Chemical &
industrial.
Name the chemical and the concentration in the message field. Compatibility is the first question and it decides everything after it.
Two questions in order: is the chemistry compatible with HDPE, and does it move on a public road? Compatible and static means technical or Grade A reclaimed units, which is most industrial storage. Compatible and transported under regulation means a current UN 31HA1/Y assembly, which means new. Incompatible — aromatics, chlorinated solvents, ketones, strong oxidisers, anything over 140 °F — means stainless.
HDPE compatibility, the practical version
| Chemical class | HDPE suitability |
|---|---|
| Mineral acids (sulphuric, hydrochloric, phosphoric) | Good at most concentrations; check above 80% |
| Caustics (NaOH, KOH) | Excellent |
| Salts and brines | Excellent |
| Alcohols, glycols | Good |
| Detergents, surfactants | Excellent |
| Hypochlorite (bleach) | Fair — degrades over months, vent required |
| Hydrogen peroxide | Fair at low %, poor above 35% — vent mandatory |
| Aromatic solvents (toluene, xylene) | Poor — swells and softens |
| Chlorinated solvents | Poor — permeates and stress-cracks |
| Ketones (MEK, acetone) | Poor |
| Strong oxidisers (nitric, chromic) | Unsuitable |
| Anything above 140 °F | Unsuitable — creep under load |
Guidance, not a specification. Compatibility depends on concentration, temperature, exposure time and stress state. Validate against your own SDS and your own conditions — we will give you an honest opinion but we are not your process engineer.
Stress cracking: the slow failure
The dangerous failures in HDPE are not the obvious ones. Environmental stress cracking happens where a marginally aggressive chemical meets a region of the bottle under tensile stress — typically the lower corners, where hydrostatic load is highest — and it propagates over months. The tote looks fine, passes a visual, and then weeps from a hairline at the corner radius in month eight.
Two practical consequences. First, for any marginal chemistry, buy Grade A and re-air-test annually rather than relying on inspection. Second, do not store a marginal chemical in a tote that will be stacked, because the additional load changes the stress state at exactly the place that fails.
Venting, which people forget
Hypochlorite and peroxide both off-gas. A sealed cap on a bleach tote will pressurise the bottle, bulge it against the cage and eventually push liquid out of the valve when you open it. Use a vented cap — $14 — on anything that gasses, and on anything stored outdoors through a temperature swing.
UN ratings, briefly
A marking like 31HA1/Y/0326/USA/M5261 certifies a composite IBC with a plastic inner and an outer frame, tested to packing group II and III, in a named month and year. It certifies the assembly, not the bottle, which is why a rebottled unit loses it. Full breakdown on UN markings explained.
Returning chemical totes
We buy them — technical and scrap grade — provided they are drained to a trace heel and the prior content is declared honestly. An honestly declared solvent tote is a scrap-grade unit at $6–$12, which beats paying a hauler $18–$40. A mis-declared one is a load we return at your cost. See buyback terms.
Grade by situation
- Static, compatible
- Technical $95–$145
- Static, marginal chemistry
- Grade A $155–$225, re-test annually
- Transported, regulated
- New UN-rated $520–$690
- Solvents, hot, oxidisers
- Stainless $1,400–$3,200
- Chloride-bearing
- 316L specifically
Containment & safety parts
- Vented 6" cap
- $14
- Single-tote spill pan
- $340
- Bunded frame, fabricated
- $395
- Tamper seals, 25
- $11
- 2" camlock pair
- $18
Chemical & industrial questions
Do I need a UN-rated tote?
Only if you are offering a regulated hazardous liquid for transport. If the tote stays on your site, a UN rating is irrelevant and you should not pay for it. If it goes on a public road with a regulated material in it, you need a currently valid 31HA1/Y marking on the assembly — which in practice means a new unit or one specifically re-tested and re-plated, not a reconditioned one.
What chemicals can HDPE handle?
A great many: acids and alkalis at most concentrations, salts, most inorganic chemistry, alcohols, glycols, detergents and mild oxidisers. What it cannot handle is aromatic and chlorinated solvents, ketones, strong oxidisers, and anything above 140 °F. Those swell, craze or stress-crack the polymer, sometimes slowly enough that the failure arrives months after you stopped worrying about it.
Can you take back chemical totes?
Yes, with honest declaration. Drained to a trace heel, valve closed, prior content named. Technical-grade and scrap-grade chemical units are a routine part of our intake. What we cannot take is listed hazardous waste, unrinsed pesticide containers, or anything that needs a manifest we are not permitted for — and we will tell you that before a truck is booked rather than after.
What about secondary containment?
A single filled 275 gallon tote needs a pan rated for at least 275 gallons under most state rules; a bunded area for multiple units typically needs 10% of aggregate volume or 100% of the largest container, whichever is greater. We supply single-tote pans at $340 and fabricate bunded frames at $395. Check your own state and local requirement — they vary more than people expect.
Name the chemical and the concentration
We will tell you honestly whether poly will hold it, and for how long. Sometimes the answer is stainless and we will say so.