Some or all of the parts and/or features on this page require the Parts Expansion in-app purchase.
Fuel Tanks are fuselage sections that are located in the Basics, 6 Wide, 8 Wide, 10 Wide, and 12 Wide tabs in Build Editor. The are a huge variety of fuel tanks available in-game, weighing from 5 tons to 120 tons (at full fuel load). Most fuel tanks can only be accessed by the Parts Expansion, and more sizes of fuel tanks fuel tanks can be only accessed by BP editing. They contain liquid fuel and their amount can be adjusted. 90% of the Fuel Tank's mass is from liquid fuel if the tank is full.
Fuel tank sizes[]
In the game, there are fuel tanks that are available in any size. But in the building menu, only 5 sizes can be selected, ranging from 4 Wide tanks to 12 Wide tanks.
| Sizes | 2 tall | 4 tall | 6 tall | 8 tall | 16 tall | Engine base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 wide | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 40 (BP edit) | 7.5 (BP edit) |
| 6 wide | 7.5 | 15 | 22.5 | 30 | 60 | 18.75 |
| 8 wide | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 80 | 25 |
| 10 wide | 12.5 | 25 | 37.5 | 50 | 100 | 31.25 |
| 12 wide | 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 120 | 37.5 |
| Sizes | 2 tall | 4 tall | 6 tall | 8 tall | 16 tall | Engine base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 wide | 4.5 | 9 | 13.5 | 18 | ||
| 6 wide | 6.75 | 13.5 | 18.75 | 20.25 | 54 | 16.875 |
| 8 wide | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 72 | 22.5 |
| 10 wide | 11.25 | 22.5 | 33.75 | 45 | 90 | 28.125 |
| 12 wide | 13.5 | 27 | 40.5 | 54 | 108 | 33.75 |
Uses[]
- Fuel for a rocket
- Space station modules
- Decorations
- Weights
Use in rockets[]
Fuel tanks are one of the most vital structures in a rocket. They have a storage container for liquid fuel and oxidizer. At the part where the fuel tank and engine connect, there is a series of complex structure which pump fuel to the engine and ignite it. As the engine continues to burn, fuel drains inside the containers. When fuel is gone, the engine shuts down, because there is no more fuel inside the tanks to keep it burning. The rocket stage then gets separated. The space shuttle's external fuel tank provided thrust for its main engines and has a container for liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
Smaller Fuel Tanks are used in small rockets and/or upper stages. Larger Fuel Tanks are used in larger rockets and/or lower stages.
Trivia[]
- Prior to the debut of the skin change mechanic in 1.4, there were four types of fuel tanks of any size, two white and two orange.
- The orange color in real life is the insulation foam sprayed on the tank to keep the cryogenic fuels cold.
- If you have 2 parachutes attached to a fuel tank, one on top and the other on the bottom, they will adapt, then they would appear as a thin fuel tank, thinner than 2 wide, but thicker than 1 wide.
- Most players simulate space stations with fuel tanks.
- A player can make pressurized parts by adjusting the fuel amount to 0 tons.
- Most fuel tanks are located on the lower stages of rockets, so that's why most fuel is spent on going to orbit.
- In real life, fuel tanks only hold liquid fuel or liquid oxygen. The fuselage carrying those two tanks is called the tank section.
- As fuel inside the tanks drain, the rocket becomes lighter, thus increasing the TWR of the rocket
- You can make fuel tanks have more fuel inside, but that will make the rocket heavier.
- You can also have negative fuel in your rocket, but a rocket with negative mass will fall down to the center of the Earth.
- As of the current version, there are no 10 tall fuel tanks or 14 wide fuel tanks, as they can only be obtained from BP Editing.
- 9 tall, 12 tall and 14 tall fuel tanks can only be obtained from Blueprint Editing or updating from older versions.
- The only type of a 14 tall fuel tank is the 6 wide variant. Other variants of 14 tall fuel tanks can only be obtained from Blueprint Editing.
- As of 2025, the 6x9, 6x14, 8x12, 10x12, and 12x12 fuel tanks are the only fuel tanks that can be obtained from both BP Editing and updating from older versions.
- The 6x6 variant was once removed in the 1.4, and it returned in the 1.5.
A 6-wide, 9-tall fuel tank between the 6x6 and 6x14 fuel tanks in version 1.35.
An older version of 10 wide and 12 wide fuel tanks. Note that they have 12 tall fuel tanks.
A 14 tall, 6 wide fuel tank.