The American Petroleum Industry (API) has established standards for the design, fabrication and

construction of welded steel storage tanks for storing oil. The most popular tanks available on the
market today are the 620 and 650 models. API 620 regulates the design and manufacture of large
steel low-pressure storage tanks, usually larger than 300 feet in diameter. By contrast, API
Standard 650 is typically used for carbon, stainless steel and aluminum tanks located in terminals,
refineries, pipelines and other process facilities. Both have different pressure and temperature
parameters as well.

API 620
The design configuration of API 620 requires an elevated or flat bottom on which it is stored. The
tank has a single, vertical, centered axis of revolution with a minimum material thickness of 3/16
inch. Other attributes of API 620 include:

 It is constructed from carbon steel, austenitic stainless steel and nickel alloys (low
temperature only).
 A Welding Certification is stipulated by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME), Section 10.
 There is a required inspection, no third party.
 The inspection cost is the cost of the non-destructive inspection (NDE)

Benefits of API 620 are:

1. It is used for products which have high internal pressure such as liquefied natural gas
(LNG) and cryogenic tanks.
2. It can store contents at a higher pressure (maximum 15 pounds per square inch (PSI) of gas
or vapor storage) and lower temperature (-325 degrees F to 250 degrees F) than API 650.
3. It can store any liquid.

API 650
API 650 sets minimum requirements for the design, material, construction, and testing for
aboveground, open and closed-top, cylindrical steel storage tanks in different capacities and sizes,
roughly equating to the pressure of the atmosphere (not greater than the weight of the roof
plates). If additional requirements are met, higher internal pressures are allowed. API 650 only
covers tanks that support the whole bottom evenly and tanks in non-refrigerated service that have
a maximum design temperature of 200 degrees F. It requires a minimum material thickness of
3/16 inch. Other attributes of API 650 are:

 It is constructed from carbon steel, austenitic duplex stainless steel, and aluminum
 A Welding Certification is stipulated by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME), Section 10.
 There is a required inspection, no third party.
 The inspection cost is the cost of the NDE.
Benefits of API 650 include:

1. It can store oil, gas, chemical, water and biofuel for some of the most common tanks in the
oil industry.
2. It can store contents at a lower pressure (maximum of 2 ½ PSI) but at much higher
temperature (-40 degrees F to 500 degrees F) than the standards of API 620.
3. It can be any tank size.

Finally, the summary is, API 620 can store contents at a lower temperature and higher pressure
whereas API 650 permits a lower amount of pressure at a higher temperature. So, knowing the
specific pressure and temperature requirements, one can choose the standard carefully. The choice
of model will depend on one individual and/or his/her client’s particular needs.i

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