Tank strapping table
A printable level-to-volume table for horizontal and vertical tanks — any level step, in m³, litres, gallons or barrels, with mass if you give the density.
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Need the full version for your plant?
The Vessel Volume and Level Excel tool does everything here and more: volume, mass and level for horizontal and vertical vessels with any common head — plus transmitter %, alarm volumes, fill and drain time and a strapping table. Print-ready report, any units, visible formulas, no macros.
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How this calculator works
A strapping table (gauge table) turns a level reading into the volume in the tank. This calculator lists the volume, the percent of full and the volume per step at every level step from the bottom to the top, for horizontal and vertical cylindrical tanks with flat, 2:1 ellipsoidal, hemispherical or torispherical (ASME flanged and dished) heads. Partial volumes use the exact geometry of each head (Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, §10); for horizontal tanks with torispherical heads Perry's approximation is used, within 0.05 % of the full volume.
Example: a horizontal tank of 2.5 m inside diameter and 8 m between tangents with 2:1 ellipsoidal heads holds 43.36 m³ full. At 500 mm it holds 6.02 m³ (13.9 %), and at 1,200 mm 20.56 m³ (47.4 %). Every line of the table was checked against the tank model of the open-source fluids library for seven tanks: within 0.0001 % for exact head shapes, 0.043 % for horizontal torispherical heads.
Print the table or copy it into your DCS or tank-gauging system. Level is measured from the lowest point inside the tank. Limits: nominal geometry — for custody transfer or tax measurement, strap the actual tank (API MPMS chapter 2) and allow for internals and deadwood. For level at a single reading with alarm volumes and transmitter range, see the tank volume calculator.