Railcar Fill Limits

Computes working fill-planning figures for a tank car from its shell capacity: the common 93% planning aim and the common 95% planning ceiling. The remaining outage leaves room for thermal expansion in transit.

These percentages are planning conventions, not universal legal limits. The applicable outage and filling limits depend on the commodity class and the governing regulations for what you are loading — see 49 CFR 173.24b and the other shipper-side rules linked on our Resources page.

Enter the car's shell capacity — both figures update live.

All results are an engineering estimate — not for custody transfer. Field measurement and certified tables govern.