Compiled by huron scuba snorkel adventure travel inc.
Scuba tank sizes steel.
Steel scuba tanks are denser than aluminum tanks meaning you have to be less concerned with buoyancy issues especially at the end of a dive.
Steel tanks have thinner walls than aluminum tanks with an equal pressure rating.
For a 6 cuft bottle this means at 3000 psi the tank contains 6 cuft of air.
High pressure steel scuba tanks allow up to 3442 psi to be pumped into a cylinder while low pressure steel scuba tanks can fill up to 2640 psi.
The information below was compiled from a variety of sources including luxfer pressed steel tank catalina and oms.
The service life of a properly cared for modern steel scuba tank is widely considered to be 50 years or more.
The service life of a properly cared for aluminum tank is more controversial but some dive shops won t fill an aluminum tank manufactured before 1990 due to concerns regarding sustained load cracking of aluminum alloys in wide use.
Steel dive tanks weigh more due to the material in which it s made requiring less weight to be used in a weight belt.
Size of steel vs aluminum tanks.
For example most aluminum tanks from the smallest 6 cuft pony bottle to an 80 cuft tank have a fill pressure of 3000 psi.
There is a lot of information listed on the crown of the tank and the order in which the information is listed varies from tank to tank but the codes are standardized and easy to read if you know what to look for.
This is a benefit for some scuba divers.
Smaller than an aluminum tank of the same capacity a steel scuba tank is a more compact air supply solution a fact that becomes doubly important for twin tank setups.
A scuba tank s capacity is determined by its size and pressure rating.
The size and working pressure of your scuba tank can be determined by looking at the markings on the crown of your tank.
An 80 cubic foot steel tank rated to 3000 psi will be slightly smaller than an 80 cubic foot aluminum tank rated to 3000 psi because the tank walls are thinner.
But if budget is not a concern steel tanks are the way to go.
170mm rubber scuba diving cylinder tank boot for 12l steel tanks.
Steel tanks are usually more expensive than aluminum tanks.
If properly maintained steel tanks tend to last longer than aluminum tanks.
Divers direct carries 4 sizes in blue.
Scuba diving steel tank boot size 7 25.
Most steel and aluminum tanks have a diameter of 7 25 inches with a height of around 20 to 30 inches.
The difference between pressure volume it should be noted that the pressure of a tank is not a measure of the size or volume of a tank.
The pressure in a scuba tank is measured in psi pounds per square inch or bar in metric.
Because less material is needed to make them steel tanks are usually slightly smaller and lighter than aluminum.
