Steel Scuba Tank Sizes

How to choose the best scuba tanks size.

Steel scuba tank sizes.

High pressure steel tanks will have a pressure range between 3300 psi to 3500 psi 227 240 bar. The service life of a properly cared for modern steel scuba tank is widely considered to be 50 years or more. 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. Because less material is needed to make them steel tanks are usually slightly smaller and lighter than aluminum.

Divers direct carries 4 sizes in blue. There is no perfect size tank for all diving types and all divers. The capacity of any tank is measured in pressurized cubic feet. The most popular tank size that is used by recreational divers is the ones that hold 80 to 100 cubic feet 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. 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. This is a benefit for some scuba divers. High pressure tanks allow for a large gas capacity in a smaller size.

A scuba tank s capacity is determined by its size and pressure rating. Steel dive tanks weigh more due to the material in which it s made requiring less weight to be used in a weight belt. 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. The capacity of a scuba cylinder is an important consideration.