Overview
Water storage tanks are a potable-water-contact and weathering product. Rooftop and ground tanks are almost universal in Saudi buildings, and the two things that most often decide acceptance are not obvious from a datasheet: whether every surface the stored water touches — resin, liner, gasket, fittings — has toxicological / migration approval for drinking water, and whether the tank wall keeps its strength and colour after prolonged UV and high-temperature exposure. A tank that passes a factory pressure test can still fail on either of these. The certificate also covers structural integrity — the tank holds its rated volume without leaking, deflecting excessively or failing at the base, connections and, for sectional tanks, the panel joints.
Water tanks fall under the SABER conformity scheme, generally within the Technical Regulation for Building Materials together with the Saudi requirements for drinking-water contact products. A Product Certificate of Conformity (PCoC) is required for the product, and a Shipment Certificate of Conformity (SCoC) is required for each consignment before it can clear Saudi customs. Pressurised vessels, hot-water cylinders and expansion vessels are covered on our pressure vessels & boilers and water heaters pages; this page is for atmospheric (unpressurised) cold-water storage tanks.
Product Types
The SABER route and the potable-water / weathering requirements apply across:
- Polyethylene (roto-moulded) tanks — vertical, horizontal, loft and underground
- GRP / FRP tanks — one-piece moulded and hot-pressed panel (sectional) tanks
- Sectional / bolted steel tanks with potable-water lining (hot-dip galvanised, epoxy or GRP-lined)
- Stainless-steel pressed-panel water tanks
- Layered / insulated tanks (multi-layer PE with UV and anti-algae layers)
- Loft and header tanks, break tanks and cold-water storage cisterns
- Ground and buried tanks for domestic and irrigation storage
- Tank fittings in the wetted path — bulkhead connectors, float valves, strainers, gaskets and man-way seals
The scope of the certificate is defined from the tank material and construction, the capacity range, the intended contents (potable, non-potable, irrigation) and the HS code, so the range you export is covered. Chemical, fuel and effluent tanks are a different assessment — we confirm this at the start.
HS Codes
Water tanks are classified by material. These are examples only — the correct code depends on the exact product.
- 3925.10 — Reservoirs, tanks, vats and similar containers of plastics, of a capacity exceeding 300 litres
- 3926.90 — Other articles of plastics (smaller tanks and plastic tank fittings)
- 7309.00 — Reservoirs, tanks, vats and similar containers of iron or steel, capacity exceeding 300 litres
- 7310 — Tanks, casks and similar containers of iron or steel, capacity not exceeding 300 litres
- 7611.00 — Aluminium reservoirs and tanks, capacity exceeding 300 litres
- 7019 — Glass fibre and articles thereof (for certain GRP tank classifications)
Applicable Saudi Requirements
Water storage tanks are certified through SABER registration under the Technical Regulation for Building Materials and the Saudi drinking-water contact requirements. The main requirements are:
- A valid PCoC covering the tank range and its intended use
- An SCoC for each shipment before customs clearance
- Potable-water contact approval for all wetted materials — resin, liner, coating, gaskets and fittings — demonstrating no harmful migration and no effect on taste, odour, colour or microbial growth
- Freedom from lead, cadmium and other regulated metals in wetted metallic parts; verified organic-substance migration for plastics
- UV / weathering resistance for outdoor and rooftop tanks — retained tensile strength, impact resistance and colour after accelerated weathering representative of Saudi solar exposure
- Heat resistance — dimensional stability and no softening or stress-cracking at sustained high wall temperatures
- Structural and hydrostatic performance — full-height water test for leak-tightness, wall deflection within limits, base and connection integrity, and panel-joint performance for sectional tanks
- Opacity / light exclusion to limit algae growth, and a close fitting, insect-proof lid and screened overflow / vent
- Wall-thickness and capacity marking, and a durable label with the manufacturer, material, nominal capacity, "potable water" designation and date of manufacture
- Installation and maintenance instructions in Arabic and a registered Saudi importer on the SABER platform
Technical Regulation
Water storage tanks are assessed under Saudi Arabia's Technical Regulation for Building Materials, with the drinking-water contact requirements applied to the wetted materials. Potable-water suitability is demonstrated to a recognised material-approval scheme — for example the tests underlying NSF/ANSI 61 and NSF/ANSI 372 (lead content), the UK Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) / BS 6920 tests for effect on water quality, or the EN 1622 (taste and odour) and migration methods used in European drinking-water approvals. Polyethylene tanks follow EN 13341 (static tanks for domestic heating oil, kerosene and diesel — widely referenced for roto-moulded tank construction) and DIN 16961 / national roto-moulding standards; GRP tanks follow EN 13121 (GRP tanks and vessels for above-ground use) and BS 4994; sectional / panel tanks follow BS EN 13280 (specification for GRP water storage tanks) and BS 1564 (pressed-steel sectional tanks). UV and heat ageing follow ISO 4892 (xenon-arc / UV exposure), ISO 4607 and ISO 188, with property retention measured to ISO 527 (tensile) and ISO 179 / ISO 180 (impact). The exact standard set is confirmed at assessment. Our Technical Regulations guide explains how regulations are matched to products.
Testing / Standards
What is required depends on the tank and how much valid data already exists. Typical work includes:
- Drinking-water contact testing on the wetted materials — metal release, organic migration, effect on taste, odour, colour, turbidity and microbial growth
- Lead / cadmium / regulated-metal analysis of wetted metallic components
- Accelerated UV / xenon-arc weathering with tensile, impact and colour measurement before and after
- Heat / thermal-cycling exposure and environmental stress-cracking resistance for plastics
- Full-height hydrostatic leak test and wall-deflection measurement
- Base, connection and lifting-point load tests
- Panel and bolt-joint strength and leak testing for sectional tanks
- Wall-thickness survey against the declared minimum
- Light-transmission / opacity check for algae control
Existing accredited test reports and drinking-water approvals are accepted where they cover the exact materials and construction and remain within validity. We review your data before arranging any new product testing, so you only test what is genuinely missing.
Documents Required
A typical water-tank application uses the set below; our full documents required guide explains each item.
- Commercial invoice and packing list with the tank range and capacities
- HS code of the product range
- Product specification — material, construction, capacity range, wall thickness, dimensions, intended contents
- Bill of materials for the wetted path — resin / polymer, liner, coating, gaskets, fittings — with grades
- Drinking-water contact approvals / test reports for each wetted material
- UV / weathering and heat-ageing test reports with property retention
- Structural and hydrostatic test reports (leak, deflection, base / connection, panel joints)
- Wall-thickness / capacity verification records
- Label artwork and Arabic installation / maintenance instructions
- Manufacturer details and Saudi importer registration
PCoC Process
The Product Certificate of Conformity certifies the tank range against the applicable requirements. In outline:
-
Scope and materials
We confirm the tank material and construction, the capacity range, the intended contents, the wetted bill of materials, the HS code and the range, and define what the certificate should cover.
-
Approval and data review
We check the drinking-water approvals, the weathering and heat data and the structural test reports against the materials and construction actually supplied.
-
Testing
An accredited laboratory carries out the potable-water, weathering, heat and structural testing that the existing data does not cover.
-
Technical review
An approved certification body reviews the material approvals, test evidence and labelling against the regulation.
-
PCoC issued
Once the review is satisfied, the PCoC is issued on the SABER platform. It is typically valid for one year.
SCoC Process
A Shipment Certificate of Conformity is issued per consignment and is what customs checks at the border. In outline:
-
Shipment details submitted
The invoice, packing list with the tank models and quantities and the linked PCoC are submitted for the specific consignment.
-
Verification
The shipment is verified against the valid PCoC, the products are checked against the certified range and labelling, and the SCoC fee is settled on the platform.
-
SCoC issued
The SCoC is issued for that shipment, allowing it to clear Saudi customs. Each new shipment needs its own SCoC.
Certification Timeline
The main variable is whether valid drinking-water approvals and Saudi-representative weathering data already exist for the exact materials. Our SABER timeline guide covers this in detail.
- With current potable-water approvals for every wetted material, weathering and heat data and structural test reports — a PCoC can typically be arranged within one to two weeks
- When drinking-water contact testing or accelerated weathering is needed — allow four to eight weeks, as these tests have long fixed durations
- Sectional-tank panel and joint testing adds to the structural programme
- SCoC — normally issued quickly per shipment once a valid PCoC is in place
Common Problems
- Structural / pressure test data supplied, but no drinking-water material approval
- Potable approval covers the resin or shell but not the gaskets, liner or fittings in the wetted path
- Weathering data from a temperate-climate exposure, not representative of Saudi solar load
- Plastic that softens, distorts or stress-cracks at sustained rooftop wall temperatures
- Translucent tank wall allowing algae growth in stored water
- Wall thickness below the declared minimum on a sample check
- Lid not close-fitting or overflow / vent not screened against insects and dust
- Label missing the potable-water designation, capacity or date of manufacture
We check these points up front — above all the potable-water approval covering the whole wetted path and the weathering data representing Saudi conditions — so consignments are not held at customs for avoidable reasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn't a structural or pressure test enough for a water tank?
Because the two requirements that most often decide acceptance are separate from strength: the materials in contact with the stored water must be approved for drinking-water use (no harmful migration, no effect on taste or odour), and an outdoor tank must resist Saudi UV and heat without losing strength. A tank can pass every structural test and still fail the certificate on either of these.
What counts as potable-water approval?
Test evidence to a recognised drinking-water material scheme — the methods behind NSF/ANSI 61 and NSF/ANSI 372, WRAS / BS 6920, or the EN 1622 and migration tests used in European approvals — covering every wetted surface: resin or polymer, any liner or coating, gaskets, seals and fittings. Approval of the shell material alone is not sufficient if the fittings are not covered.
Does a rooftop tank need different testing from an indoor tank?
Yes. A tank installed on a roof or in the open needs accelerated UV / weathering and heat-ageing data showing retained tensile strength, impact resistance and colour after exposure representative of Saudi solar conditions. An indoor loft or break tank still needs potable-water approval but the weathering requirement is reduced.
Are GRP, polyethylene and sectional steel tanks all covered?
Yes. Roto-moulded polyethylene tanks, one-piece and panel GRP tanks, and bolted sectional steel or stainless tanks with a potable lining are all covered. Sectional tanks have the additional requirement of panel and bolt-joint strength and leak testing. The applicable construction standard is confirmed at assessment.
How much does SABER certification for water tanks cost and how long does it take?
It depends mainly on whether current drinking-water approvals and Saudi-representative weathering data exist for the exact materials. When they do, a PCoC can often be arranged within one to two weeks; drinking-water contact testing or accelerated weathering has long fixed durations and can add four to eight weeks. Send your specification and existing test reports for a specific quote and timeline at no cost. See our SABER certificate cost guide.
Is a pressurised or hot-water tank covered here?
No. This page is for atmospheric cold-water storage tanks. Pressurised vessels, expansion vessels and buffer tanks are certified under the pressure vessels & boilers route, and hot-water storage cylinders under water heaters. We confirm the correct route at assessment.
Get Your Water Tanks Certified
Send us the tank material and construction, the capacity range, the wall thickness, the intended contents, the bill of materials for the wetted path, and any drinking-water approvals, weathering data or structural test reports you hold. We will confirm the applicable requirements, check that the potable-water approval covers the whole wetted path, review your testing, and coordinate the PCoC and each SCoC so your shipments clear Saudi customs without delay.