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.
Scuba tank sizes steel.
If properly maintained steel tanks tend to last longer than aluminum tanks.
A scuba tank s capacity is determined by its size and pressure rating.
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.
But if budget is not a concern steel tanks are the way to go.
The difference between pressure volume it should be noted that the pressure of a tank is not a measure of the size or volume of a tank.
The size and working pressure of your scuba tank can be determined by looking at the markings on the crown of your tank.
The information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed.
Divers direct carries 4 sizes in blue.
Compiled by huron scuba snorkel adventure travel inc.
Steel dive tanks weigh more due to the material in which it s made requiring less weight to be used in a weight belt.
Low pressure or high pressure.
For a 6 cuft bottle this means at 3000 psi the tank contains 6 cuft of air.
There is a lot of information listed on the crown of the tank and the order in which the information is listed varies from tank to tank but the codes are standardized and easy to read if you know what to look for.
Most steel and aluminum tanks have a diameter of 7 25 inches with a height of around 20 to 30 inches.
Scuba diving steel tank boot size 7 25.
170mm rubber scuba diving cylinder tank boot for 12l steel tanks.
The pressure in a scuba tank is measured in psi pounds per square inch or bar in metric.
The service life of a properly cared for modern steel scuba tank is widely considered to be 50 years or more.
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.
This is a benefit for some scuba divers.
Size of steel vs aluminum tanks.
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.
For example most aluminum tanks from the smallest 6 cuft pony bottle to an 80 cuft tank have a fill pressure of 3000 psi.
Steel tanks are usually more expensive than aluminum tanks.
Because less material is needed to make them steel tanks are usually slightly smaller and lighter than aluminum.
The information below was compiled from a variety of sources including luxfer pressed steel tank catalina and oms.