Propane Tank Sizes
For Your Home or Business
Whether you’re heating your entire home, running a business, or powering small appliances, propane can help you! We all love propane for its versatility, efficiency, and safety, but it can be difficult to understand precisely what size propane tank fits your needs. Propane tanks come in many different shapes and sizes and can be placed either above ground or underground, depending on the usage.
Which Propane Tank Is Right For You?
Many factors go into figuring out what size propane tank is right for your home or business. Keep in mind propane tanks are only filled to about 80% capacity to allow room for expansion. Here are some of the questions that need answers to pick the best size tank for your needs:
What are you planning on using your propane for?
Propane can power small appliances such as barbecue grills and clothes dryers as well as heat entire homes and commercial buildings. Propane is very versatile!
Where do you want your propane tank located?
If you’re looking to purchase or lease a new propane tank, keep in mind you have options for putting the tank above ground or underground. For larger tanks, there are codes that you need to meet for safety reasons.
How big is your home or business?
The size of your home or building that you’re trying to heat will indicate what size tank you need. Larger households and buildings that run off propane need bigger tanks and sometimes more than one!
At Great Valley Propane, whatever your propane needs are, we can install a tank that fits your requirements. We offer a variety of propane tank sizes to ensure you get the one that perfectly suits your home or business. The following are sizes and specifications for some of our most commonly used propane tanks:
Common Propane Tank Sizes For Your Home or Business
20 LB Tank (AKA Barbecue Tank)
- Dimensions: 18” tall and 12” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 4.7 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Easy to pick up & very portable; can be filled at local fill stations.
Common Uses: Home barbecues, mosquito catchers, patio heaters, other outdoor equipment, temporary heating solutions
33 LB Tank
- Dimensions: 2 feet tall and 1 foot in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 7.8 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Easy to pick up & very portable; can be filled at local fill stations
Common Uses: Forklifts, autogas-fueled vehicles, camper trailers, space heating, and temporary heating solutions
100 LB Tank
- Dimensions: 4 feet tall and 18” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 23.6 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: A 100 lb tank is one of the most versatile propane tanks out there. It can be used for a variety of different applications; it’s large enough to last a long time while also being light enough to move around. It can also be filled at local fill stations
Common Uses: Home fireplaces, cooking, dryers, barbecues, garage heat, temporary heat on commercial job sites,
60 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 43” tall and 24” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 48 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Small enough to be hidden out of sight but large enough to power small appliances
Common Uses: Residential cooking appliances and clothes drying
120 Gallon Tank (AKA 100 Gallon Tank or 420 LB Tank)
- Dimensions: 54.5” tall and 30” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 96 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Although a 120-gallon tank is not easy to move around, its ability to be used for almost anything is amazing! A common sight is to see anywhere from two to four 120 gallon tanks tied together for bigger uses.
Common Uses: Home heating, hot water, cooking appliances, dry cleaning, dryers, fireplaces, generators, pool heaters, garage heat, temporary heating solutions
250 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 7’10” long and 30″ in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 200 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: A 250-gallon horizontal propane tank can support moderate propane uses and help bridge the gap between small and large users.
Common Uses: Auxiliary heating, including water heaters, generators, and pool heaters
320 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 10 feet long and 30” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 256 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Serving as a middle ground between a 250-gallon and 500-gallon tank, a 320-gallon propane tank is perfect for users who wish to bury their propane tank while still having suitable storage and don’t want a big 500-gallon tank in their yard.
Common Uses: Residential hot water, generators, pool heaters, heating for smaller homes
500 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 3’ 8” tall, 10 feet long, and 37.5” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 400 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: A 500-gallon propane tank can be placed above ground or underground. This size tank is the most commonly used propane tank size and can be used to heat entire houses and for commercial applications.
Common Uses: Whole-house heating systems, commercial heating, commercial cooking, dry cleaning, crop drying, temporary heating, generators, pool heat
1,000 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 4’ 2” tall, 16’ long, and 41” in diameter
- Capacity: Holds about 800 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: 1000 gallon propane tanks have the necessary size to run your home, business, or fleets for long periods! With the ability to be placed above ground or underground, 1000 gallon propane tanks are the real deal!
Common Uses: Whole-house heating systems, commercial heating, commercial cooking, dry cleaning, crop drying, temporary heating, fill stations
1,990 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 4’ 9” tall, 23’ 11” long, and 46.5” in diameter,
- Capacity: Holds about 1,592 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: Commercial businesses love big tanks because it means less frequent fill-ups and longer operating power!
Common Uses: Almost exclusively for commercial heating purposes; can be used for very large households or as a fill station for large fleets
30,000 Gallon Tank
- Dimensions: 10 feet tall by 70 feet long
- Capacity: Holds about 24,000 gallons of propane when full
- Benefits: It’s very big and can be used at bulk storage facilities!
Common Uses: Primarily for large commercial purposes — large communities with metered service, commercial facilities, bulk plant storage, and frequent fleet fill-ups
Let the Experts at Great Valley Propane Help You!
You can always rest easy knowing that the propane professionals at Great Valley Propane have worked with customers for more than 15 years to determine the best propane tank size solution.
Great Valley Propane makes choosing the right tank size for your home, business, job site, or fleet a cinch!
