5 minute read · Published by Swhift Stainless Fabrication, building stainless tanks in Sandpoint, Idaho since 1980
Every fabricator has a version of this list. Here is ours, in the order it actually matters, along with an honest note about which items you can leave blank without slowing anything down.
1. What goes in the tank
This is the one that drives everything else. The contents determine material grade, interior finish, whether the tank needs to be food-grade or sanitary, and often the fitting selection. Water is not just water either — chlorine or chloride content decides between 304 and 316.
2. Capacity, or the space available
Either works. If you know you need 500 gallons, start there. If you instead know you have a 7-foot ceiling and a 32-inch doorway, start there — we will work out the largest tank that fits and tell you what capacity you can get.
Our tank volume calculator will convert between the two, and it will carry the figures into the quote form for you.
3. Pressure or non-pressure
The biggest single factor in the price. If you are not certain, say so — it is a fair answer and we will work it out from how the tank is plumbed.
4. Orientation and physical constraints
- Vertical or horizontal, if it matters to you
- Ceiling height in the final location
- The narrowest opening on the delivery route — door, stair turn, hatch, elevator
- Whether there is crane or forklift access at delivery
- Floor loading, if the building has a limit
The delivery route catches more projects than anything else on this list. A tank that cannot get into the room is not a tank, and it is far cheaper to find out at quote stage than on delivery day.
5. Fittings — sizes, types and locations
Where the connections go, how big they are, and whether they are threaded couplings, sanitary ferrules or flanges. Our layout sheets have blank tank views specifically so you can draw them on.
We use two coupling conventions and it is worth knowing which you want: a half coupling is for connections made outside the tank; a full coupling is threaded both ends, for connections made inside and outside.
6. Operating temperature and pressure
Both affect material and construction. Hot service pushes toward 316, and pressure determines the shell gauge and the factory test. If the tank cycles between hot and cold, mention that too.
7. Finish requirements
We offer Mill, Soft Swirl and High Luster exterior finishes, and a sanitary interior finish is available on request. If the tank sits in a plant room, Mill is fine and cheapest. If it is on display in a brewery taproom or a commercial kitchen, High Luster may be worth the money.
8. Quantity and timing
One tank or forty changes how the job is planned, and quantity often improves the per-unit price. Timing tells us where it fits in the schedule. Both are genuinely useful; neither needs to be exact.
What you can leave blank
Wall gauge, head gauge, weld procedure, leg height, gusset detail and test pressure are all things we will specify. If you know them, tell us — an engineer with a completed layout sheet gets a faster quote. If you do not, that is entirely normal and does not disqualify you from a good one.