Used tank containers has been used before, these will have changed hands between owners, and because of that it can be had at a reduced price as compared to a new tank container.
Used tank containers may not always match the gloss and all other showroom standards, that some say have mostly to do with cosmetics, but the used tank containers Tankformator supplies can be expected to be ‘Fit for Purpose’ and delivered complete with the needed certification issued by an independent third party such as Bureau Veritas. Used tank containers are attractive for ‘here and now’ requirements often unrivalled by newly build tank containers. A used tank container still has a respectable service life remaining – as it mostly changes hand mid-way through its 30-35 year life cycle.

Second Hand Tank Containers for Sale
Iso tank containers are also the preferred type of tanks required around the World, during factory outage and decommissioning jobs of refineries, chemical plants, tank farms and power stations. During this time stationary tank and or reactor content needs to be decanted to facilitate cleaning and other maintenance to take place. The industrial cleaning of the aforementioned stationary tanks and reactors once again need iso tank containers to collect and dispose effluent. Second hand or what are otherwise called used iso tank containers remain a value proposition for these applications.
Tankformator possesses the right skills and judgment to identify good quality iso tank containers!
The inspection that takes place prior to acquisition makes all the difference. This where experience counts. We know exactly where to look and what to look for to select the best used tank containers out there. And to dispel a myth, selection is not a function of age, it is about past service life. Read on!
A tank container’s past service life is more important than its age……….
Of how good a quality a tank container is depends much less on age than its condition at the point of purchase. Regardless of age, a history in operations that are known to cause most damage outweighs age by far.
Firstly
A tank container condition at a certain point depends firstly on its past service life
- Multi modal (sea-road-rail)
- Inter modal (road-rail)
- Land transport with iso tank container permanently secured to trailer
- Stationary storage
The operations under 1. cause most damage simply because of multiple lifts over the course of its life cycle. Operation under 4. cause the least damage and here III is right behind it.
Secondly
History of cargoes carried.
- Fuels and lubricants (except sulfur containing diesel fuel)
- Non–hazardous vegetable oils and oleo chemicals alcohols
- Corrosives such as acetic acid and other
- Cargoes with other primary hazards with corrosion as secondary hazard
- Chloride containing cargoes
- Cargoes containing sodium
1. and 2. don’t adversely affect condition with diesel fuel containing trace deposits of sulfur an exception. It is 3, 4, 5, 6 that have the potential to cause corrosion damage. Repairs of corrosion damage is not a lasting remedy as there is evidence of recurrence.
Thirdly
The third thing that affect condition is the question how well or badly it was maintained by its previous owner. If maintenance is deferred or dispensed with altogether inevitably tanks get run down. Tanks less than 10 years of age can get wrecked. Seeing that before you soon dispels the misconception that a ‘young tank’ is a good tank.
Corrosion is not limited to interior but also adversely affects the carbon steel frame. If the coating gets damaged, chipped, thinned, and the bare metal gets exposed to air especially with high humidity and heat corrosion will occur. The corrosion rate (progression of corrosion over a given time period) can be quite fast to the extent that the frame of a container in a marine environment could corrode badly in which case renewal of frame members becomes necessary. Tankformator is specialized in what is does and seasoned in this industry. It acquires tank containers selectively thereby avoiding tanks of a condition that limits the overall life span.
A tank containers’ life cycle is 35 years. Tankformator offers used tank containers for sale that are just over or just under what is termed mid-life.
Tankformator issues customers a Tank container Fitness Attestation with Dial life cycle to illustrate where a tank container considered for purchase is relative to its life cycle. The Tank container Fitness Attestation is backed by independent 3rd party inspection report.