All About Liquid Fertiliser Tanks and Liquid Fertiliser Weight

Is Your Liquid Fertiliser Tank Able to Take on Your Liquid Fertiliser Weight?

Liquid fertiliser weighs more than water due to its greater viscosity; thus; it needs to be transported or stored in the appropriate liquid fertiliser tank.

However, you need to keep in mind that not all liquid fertilisers weigh the same. How do you ensure you get the right liquid fertiliser tank to match your liquid fertiliser of choice?

In the case of liquid fertilisers and liquid fertiliser tanks, weight pertains to the Specific Gravity. 

In a nutshell, the specific gravity of an object (the liquid fertiliser tank, for example) is a measure of its ability to hold another object (in this case, the liquid fertiliser).

Note: The specific gravity of any substance is always relative to the weight of water, which has a specific gravity of 1.0 and weighs 8.334 lbs/gallon.




Thus, a liquid fertiliser tank with a specific gravity rating of 1.5 means that it’s able to effectively carry the weight of a liquid 1.5 times the weight of water (or 12.5 lbs/gallon).

Do all liquid fertilisers weigh the same?

Not all fertiliser suppliers have the same formulations for their liquid fertilisers, which means that one type of liquid fertiliser may weigh more than another (depending on their composition).

Before we discuss the significance of this fact, let’s familiarise the different specific gravity for different liquid fertilisers.

Some Types of Liquid Fertilisers and their Specific Gravity

Flexi-N

Contains nitrogen in the form of nitrate, ammonium and urea. Overall, the specific gravity of Flexi-N is 1.32.

Flexi-NK

Contains nitrogen (in urea form) and potassium (in chloride form). The specific gravity for Flexi-NK is 1.20.

Flexi-NP

Contains nitrogen (in nitrogen, ammonium and urea form) and phosphorous (in polyphosphate form). The specific gravity for Flexi-NP is 1.44.

Summit UAN

Summit UAN is a nitrogen boosting liquid (combination of dissolved ammonium, nitrate and urea) with the specific gravity of 1.32.

MAXamFLO

Said to be “…Western Australia’s first broad acre liquid nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser”, MAXamFLO has a specific gravity of 1.26.

From the varying specific gravity above, you can tell that all liquid fertilisers weigh more than water! This is exactly the reason why you need to determine the SG ratings for both liquid fertilisers and liquid fertiliser tanks.

So how do you choose a liquid fertiliser tank?

Choosing A Liquid Fertiliser Tank

Points to Remember:

• Contact the manufacturer of the liquid fertiliser tank you’re eying. Specifically ask for the specific gravity rating of their liquid fertiliser tanks.
• Choose a liquid fertiliser storage and transport tank with a specific gravity rating that’s at least 1 point higher than the specific gravity of the liquid fertiliser.
  
  

Further, here’s a list of the major suppliers of liquid fertilisers in Western Australia:

• CSBP
• Summit
• Landmark
• Rural Liquid Fertilisers
• Hi-Tech Ag
  
  

Related Articles:

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Are Poly Liquid Fertiliser Tanks Ideal for Liquid Fertiliser Long-term Storage?