IBC tanks are tanks with a maximum capacity of around 1,000 liters and are made to comfortably and safely store and transport all kinds of liquids, substances and bulk materials.
The initials IBC come from Intermediate Bulk Tank and can also be called GRG or Large Bulk Tank. With a design thought from the space that you want to take advantage of, they are stack-able and their format facilitates both loading and storage.
It should be noted that IBC tank is made of plastic materials although reinforced and protected by a metal structure and a pallet at the base that helps their respective movements and handling with the appropriate machines.
Do You Know All The IBC Nomenclatures?
It depends on the country, the IBC is called with one or another nomenclature, a fact that can sometimes cause confusion when dealing with sales representatives and suppliers from other countries.
GRG: Acronym in Spanish for Large Tank for Bulk Goods . Almost 80% of companies in Spain use this nomenclature at the administrative level.
IBC: It is the acronym in English for Intermediate Bulk Tank, which in Spanish would be translated as Cubic Shape Tank. If your company exports bulk and/or liquid materials abroad, you will be familiar with this name, since it is the most common nomenclature in non-Spanish-speaking countries.
KTC: It is the German acronym for cubic cargo container. These acronyms are widely used when dealing with German companies, so it is advisable to know it if you deal with the German country. However, the GRG tank is often also known as:
- 1000 liter container
- Cubic container
- 1000 liter tank
- 1000 liter gutter
- 1000 liter tank
Main Characteristics of an IBC Tank
These types of tanks allow all types of liquids to be collected and are in great demand in the food and chemical industries, which are the ones that use liquids with the greatest quantity and frequency. Here we list other characteristics to take into account of the IBC tank:
- Although the maximum capacity of an IBC tank could reach 3m3, 1m3 is generally used.
- There are smaller IBC tanks that have a capacity of 500 or 100 kilos , often necessary for processing and packaging lines.
- They are very useful, effective , and have great advantages such as being resistant to weather conditions and to the blows and aggression that can be received by the stored product.
- An IBC deposit can be rigid, flexible, or composite.
- They are able to remain for a long time under heavy rain without anything happening to them, they will protect the products they contain and they will always be economical because they are recyclable.
- IBC tanks are designed to be mechanically handled by forklift or pallet truck.
- They can withstand the stresses that occur during handling and transportation.
- They can be plastic or metal containers, depending on their use.
- A 1000-liter IBC is characterized by having a containment grid that surrounds the interior structure, known as a bubble. The grids fulfill two key objectives: to reinforce the IBC structure against possible blows, and to stabilize said structure.
All these characteristics explain the usefulness and poly-functionality of IBC tanks that, moreover, adapt to the particular needs of each company from the different varieties of packaged products and can always count on them.
Advantages of IBC Tank
Companies and organizations spread the practice of IBC tanks to show that since they are recyclable and can be used many times, they have responsibility and social sensitivity and that they contribute to caring for the environment.
Some of the advantages that IBC tanks have are the following:
- They have a maximum capacity a little inside the established one. This is actually a security measure to prevent any kind of minor incident.
- It will adapt to the needs of the product to be transported due to its great versatility.
- They are easily manipulated thanks to transport devices.
- They can withstand the stresses involved in their handling and transportation. This is an essential measure to increase its reliability and ensure that the transported products will reach their destination in perfect condition.
