Where a 1500L stainless IBC fits

This vessel is a 1,500 liter stainless steel IBC with forklift pockets welded into the base frame. It is a storage and transfer container, not a fermenter. With no cooling jacket, there is nothing to pull away the heat that active fermentation generates, so the tank is meant for wine, spirits, and liquor that sit, blend, or travel at ambient temperature — bulk holding before bottling, inter-site transfers, tanker offloading, and barrel-room overflow.

Material and fabrication details

Shell and bottom are formed from SUS304 sheet, 2 mm to 3 mm thick depending on whether the unit gets stacked or lifted daily. High-proof spirits and high-acid must push us toward 316L; the molybdenum content holds up better against chloride attack in wash-down areas. Welds are TIG, fully penetrated, then passivated. Interior weld seams on the shell are ground and polished to a 320-grit finish; the outside stays as a 2B mill finish unless a client wants a brushed exterior for a visible production floor.

Because there is no manhole, access is through the top. We normally fit a 400 mm top opening with a hinged or bolted lid, plus a 1.5\” vent, a 1.5\” CIP connection with a rotating spray ball, and a 2\” tri-clamp outlet at the low point with a butterfly valve. Gasket material matters here: EPDM for general service, PTFE-encapsulated for solvent-heavy spirits.

Applications

• Distilleries holding high-proof spirit before dilution and bottling
• Wineries storing finished wine or juice under nitrogen blanket
• Blending rooms needing a mobile, forklift-movable vessel
• Contract bottlers receiving product from tankers

Technical specifications

Common questions

Can I ferment in it? No. Fermentation releases heat that only a jacket and chilled water loop can remove. Use this tank after fermentation is finished.

How do we clean it without a manhole? A top-mounted spray ball plus a full-drain bottom cone gives adequate CIP coverage for most clear products. Sticky residues and lees are harder — if you process unfiltered must, ask for a manhole at the build stage. Retrofitting one later costs more than ordering it.

Will it take pressure? It is vented. If you plan to push product out with gas, we weld to a higher standard and fit a pressure relief valve; tell us the working pressure before we cut steel.

Tell us your product, volume per transfer, available floor space, and how the tank will be moved. We can confirm wall thickness, connection layout, and finish before you commit to a purchase order.