Heated asphalt (bitumen) tanks · distributor, transport and storage tanks, insulation thickness, burner or hot-oil heating, temperature rating, mixing for polymer-modified asphalt, transport regulations and emissions
An asphalt tank holds liquid asphalt (bitumen) hot enough to pump and spray, so it is insulated and heated by flue burners or hot-oil coils; on a distributor truck it feeds the spray bar, on a transport trailer it carries asphalt from terminal to plant, and as a storage tank it supplies a mixing plant. Ask three things first: what duty and capacity it serves, how it is heated and insulated to hold temperature, and what temperature rating, mixing and regulatory approvals it carries.
Heated asphalt and bitumen tanks on distributor trucks and trailers, transport tank trailers and trucks, and stationary vertical or horizontal storage tanks at mixing plants, including polymer-modified and emulsion service. Unheated general storage tanks (a separate product page), complete asphalt plants and asphalt pumps or burners sold alone are outside this page except where compared.
CNFX editorial research · Sources checked October 11, 2026 · 4 sources
Etnyre's maintenance distributors carry tanks of 600 to 1,000 gallons built of steel with full-section surge plates and 2 in fiberglass insulation, heated by a flue with one auto-ignition diesel burner of 500,000 BTU, with an air-powered circulating system, a 20-gallon flushing oil tank, a hydraulically driven asphalt pump and an 8 ft circulating spray bar. [1] Its asphalt transport tankers hold 7,000 to 10,500 gallons in standard form, have internal burners, round atmospheric-pressure cases with an aluminium skin, a 375 °F (190 °C) temperature rating, 4 in fiberglass insulation, a 6 in discharge valve, and are built to 49 CFR 173.247. [2]
For plant storage, Astec's Heatec Thermo-Guard vertical tanks are built to order with mixing options; Astec notes that vertical tanks limit oxidation because less asphalt surface is exposed to air than in horizontal tanks, which matters for polymer-modified asphalt cement (PMAC) kept at higher temperatures, and that four vertical tanks fit in the ground area of one horizontal tank. [3] EPA's AP-42 section on hot mix asphalt plants describes asphalt cement pumped from a heated storage tank to the mix, and lists the heated tanks' ducted emissions of organic compounds and combustion products from the tank heater, to be estimated with its storage tank procedures and site-specific temperatures. [4]
Give the supplier the duty (distributor, transport, storage), capacity, asphalt grades including polymer-modified or emulsion, holding and spraying temperatures, heating method and fuel (burner or hot oil), insulation, mixing or circulation, pump and spray bar requirements, chassis or foundation, road transport rules, emission controls, and climate.
02
Check heating, insulation and temperature rating
Astec fully insulates its Thermo-Guard tanks: a double-wall top bulkhead with 6 in of fiberglass, 6 in of fiberglass on the side walls, and 3 in of foam glass with a metal cover on the bottom as standard, stating that more insulation means less heat loss. For PMAC it heats virgin asphalt above normal temperatures and uses a mixing system whose impeller number, size, pitch, position and speed and the baffle layout keep polymers in suspension and limit stagnant zones. [3]
Editorial calculation: Etnyre's 500,000 BTU/h distributor burner is about 500,000 / 3,412 ≈ 147 kW of firing rate, and a 1,000-gallon tank holds about 1,000 × 3.785 ≈ 3,785 L. Compare tanks on insulation thickness, heating rate and the time to raise a full tank by a stated amount, which the supplier should give for your asphalt and climate.
03
Compare what suppliers offer
Suppliers linked to this page list asphalt or bitumen tanks; each card links to the page reviewed.
Listings include asphalt storage and transport tanks with emulsion equipment, liquid asphalt tank semi-trailers of 40–60 m³, bitumen tanks with asphalt plants, and bitumen tank trailers with asphalt distributors. Ask each for capacity, heating method and rating, insulation, temperature rating and approvals.
04
Trace the tank components
This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's specification.
Fill the specification fields with values for your operation
An asphalt tank quotation needs values for your operation. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.
Field
What it means and published values
Ask the supplier for
Capacity (L)
Examples: 600–1,000 gal distributor; 7,000–10,500 gal transport. [1][2]
Explore company information and manufacturing capabilities, then discuss the scope of your project with a relevant supplier.
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Compiled and source-reviewed by the CNFX editorial team.
Published product pages show what a company offers, not tested performance. Confirm the legal seller, factory and scope for your order. How we source and review
· Page last updated 13 October 2026
Buyer questions
How hot can an asphalt transport tank run?
Etnyre rates its transport tankers at 375 °F (190 °C). [2]
How thick is asphalt tank insulation?
Etnyre uses 2 in on distributors and 4 in on transports; Astec uses 6 in on storage tank sides and top and 3 in foam glass on the bottom. [1][2][3]
Why use vertical storage tanks for modified asphalt?
Astec says vertical tanks expose less asphalt surface to air, limiting oxidation of PMAC kept at higher temperatures. [3]
Sources and what still needs a direct check
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Etnyre and Astec are asphalt equipment makers describing their own tanks; AP-42 is the US EPA's emissions reference for hot mix asphalt plants. Figures are examples, not limits for other makes.
