Tank sizes

[joe ny]

Hiya all. Gonna start my smoker build. I have a small tank 100lb propane to experiment with but was looking for a bigger tank for my "real" smoker. Looking at the reverse flow design. I was gonna buy a Lang but figured it would be more fun to make one myself.
Question I have is, how do I know the thickness of a tank. I am looking for about 50+ gallons looking about 4-5' long to fit in my little yard. I would like 1/4". Is there a formula or rule of thumb to get the thickness of the steel based on size or weight of the tank?
Thanks in advance,
Joe

 

[jirodriguez]

Most anything used to make a industrial tank is going to be thick enough. Industrial tanks are required to have all kinds of safety ratings which equals thicker metals - the thin stuff you see people complain about in big box store smokers will not be used to make tanks like you are talking about.

Rap on it with your knuckle or a small hammer and you will get a feel for how solid it is.