Engineer-specified plastic tanks for sulfuric acid (H2SO4) storage and dosing service. Industrial Plastics fabricates HDPE, PP-H and PVDF tanks for sulfuric across the concentration range, sized to service.
Material selection for sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a chemistry where material selection depends on concentration and temperature, not just chemistry. The same material that handles 32% sulfuric at 25°C without complaint will degrade in months at 78% or at 60°C.
- HDPE (PE100) — handles dilute sulfuric (under ~50%) at ambient temperature reliably. Standard choice for water-treatment pH adjustment dosing tanks holding diluted sulfuric.
- Polypropylene (PP-H) — extends service into the mid-concentration range and elevated temperature. Common for mining and mineral-processing service running 50-70% sulfuric.
- PVDF — handles high-concentration sulfuric (above ~70%) and concentrated service. Recommended for 96-98% concentrated sulfuric and oleum (fuming sulfuric).
For service that combines high concentration and elevated temperature, PVDF is often the only plastic that survives long-term. Below ~50% and ambient, HDPE is the cost-effective default.
Common configurations
- Bulk storage — 5,000 to 50,000 L+. Tanker top-fill with manway, bottom drain, level instrumentation, vented to atmosphere or scrubbed.
- Day tanks & dosing — 200 to 5,000 L. Calibrated, level-indicated, pump-mount platforms compatible with diaphragm and peristaltic dosing pumps.
- Bunded & secondary containment — primary tank inside an HDPE bund sized to AS 1940 / AS/NZS 4766 minimum. Leak-tested floor seams.
- Vented & scrubbed — vent stacks sized to maximum fill rate. Scrubbing where off-gas is hazardous. Designed against the failure case, not just the operating case.
Standards and compliance
- AS/NZS 4766 — wall thickness, weld testing and pressure testing per the Australian standard for plastic chemical storage.
- AS 1940 — bunding and venting requirements where applicable.
- DVS 2205 (tank design) and DVS 2207 (welding) — welder qualification across HDPE butt welding and extrusion welding. More on DVS 2207.
- ISO 9001:2015 — quality management system certified by SGS.
How we work
Send the SDS, the concentration, the operating temperature, the fill cycle and the service life. We confirm material selection (HDPE / PP-H / PVDF), wall thickness per AS/NZS 4766, bunding and venting requirements, and produce a design output for sign-off before fabrication starts. Brisbane workshop, 1971. DVS 2207 qualified welders. Documented test records survive the project.
Talk to a fabricator
Trusted by Veolia, Aquatec Maxcon, Goodman Fielder, Origin Energy, Rio Tinto and BHP. Back to Chemical Storage Tanks. Send drawings, P&IDs or an SDS via the contact form — or call 1300 465 888, Mon–Fri 8am–4pm AEST.
Considering a rotomoulded alternative? Read why sulfuric acid service rules out rotomoulded — our full engineer-grade comparison.
