carbon-steel shells 10.9 to 18.2 mm thick, often under a sun shield, so they hold about 24,300 to 25,100 litre and tare 6000 to 8900 kg (Eurotainer). Seaco’s 22.0 bar T50 holds 24,600 litre, tares 7,100 kg and is plated at 36,000 kg.
| Propane: maximum filling ratio; MAWP with sun shield, T50 | Capacity on 20 ft lessor sheets; tare | Carbon-steel shell, VTG 15.1 bar to Exsif 34.5 bar |
|---|---|---|
| 0.42kg/L18.0 bar | 24,300–25,100L6000–8900 kg | 10.9–18.2mm |
Sources: RID 2025, Seaco, Exsif. Checked October 2026.
Seaco’s 22.0 bar T50 and propane are filled in. Pick your gas and the tank’s shell, then enter its plate figures; each check follows a rule on this page.
Capacity in litres, masses in kilograms. The MAWP is on the tank’s plate; the shell is grouped the way the T50 table does it: 1.5 m across or less, or wider and bare, sun-shielded or insulated.
For propane in a sun-shielded shell, T50 asks for an MAWP of at least 18 bar; this tank is rated 22 bar.
Seaco’s 22.0 bar T50 with an aluminium sun shield is filled in: propane needs 18.0 bar in that class, butane only 7.0.
10000 kg is within 10332 kg: 24600 L × 0.42 kg/L, the T50 maximum filling ratio for propane.
For gases with no fixed ratio, such as LPG (UN 1075), RID allows 0.95 × the density at 50 °C.
10000 kg of cargo and the 7100 kg tank make 17100 kg, 18900 kg under the 36000 kg maximum permissible gross mass.
This tank weighs 7,100 kg and is plated at 36,000 kg: with propane the filling ratio, not the gross mass, sets the load.
Supplying LPG or ammonia by the tank? Photograph the tank, mark its valve cabinet, sun shield and plate in SizeMarker and send it with your quote.
Mark a photoLessors’ and makers’ own sheets, all 20 ft. MAWP is each sheet’s UN or ADR/RID figure.
| Tank | Capacity; tare; maximum gross | MAWP; test pressure |
|---|---|---|
| Seaco 22.0 barAluminium sunshield; P460NL carbon steel; 20 ft frame, 6,058 × 2,438 × 2,591 mm | 24,600 litre; 7,100 kg; 36,000 kg | 22.0 bar; 29.9 bar |
| Seaco 27.5 bar | 24,600 litre; 7,650 kg; 36,000 kg | 27.5 bar; 35.75 bar |
| Seaco 34.4 bar | 24,300 litre; 8,800 kg; 36,000 kg | 34.4 bar; 44.72 bar |
| Eurotainer high pressure | 24600 / 24300 litre; 7670 / 8900 kg; 36000 kg | 27.5 / 34.4 bar; 35.75 / 44.72 bar |
| Eurotainer low pressure | 24600 / 24700 litre; 8150 / 6000 kg; 36000 / 34000 kg | 22 / 15.1 bar; 29.9 / 19.63 bar |
| Trifleet 24500 LiterSunshield fitted; no top or bottom discharge | 24400 Liter; 7600 Kg; 36000 Kg | 7 to 34.4 bar; 9 to 45 bar |
| Exsif T50Sunshield covering top third of tank; 18.2 / 14.6 mm barrel | 24,300 / 24,600 L; 8,820 / 7,480 kg | 34.5 / 27.5 barg |
| VTG 25.7 barArchived sheet; 17 mm SA-612M | 24,600 l; 8,100 kg; 36,000 kg | 25.7 bar; 34.2 bar |
| VTG 22.0 bar, with sun roofArchived sheet; 12.1 mm | 24,800 l; 6,480 kg; 36,000 kg | 22.0 bar; 28.6 bar |
| VTG 15.1 bar, with sun roofArchived sheet; 10.9 mm; plate tare 5860 kg | 25,100 l; 6,150 kg; 36,000 kg | 15.1 bar; 20.6 bar |
| NT Tank LPGMaker, Nantong | 24,600 L; 7,300 kg; 36,000 kg | 2.2 MPa ADR/RID; 2.96 MPa |
Sources: Seaco · Eurotainer · Eurotainer · Trifleet · Exsif · VTG (Wayback) · VTG (Wayback) · VTG (Wayback) · NT Tank
RID 4.2.5.2.6. MAWP for small (1.5 m across or less), bare, sun-shielded and insulated shells.
| Gas | MAWP: small; bare; sun shield; insulated | Maximum filling ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Propane, UN 1978 | 22.5; 20.4; 18.0; 16.5 bar | 0.42 kg/L |
| Butane, UN 1011 | 7.0 bar in every class | 0.51 kg/L |
| Ammonia, anhydrous, UN 1005Bursting disc ahead of the relief valve | 29.0; 25.7; 22.0; 19.7 bar | 0.53 kg/L |
| Propylene, UN 1077 | 28.0; 24.5; 22.0; 20.0 bar | 0.43 kg/L |
| Isobutane, UN 1969 | 8.5; 7.5; 7.0; 7.0 bar | 0.49 kg/L |
| Petroleum gases, liquefied (LPG), UN 1075 | Set by the MAWP definition | At most 0.95 × the density at 50 °C |
Sources: RID 2025
| Rule | What RID says |
|---|---|
| Lowest MAWP | In no case less than 7 bar |
| Test pressure | At least 1.3 times the design pressure |
| Sun shield6.7.3.2.12 | Covers not less than the upper third and not more than the upper half of the shell, with an air space about 40 mm across |
| Design reference temperature | 65 °C up to 1.5 m across; above that 60 °C bare, 55 °C with sun shield, 50 °C insulated |
| Relief valves | Open at not less than the MAWP, fully open at 110% of it |
| Filling4.2.2.7 | Not liquid-full at 60 °C; not above the maximum gross mass or the plate’s maximum load for that gas |
| Shell6.7.3.2.1; VTG; Exsif | Made of steel: P460NL1 or SA-612 on every sheet, 10.9 to 18.2 mm, against 4.4 to 4.6 mm stainless on T11 and T14 |
Sources: RID 2025 · VTG (Wayback) · Exsif
NIST saturated-liquid density at 50 °C, times 0.95 (RID 4.2.2.7.2), against the T50 table.
| Gas | Density at 50 °C; × 0.95 | T50 ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Propane | 448.87 kg/m3; 0.4264 kg/L | 0.42 |
| n-Butane | 542.34 kg/m3; 0.5152 kg/L | 0.51 |
| Ammonia | 562.99 kg/m3; 0.5348 kg/L | 0.53 |
| Propane in Seaco’s 22.0 bar tankOur calculation | 24,600 litre × 0.42 = 10,332 kg | Gross mass would allow 28,900 kg |
| One VTG tank, two gasesArchived plate, 25,100 l | Butane 12801 kg; vinyl bromide 30140 kg | Set by gas, then by gross mass |
Sources: NIST · NIST · NIST · VTG (Wayback)
The UN portable tank instruction for liquefied gases under pressure, such as propane, butane, ammonia and LPG. In the 20 ft frame lessors offer 24,300 to 25,100 litre T50s with MAWPs from 15.1 to 34.4 bar.
At most 0.42 kg per litre of shell: 10,332 kg in Seaco’s 24,600 litre tank, far below the 28,900 kg its gross mass would allow. A sun-shielded shell over 1.5 m across must be rated at least 18.0 bar for propane.
29.0 bar for a small shell, 25.7 bare, 22.0 with a sun shield and 19.7 insulated, and the relief valve needs a bursting disc ahead of it. Butane needs only 7.0 bar in every class.
It lowers the design reference temperature from 60 °C to 55 °C, and with it the MAWP the T50 table asks for. RID wants it to cover between the upper third and upper half of the shell, about 40 mm clear of it.
Its shell is carbon steel 10.9 to 18.2 mm thick, against 4.4 to 4.6 mm stainless on T11s, so Eurotainer’s T50s tare 6000 to 8900 kg.
Buyers of LPG, ammonia and refrigerant gases ask for the tank’s MAWP and shell class, its water capacity and how many kilograms of their gas the plate allows, the valve layout and the last test date. Mark the real tank, valve cabinet and plate on your own photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
