Skip to main content

Oil and propane tank calculator

Read your tank, enter the reading, and see how many gallons are left. For heating oil that is a dip stick or float gauge in inches; for propane it is the percent on the gauge. Add a few dated readings and it also estimates when the tank runs low at the rate you have been using it.

Your tank

Preset sizes are outside dimensions and approximate. Measure your own tank if you can; height is the direction your dip stick goes. With a label capacity filled in, every row is scaled so a full tank equals it. The presets for double-wall and bunded tanks do this, because the inner tank is much smaller than the outside. Their walls are ribbed and uneven, so for them the % full reading is the useful part and the volume is rough.

Oil in the tank
160.7 L
Full
13.1%
Tank holds 1,225.0 L to the very top (scaled from 2,813.6 by the outside measurements). Room for 1,064.3 L more.

When will the oil run out?

Enter dated dip readings, in any order. Dip after the truck leaves, and add each delivery with its date and amount. The estimate uses the average from the first reading to the last.

DateDip (cm)
Delivery dateAmount (L)

The pipe to the burner draws from a little above the bottom, so a tank stops feeding before it reads zero. Set the level you treat as empty; it starts at 10%.

Add at least two dated dip readings. See an example.

Nothing is saved on this site. Your tank and readings live in the link, so bookmark it and add the next reading to it.

Chart for this tank

154 rows, 1,225.0 L when full

DipOilFull
0 cm 0.0 L 0.0%
1 cm 8.0 L 0.7%
2 cm 16.1 L 1.3%
3 cm 24.1 L 2.0%
4 cm 32.1 L 2.6%
5 cm 40.2 L 3.3%
6 cm 48.2 L 3.9%
7 cm 56.2 L 4.6%
8 cm 64.3 L 5.2%
9 cm 72.3 L 5.9%
10 cm 80.3 L 6.6%
11 cm 88.4 L 7.2%
12 cm 96.4 L 7.9%
13 cm 104.4 L 8.5%
14 cm 112.5 L 9.2%
15 cm 120.5 L 9.8%
16 cm 128.5 L 10.5%
17 cm 136.6 L 11.1%
18 cm 144.6 L 11.8%
19 cm 152.6 L 12.5%
20 cm 160.7 L 13.1%
21 cm 168.7 L 13.8%
22 cm 176.7 L 14.4%
23 cm 184.8 L 15.1%
24 cm 192.8 L 15.7%
25 cm 200.8 L 16.4%
26 cm 208.9 L 17.0%
27 cm 216.9 L 17.7%
28 cm 224.9 L 18.4%
29 cm 233.0 L 19.0%
30 cm 241.0 L 19.7%
31 cm 249.0 L 20.3%
32 cm 257.0 L 21.0%
33 cm 265.1 L 21.6%
34 cm 273.1 L 22.3%
35 cm 281.1 L 23.0%
36 cm 289.2 L 23.6%
37 cm 297.2 L 24.3%
38 cm 305.2 L 24.9%
39 cm 313.3 L 25.6%
40 cm 321.3 L 26.2%
41 cm 329.3 L 26.9%
42 cm 337.4 L 27.5%
43 cm 345.4 L 28.2%
44 cm 353.4 L 28.9%
45 cm 361.5 L 29.5%
46 cm 369.5 L 30.2%
47 cm 377.5 L 30.8%
48 cm 385.6 L 31.5%
49 cm 393.6 L 32.1%
50 cm 401.6 L 32.8%
51 cm 409.7 L 33.4%
52 cm 417.7 L 34.1%
53 cm 425.7 L 34.8%
54 cm 433.8 L 35.4%
55 cm 441.8 L 36.1%
56 cm 449.8 L 36.7%
57 cm 457.9 L 37.4%
58 cm 465.9 L 38.0%
59 cm 473.9 L 38.7%
60 cm 482.0 L 39.3%
61 cm 490.0 L 40.0%
62 cm 498.0 L 40.7%
63 cm 506.1 L 41.3%
64 cm 514.1 L 42.0%
65 cm 522.1 L 42.6%
66 cm 530.2 L 43.3%
67 cm 538.2 L 43.9%
68 cm 546.2 L 44.6%
69 cm 554.3 L 45.2%
70 cm 562.3 L 45.9%
71 cm 570.3 L 46.6%
72 cm 578.4 L 47.2%
73 cm 586.4 L 47.9%
74 cm 594.4 L 48.5%
75 cm 602.5 L 49.2%
76 cm 610.5 L 49.8%
77 cm 618.5 L 50.5%
78 cm 626.6 L 51.1%
79 cm 634.6 L 51.8%
80 cm 642.6 L 52.5%
81 cm 650.7 L 53.1%
82 cm 658.7 L 53.8%
83 cm 666.7 L 54.4%
84 cm 674.8 L 55.1%
85 cm 682.8 L 55.7%
86 cm 690.8 L 56.4%
87 cm 698.9 L 57.0%
88 cm 706.9 L 57.7%
89 cm 714.9 L 58.4%
90 cm 723.0 L 59.0%
91 cm 731.0 L 59.7%
92 cm 739.0 L 60.3%
93 cm 747.0 L 61.0%
94 cm 755.1 L 61.6%
95 cm 763.1 L 62.3%
96 cm 771.1 L 63.0%
97 cm 779.2 L 63.6%
98 cm 787.2 L 64.3%
99 cm 795.2 L 64.9%
100 cm 803.3 L 65.6%
101 cm 811.3 L 66.2%
102 cm 819.3 L 66.9%
103 cm 827.4 L 67.5%
104 cm 835.4 L 68.2%
105 cm 843.4 L 68.9%
106 cm 851.5 L 69.5%
107 cm 859.5 L 70.2%
108 cm 867.5 L 70.8%
109 cm 875.6 L 71.5%
110 cm 883.6 L 72.1%
111 cm 891.6 L 72.8%
112 cm 899.7 L 73.4%
113 cm 907.7 L 74.1%
114 cm 915.7 L 74.8%
115 cm 923.8 L 75.4%
116 cm 931.8 L 76.1%
117 cm 939.8 L 76.7%
118 cm 947.9 L 77.4%
119 cm 955.9 L 78.0%
120 cm 963.9 L 78.7%
121 cm 972.0 L 79.3%
122 cm 980.0 L 80.0%
123 cm 988.0 L 80.7%
124 cm 996.1 L 81.3%
125 cm 1,004.1 L 82.0%
126 cm 1,012.1 L 82.6%
127 cm 1,020.2 L 83.3%
128 cm 1,028.2 L 83.9%
129 cm 1,036.2 L 84.6%
130 cm 1,044.3 L 85.2%
131 cm 1,052.3 L 85.9%
132 cm 1,060.3 L 86.6%
133 cm 1,068.4 L 87.2%
134 cm 1,076.4 L 87.9%
135 cm 1,084.4 L 88.5%
136 cm 1,092.5 L 89.2%
137 cm 1,100.5 L 89.8%
138 cm 1,108.5 L 90.5%
139 cm 1,116.6 L 91.1%
140 cm 1,124.6 L 91.8%
141 cm 1,132.6 L 92.5%
142 cm 1,140.7 L 93.1%
143 cm 1,148.7 L 93.8%
144 cm 1,156.7 L 94.4%
145 cm 1,164.8 L 95.1%
146 cm 1,172.8 L 95.7%
147 cm 1,180.8 L 96.4%
148 cm 1,188.9 L 97.0%
149 cm 1,196.9 L 97.7%
150 cm 1,204.9 L 98.4%
151 cm 1,212.9 L 99.0%
152 cm 1,221.0 L 99.7%
152.5 cm 1,225.0 L 100.0%

How the numbers are worked out

  • The volume at each depth comes from the shape of the tank's cross-section. An oval-ended tank is a rectangle with a half circle at each end, and the oil at a given depth fills part of that shape. Round tanks lying down use the same circle math. Upright round tanks and boxes fill evenly, so each inch holds the same amount.
  • The chart runs to the very top of the tank. Tanks are not filled that far: InspectAPedia notes a 275 gallon tank may be marked "Maximum Fill 247 gallons", leaving about 6 in of air at the top. PickHVAC puts the usual maximum fill for a 275 at 220 to 248 gal.
  • A 27 × 44 × 60 in tank works out to 267.9 gal by its shape, a little under the 275 on the label. My guess is that the outside size includes the steel and the rounded seams, and the label is a round number.
  • A tank that leans toward one end reads differently at each end. Dip at the middle of the tank if you can.
  • US gallons are 231 cubic inches. Liters are 1,000 cubic centimeters.

Where the preset sizes come from

Guides

Was this page useful?