Graduated Cylinders

We fabricate custom graduated cylinders from acrylic, clear PVC, PETG and polycarbonate.  If you find that the available off-the-shelf glass or plastic graduated cylinders are too small or you need custom fittings to place a graduated cylinder in your process piping Polyfab can help. We help you pick a material that will be compatible with the product you are measuring and that can withstand the temperature and pressure you require. We make custom fabricated graduated cylinders for food processors, gas and oil pipeline operators, gas and oil fracking companies, nuclear power generators, nuclear waste treatment companies, marine vessels and many other applications.

• Cast acrylic tubes for Graduated Cylinders offer the greatest array of sizes up to about 14 inches OD and are FDA compliant.
• Clear PVC pipes come in fewer sizes but are less expensive and are resistant to acids and bases.
• Polycarbonate tubes offer fewer sizes but are the most impact resistant.

Graduated Cylinders

Our engineers will discuss the materials choices with you. We fabricate your custom graduated cylinder from available tubing or pipe if available, but for larger sizes we fabricate the cylinder you need rolled from sheet stock. We have fabricated graduated cylinders up to 55 US gallons (210L) The bottom can be formed to provide complete drainage, and the bottom fitting is your choice a standard flange, pipe thread or tri-clamp sanitary fitting. The graduated cylinder can be open or covered, and it can be designed to be pressurized. For smaller graduated cylinders up to about 12 inches in diameter the graduations are engraved directly onto the wall. For large cylinders the graduations are engraved onto a separate scale which is then bonded or welded to the outside of the cylinder. The graduation scale is adjusted for the true inside diameter of the cylinder, either  by direct measurement or by filling the vessel to the lowest volume and the rated volume using a reference polypropylene cylinder. Our reference cylinder meets accuracy requirements of ASTM Class B, E1272, "Cylinder, Graduated, Laboratory, Glass" and all requirements of ISO Standard 6706 "Plastic Laboratory Ware-Graduated Measuring Cylinders.”

Polyfab has made custom graduated cylinders with metric units of measure, US gallons and ounces and custom units of measure based on the user’s manufacturing process. We have installed stainless steel sanitary fittings in acrylic and clear PVC graduated cylinders, and have also made 6 inch diameter graduated cylinders with a 6 in sanitary ring at the bottom to mount on a stainless steel end cap machined with fittings and mounting hardware to withstand high vibrations. Our engineers help you design the custom graduated cylinder that meets all of your needs.

• We fabricate custom graduated cylinders from clear PVC pipe up to 12” IPS diameter.
• The bottom is formed to provide complete drainage, and the bottom fitting is your choice of a flange or a female pipe thread. We can also machine a sanitary triclamp fitting if required. The vessel can be open or covered with a bolt-on cover with fittings. Welded clear PVC brackets can be installed to your design. (link to photos). The calibration scale is adjusted for length and positioned by filling the vessel to the lowest volume and the rated volume using a reference polypropylene cylinder which meets accuracy requirements of ASTM Class B, E1272, "Cylinder, Graduated, Laboratory, Glass" and all requirements of ISO Standard 6706 "Plastic Laboratory Ware-Graduated Measuring Cylinders.”
• Polycarbonate can also be used, using either 3” OD tube or a rolled cylinder of any dimension fabricated by PolyFab.