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Everything facility managers, engineers, and applicators need to know about secondary containment — what it is, when regulators require it, how polyurea coatings compare to the alternatives, and how ArmorThane systems are specified and installed.
Secondary containment is the backup barrier that catches a leak when a primary container fails. If the primary container is a fuel tank, chemical drum, or process vessel, the secondary containment is the berm, dike, sump, or lined pad around it. When the primary leaks, the secondary holds what escaped until the spill can be recovered.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency writes the rule the way any engineer should think about it: secondary containment must be sufficiently impervious to contain leaks, spills, and accumulated precipitation until the collected material is detected and removed. That definition sets the bar for every coating system, every liner, and every design choice that follows.
Two layers of protection exist for a reason. The primary container does the day-to-day work of holding the product. The secondary system exists because primary containers fail. Welded seams crack. Gaskets degrade. Operators overfill. Equipment ages. Without secondary containment, one failure becomes an environmental release, a regulatory action, and a cleanup invoice that dwarfs the coating that would have prevented it.
Secondary containment is any engineered system — a berm, dike, sump, spill pallet, tray, or coated surface — built to capture and hold a spilled liquid long enough for it to be cleaned up before it escapes into soil, groundwater, or a waterway.
In the United States, secondary containment is not optional for most facilities that store oil, fuel, or hazardous chemicals. Two federal rules drive most requirements, and state and local codes add more on top. The distinctions matter because the type of material stored determines which rule applies, which then determines the design requirements.
The Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule lives at 40 CFR Part 112. It applies to non-transportation-related onshore facilities that could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into U.S. waterways. SPCC is triggered when a facility has:
Under 40 CFR 112.7(c), covered facilities must provide "appropriate containment and/or diversionary structures or equipment to prevent a discharge." Under 40 CFR 112.8(c)(2), bulk storage container installations must have secondary containment sized to hold the entire capacity of the largest single container plus sufficient freeboard to contain precipitation.
Freeboard is the extra capacity above what the largest container can hold, reserved for rainfall and snowmelt. Most engineers design outdoor containment for the largest container volume plus a 25-year, 24-hour storm event on the exposed containment footprint. Indoor and covered containment is sized for the container volume alone. Check your state SPCC guidance for stricter local rules.
If the facility stores hazardous waste rather than oil, the governing rule shifts to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Under 40 CFR 264.175, a container storage area must have a containment system with:
That "sufficiently impervious" standard is what drives most facilities to a sprayed polyurea or polyurethane coating rather than bare concrete. Concrete alone is porous to hydrocarbons and many solvents. A coated concrete pad, sized correctly and maintained, meets the 264.175 definition in a way bare concrete does not.
This guide summarizes federal rules at a high level. It is not legal advice. Confirm your applicable regulations with your SPCC Plan preparer, your state environmental agency, and your local fire marshal before specifying a containment design.
Not every containment situation calls for the same design. Six configurations cover the majority of real-world applications. Each has a role, and the right system often combines more than one.
An earthen berm is a raised barrier of compacted soil, clay, or sand surrounding a tank farm or process area. On its own, earth is not "sufficiently impervious." Earthen berms become compliant only when they are lined — almost always with a sprayed polyurea or polyurethane over a geotextile reinforcing fabric.
Poured concrete is the most common secondary containment construction in industrial facilities. It is strong, fire-resistant, and easy to inspect. It is also porous to hydrocarbons and many solvents unless coated. Applying a polyurea or polyurethane liner over a properly prepped concrete pad converts it into a seamless, impervious system that meets 40 CFR 264.175 and common SPCC requirements.
Sumps collect spills at low points so they can be pumped out. Trench drains route spills to a central sump. Both require coating systems that handle immersion, chemical exposure, and the mechanical punishment of debris and cleaning.
For drum and tote storage, prefabricated polyethylene or steel spill pallets are common. These are useful for smaller operations or interior storage of limited quantities. They are portable, but their capacity is fixed and they are not a substitute for a lined pad when drum counts grow.
For large footprints — frac tank pads, oilfield containment, mine leach ponds — the practical system is a geotextile fabric pulled taut over a compacted subgrade and then sprayed with polyurea. The geotextile provides tensile reinforcement. The polyurea provides the impervious, chemically resistant surface.
Portable, bolted-panel containment systems exist for temporary operations — rig moves, emergency response, construction staging. They are fast to deploy but temporary. For permanent installations, spray-applied systems consistently win on total cost of ownership.
Polyurea is a spray-applied elastomer formed by the reaction of an isocyanate component with an amine resin. The reaction is fast: on a heated plural-component sprayer, gel times are measured in seconds and tack-free times in minutes. A ten-man crew can line a large containment pad in a single day.
Three properties make polyurea the dominant chemistry for secondary containment work:
Sprayed polyurea is applied wet-on-wet in overlapping passes. There are no seams to fail. The result is a continuous membrane that adheres directly to the substrate and conforms to every corner, penetration, and transition in the containment geometry. Sheet-good liners like HDPE rely on welded seams that are only as strong as the weld.
Most polyurea systems can be walked on within an hour and returned to light service within 24 hours. For facilities where downtime has a per-hour cost, that cure profile changes the economics of recoating work.
High-quality pure polyurea elastomers deliver a combination of tensile strength, elongation, and chemical resistance that few other coating chemistries can match. That combination is what lets a coating absorb mechanical impact, thermal expansion, and chemical exposure over decades without cracking.
Most procurement teams evaluating secondary containment compare polyurea against four alternatives: epoxy coatings, HDPE sheet liners, concrete alone, and traditional paint. The comparison below summarizes where each chemistry fits.
ArmorThane has been formulating pure polyurea and hybrid polyurea systems in Springfield, Missouri since 1989. We manufacture the coating, manufacture the proportioning equipment, and train the applicator network that installs it. We are not a franchise. Coating chemistry, spray rigs, training, and 24/7 technical support are developed and supported under one roof.
HighLine 510H is a two-component, 100% solids, pure polyurea elastomer formulated for high-build spray application. It is the workhorse system for chemical containment, tank linings, secondary containment pads, and bermed areas where mechanical toughness and chemical resistance matter most. Gel time is measured in seconds; tack-free time is minutes. Typical build is 60 to 125 mils in a single pass.
For large-footprint lined containment — frac tank pads, oilfield containment, mine leach ponds, agricultural runoff basins — ArmorThane applicators spray HighLine polyurea over a geotextile fabric anchored to a compacted subgrade. The geotextile adds tensile reinforcement. The polyurea provides the impervious, chemically resistant surface. Together the system installs faster than welded HDPE and holds up better over irregular terrain.
For containment structures with blast-mitigation requirements — ammunition storage, military fuel depots, high-consequence civilian infrastructure — ArmorThane manufactures UltraBlast, a purpose-engineered polyurea system designed to absorb and dissipate blast energy.
Tensile Strength
2,500–4,500 psi
ASTM D412
Elongation at Break
300–600%
Shore D Hardness
45–60
ASTM D2240
Tear Resistance
300–500 pli
ASTM D624
Solids Content
100%
Zero VOC
Gel Time
3–15 sec
Plural-component spray
Tack-Free
15–90 sec
At specified ambient
Return to Service
1–24 hr
Application-dependent
Performance targets for any individual project should be pulled from the ArmorThane Technical Data Sheet that matches the system selected. Call ArmorThane technical support at (417) 831-5090 for the TDS and SDS set that applies to your design.
Secondary containment is a requirement across every industry that handles oil, fuel, or chemicals. The design details shift by sector, but the coating strategy is consistent.
Upstream well pads, midstream tank batteries, downstream refining, frac water pits, and crude oil transloading all run on lined secondary containment. Polyurea over a reinforced substrate delivers the chemical resistance needed for crude, condensate, produced water, drilling mud, and frac chemistries. ArmorThane systems are in service across U.S. oilfields and at international operators through our global applicator network.
Heap leach pads, solution ponds, concentrator sumps, reagent storage, and equipment wash-down areas require a containment system that handles acidic or caustic chemistries and heavy mechanical abuse. Pure polyurea systems tolerate the combination better than the alternatives.
Chemical feed areas, clarifier walls, digester exteriors, and secondary containment around sodium hypochlorite, ferric chloride, and polymer storage all demand an impervious coating. Polyurea protects steel and concrete substrates against both the stored chemistry and the aggressive atmosphere inside a treatment plant.
Fertilizer storage, pesticide and herbicide storage, bulk chemical delivery pads, and ag retail sites all fall under state and federal containment requirements. Dry fertilizer operations need abrasion resistance. Liquid fertilizer and crop protection chemistry need chemical resistance. ArmorThane systems are specified in both.
Process areas, solvent storage, and hazardous waste satellite accumulation areas require surfaces that are both impervious and cleanable. Polyurea's non-porous surface meets the hygiene requirement; its chemical resistance meets the spill requirement.
Wash-down areas, chemical sanitizer storage, and secondary containment at bottling and processing sites need a surface that survives hot water, caustics, and daily cleaning. Polyurea holds up where epoxy flooring begins to fail in two to three years.
Fuel farms, munitions storage, vehicle maintenance facilities, and bulk chemical storage on federal installations run under DoD UFC standards and EPA rules simultaneously. ArmorThane systems have been installed on U.S. and allied military assets for decades, including blast-rated and ballistic-rated configurations.
Hydraulic fluid storage, quench tank secondary containment, paint kitchen containment, and solvent storage in manufacturing plants are bread-and-butter polyurea applications. Fast return to service matters more here than in most sectors because plant downtime is expensive.
A polyurea containment coating only performs to spec if the substrate preparation and application are correct. This is what a compliant installation looks like on a typical concrete containment pad.
Before a coating is selected, the applicator reviews the SPCC plan or RCRA plan, the capacity calculation, the substrate condition, and the operating environment. Existing cracks, joints, penetrations, and drainage all drive the detailing approach.
Concrete substrates are mechanically prepared to a surface profile specified by SSPC-SP 13 / NACE 6 or ICRI CSP 3 to 5, depending on the coating system. Steel substrates are abrasive blast-cleaned to SSPC-SP 10 near-white metal for immersion service. Oil, laitance, curing compounds, and incompatible existing coatings are removed.
Cracks are routed and filled. Expansion joints are detailed with a backer rod and a compatible joint sealant. Pipe penetrations, drains, and anchor bolts are dressed with a gasket or fillet bead so the coating ties in without a weak point.
A primer matched to the substrate is rolled or sprayed at the rate specified on the TDS. Primer selection is not optional and is not interchangeable between substrates. Concrete primers, steel primers, and geotextile primers are different products with different jobs.
On large lined containment areas, a geotextile fabric is anchored and tensioned across the area. On detail areas — inside corners, penetrations, crack repairs — a fleece or scrim may be embedded in the first polyurea pass for reinforcement.
The plural-component proportioner heats and pressurizes the A-side and B-side materials, meters them at the correct ratio, and delivers them to an impingement-mixing spray gun. The applicator lays down overlapping passes to build the specified film thickness — typically 60 to 125 mils for a single-pass pure polyurea liner.
Wet-film thickness is checked during application. Dry-film thickness is verified after cure using a magnetic or ultrasonic gauge on steel, or a coring sample on concrete.
For containment linings, a low-voltage wet-sponge or high-voltage spark tester is passed over the cured coating to find any pinholes, holidays, or thin spots. Flaws are marked, abraded, and recoated.
For outdoor exposure, an aliphatic polyurea or polyurethane topcoat is applied over the aromatic base coat to preserve color and reduce surface chalking.
The applicator documents surface preparation, ambient conditions, batch numbers, film thickness, holiday test results, and any repairs. The documentation package becomes part of the facility's SPCC or RCRA file.
Secondary containment is only as effective as its inspection program. Regulators expect documentation. Insurers expect documentation. And in the rare case of an actual spill, the paper trail is what demonstrates that the facility met its duty of care.
SPCC-covered facilities perform documented monthly inspections of each containment area. Inspectors look for:
Depending on the chemistry stored and the local regulation, periodic integrity testing of the coating may be required. Options include visual inspection by a qualified coating inspector, hardness testing, coring, and holiday testing. A polyurea liner inspected annually and maintained should deliver decades of service.
Polyurea can be spot-repaired. Damaged areas are abraded, reprimed, and recoated with matching chemistry. The repair bonds to the underlying coating and restores the original film properties when done to the manufacturer's procedure.
Capacity sizing is where many projects get tripped up. Two rules apply depending on which regulation governs the site.
A chemical storage area holds twelve 55-gallon drums. RCRA requires containment for the larger of: (a) 10% of total volume = 10% of 660 gallons = 66 gallons, or (b) the largest container = 55 gallons. The binding number is 66 gallons. Design the pad for at least 66 gallons of capacity, with additional margin for precipitation if the pad is outdoors.
ArmorThane technical support works with facility engineers on containment sizing as part of the specification process. If you are scoping a new pad or retrofitting an existing one, call us before the concrete is poured.
Primary containment is the vessel that holds the product in daily service — a tank, a drum, a tote, a pipe. Secondary containment is the backup barrier around that vessel that catches a leak or spill if the primary fails. Primary containment does the work; secondary containment prevents an environmental release when primary fails.
The SPCC rule (40 CFR Part 112) applies to non-transportation-related onshore facilities with more than 1,320 gallons of aboveground oil storage capacity in containers of 55 gallons or more, or more than 42,000 gallons of buried oil storage capacity, that could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into U.S. waterways.
Film thickness depends on the substrate, the stored chemistry, and the mechanical exposure. For pure polyurea secondary containment systems on concrete, 60 to 125 mils in a single pass is common. Highly aggressive chemical service or heavy mechanical abuse may call for 125 to 250 mils or more. Always refer to the current Technical Data Sheet for the specified product and service.
Yes. EPA does not dictate a specific coating chemistry. It sets a performance standard — containment must be sufficiently impervious to contain leaks, spills, and accumulated precipitation until the collected material is detected and removed (40 CFR 264.175). A correctly specified and installed polyurea liner meets that standard.
Properly specified, installed, inspected, and maintained polyurea systems deliver decades of service. Actual service life depends on the chemistry stored, the operating temperature, the UV exposure, mechanical abuse, and the quality of the original installation. A lined containment area inspected monthly and repaired when damage is found will outlive most of the other assets on the site.
Yes, and it is the most common application. Existing concrete must be clean, structurally sound, and mechanically prepared to the surface profile specified for the coating system. Cracks, joints, and penetrations are detailed. A matched primer is applied, and the polyurea topcoat is sprayed to the specified film thickness.
The 1,320-gallon threshold is the SPCC trigger for aboveground oil storage. If a facility has aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity exceeding 1,320 gallons in containers of 55 gallons or more, it is covered by 40 CFR Part 112 and must develop and implement an SPCC Plan, which includes secondary containment requirements.
Yes. 40 CFR 112.8(c)(2) requires sufficient freeboard to contain precipitation on outdoor bulk storage containment. The common engineering convention is to size the containment for the largest container plus a 25-year, 24-hour rainfall event over the containment footprint.
Polyurea can be sprayed in temperatures down to freezing and in some cases below, provided the substrate is dry, dew point is controlled, and the coating material is at the correct application temperature. Cold-weather installation requires experienced crews, heated spray equipment, and weather protection for the work area.
Yes. Pure polyurea systems developed for containment service resist diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and most crude and refined petroleum products. For concentrated aromatic solvents, ketones, or strong acids, verify compatibility against the Technical Data Sheet and the chemical resistance chart for the specific ArmorThane product before specifying.
40 CFR 264.175 is the RCRA regulation that governs containment for hazardous waste container storage areas at permitted treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. It requires a containment system with a base free of cracks and gaps, sufficiently impervious to contain leaks and spills. The capacity must be the greater of 10% of the volume of all containers or the volume of the largest container.
HDPE sheet liners are welded geomembranes used on large flat containment areas. They work well when a specialist crew can weld reliable seams and the geometry is simple. Polyurea is seamless, conforms to complex geometry, and installs faster on irregular terrain. For most industrial containment pads with tanks, piping, drains, and transition details, polyurea outperforms HDPE on both installation speed and long-term integrity.
Talk to ArmorThane directly. We're the manufacturer — coatings, equipment, and technical support under one roof, supporting a global applicator network. Not a franchise. No franchise fees.
About ArmorThane. ArmorThane USA Inc. has been manufacturing polyurea and polyurethane protective coatings, spray foam systems, and plural-component application equipment in Springfield, Missouri since 1989. We operate as a direct manufacturer, not a franchise network. Our coatings and equipment are installed in the field by a global network of trained applicators across North America and more than 30 countries. Technical support is available 24/7 at (417) 831-5090.
