Collapsible stay berms · Attached triangular stays
Stay-supported spill berms
A portable PVC-coated polyester spill berm whose walls are braced by triangular stays that stay attached to the berm. Fold the stays flat and it packs down; lift them and the walls stand. Nothing to lose on site. We make them to size in our Taizhou factory for OEM and private-label distributors in the US, UK and Europe.
- Stays fold flat against the berm instead of coming off
- No loose brackets to lose on site
- Walls at 8 in and 12 in, the market standard for this type
- Ships and stores as one pack, not two
- Made to any length and width, OEM and private label
How the stay holds the wall
The floor and the four walls are cut from one specification of PVC-coated polyester and welded together. On the outside of each wall, at intervals around the perimeter, sits a triangle: a base bar lying on the ground running away from the berm, and a diagonal strut from the outer end of that bar up to the top of the wall.
The triangle pivots. Fold it in against the wall and the berm packs flat with the stays still on it; swing it out and drop the free end into its pocket and the wall is braced. That is the whole difference between this berm and an L-bracket berm, where the brace is a loose part that slides out and travels in its own bag.
The trade-off is floor space. A bracket foot sits close to the wall; a stay base bar runs outward about as far as the wall is high. This berm holds the same volume as its L-bracket twin but needs more ground to stand on.
Features
The stay never leaves the berm
Each stay is a triangle attached to the outside of the wall: a base bar on the ground and a diagonal up to the top rail. Fold it flat to pack, lift it to deploy. Nothing goes in a separate bag and nothing gets left on the last job.
Set up in one pass
Walk the perimeter lifting the stays and dropping each free end into its pocket. There is no loose hardware to find, count or fit, which is why crews reach for this type in the field.
The floor inside stays clear
All the bracing is outside the wall, so the full inner floor is usable for drums, an IBC or a machine. Nothing inside the containment area to work around.
Welded, liquid-tight floor
PVC-coated polyester is CNC-cut and joined by high-frequency or hot-air welding, so there are no stitch holes anywhere in the containment area.
Folds to a fraction of its size
Stays lie flat against the wall and the whole berm folds down with them, so a large berm still travels as one manageable pack.
Any size, any wall height
Squares, long vehicle-sized rectangles and one-off footprints are cut to order, and the wall height follows the volume you have to hold.
The floor is PVC-coated polyester, not a PE tarp. How the fabric is built, and how we weld it.
Sizes and capacities
Every berm is made to order, in any length and width. The footprints below are the ones Western catalogues are built around, so they are the easiest to compare a quote against. Capacity is geometric: inner floor size × wall height, filled level, before anything is placed inside.
| Ref. | Inner floor size | Capacity by wall height | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 in (200 mm) wall | 12 in (305 mm) wall | ||
| SS-4x4 | 4 × 4 ft 1220 × 1220 mm | 79.8 US gal 302 L | 120 US gal 453 L |
| SS-4x6 | 4 × 6 ft 1220 × 1830 mm | 120 US gal 453 L | 180 US gal 680 L |
| SS-6x6 | 6 × 6 ft 1830 × 1830 mm | 180 US gal 680 L | 269 US gal 1,019 L |
| SS-8x8 | 8 × 8 ft 2440 × 2440 mm | 319 US gal 1,208 L | 479 US gal 1,812 L |
| SS-10x10 | 10 × 10 ft 3050 × 3050 mm | 499 US gal 1,888 L | 748 US gal 2,832 L |
| SS-12x12 | 12 × 12 ft 3660 × 3660 mm | 718 US gal 2,718 L | 1,077 US gal 4,078 L |
| SS-12x20 | 12 × 20 ft 3660 × 6095 mm | 1,197 US gal 4,531 L | 1,795 US gal 6,796 L |
| SS-12x50 | 12 × 50 ft 3660 × 15240 mm | 2,992 US gal 11,327 L | 4,488 US gal 16,990 L |
Longer, narrower or taller than anything in the table? Send the dimensions and the volume you have to hold. A berm wider than the fabric roll has a welded seam in the floor. It is welded, never stitched, and tested like the rest of the berm — where your size needs one we tell you how many and where, on the quotation, rather than leaving you to find it on delivery
Work out a size
Enter the inner floor size and wall height to see the geometric capacity. To size for a regulation, start from the container volume you must hold, subtract the volume of anything standing inside the berm, and allow for rain outdoors.
Measure the ground, not the berm
This is the one thing that catches buyers out on a stay-supported berm. The size you order is the inner floor, because that is what the capacity comes from. The space it occupies is bigger, because the stays stand outside the walls on every side.
| Wall height | Typical stay projection, each side | Ground needed for a 10 × 10 ft berm |
|---|---|---|
| 8 in (200 mm) | 8 in (200 mm) | about 11.3 × 11.3 ft |
| 12 in (305 mm) | 12 in (305 mm) | about 12 × 12 ft |
Those figures are the published pattern across Western stay-supported berms — the base bar runs roughly one wall height outward — not a measurement of ours. Given on the quotation for the sizes you ask about — every size is cut to order, so there is no single figure to publish
If the berm has to sit tight against a building wall or racking, this is the wrong type: L-bracket berms keep their feet close to the wall.
Foam wall, L-bracket or stay-supported?
All three are flexible PVC trays that fold away and hold the same liquids. What separates them is how the wall is held up, and that decides capacity, how you get equipment in, and what can go wrong on site.
| Foam wall | L-bracket | Stay-supported | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the wall stands | Foam sealed inside the wall | Loose L-brackets slid into welded sleeves | Triangular stays attached to the outside of the wall |
| Usual wall height | 4–6 in (100–150 mm) | 8–12 in (200–305 mm) | 8–12 in (200–305 mm) |
| Loose parts | None | Brackets travel separately and can be lost or bent | None — the stays stay on the berm |
| Space outside the wall | None | A small foot beside each sleeve | A base bar roughly one wall height long on every side |
| Getting equipment in | Step on or drive over the wall; it recovers | Take the brackets out of one wall and lay it flat | Fold the stays on one wall flat, then drive over the collapsed wall |
| Packing | One pack | Two packs: fabric and brackets | One pack, heavier than the same berm in L-brackets |
| Suits | Frequent access, drums, generators, maintenance bays | Tight yards and indoor aisles, where a berm sits close to a wall | Field, rental and emergency kits, where a missing bracket is the failure |
Berm has to live on a vehicle, or sit closer to a wall than a base bar allows? Compact folding spill berms brace the wall with a hinged strut instead of a triangle — less stable ground contact, but far less space taken, deployed and folded.
Need continuous truck or tanker access instead of folding a wall each time? Drive-through spill berms replace the end wall with a foam one that floats up in a spill.
Not sure which fits? Send the equipment, the volume and the space you have, and we will say which type we would quote. All berm types and fabric weights.
Specifications
| Product | Stay-supported spill containment berm — also catalogued as a collapsible stay berm or one-piece stay berm |
|---|---|
| Construction | PVC-coated polyester floor and walls, CNC-cut, high-frequency or hot-air welded; triangular stays attached outside the wall, free end into a bottom pocket |
| Stay | A triangular bar brace that stays attached to the berm and folds in rather than coming off. Nothing to count back in at the end of a job |
| Stay projection | On Western stay-supported berms the base bar runs about one wall height outward on every side |
| Wall height | 8 in and 12 in (200 and 305 mm) as standard; other heights made to order |
| Fabric weight | 18 oz/yd² (610 g/m²) as standard, or 22 oz/yd² (745 g/m²) heavy duty where the ground or the traffic is rough. We also run 40 oz/yd² (1355 g/m²) for rail work |
| Sizes | Any length and width, made to order. Quoted on the inner floor size; the stays add to the ground the berm needs |
| Colour | High-visibility yellow with black stays as standard — US catalogues sell this type mainly in black, and we make it either way. Yellow, black, blue, orange and green, at no extra cost and with no separate minimum — the colour is a choice of fabric roll, not a pigment batch, so changing it costs us nothing and we do not charge for it |
| Capacity | Geometric: inner length × width × wall height, level, before anything is placed inside |
| Weight | Stays included, because they do not ship separately. Given on the quotation for the sizes you ask about — every size is cut to order, so there is no single figure to publish |
| Folded size | Measured with the stays folded in. Given on the quotation for the sizes you ask about — every size is cut to order, so there is no single figure to publish |
| Temperature range | Ask us with your climate and your liquid. We would rather check the fabric and the foam against your conditions than publish one range and have you assume it covers a cold store or a desert yard |
| Liquids | Send the Safety Data Sheet so the fabric can be checked before you order |
| Options | Drain fitting, ground tarp, track belt, carry bag, replacement stays, repair kit. All of them. Ground tarps, track belts, skirts, carry bags and repair kits are made in our own factory rather than bought in, so they are quoted and shipped with the berm as one order |
| Branding | Private label and custom packaging for OEM orders |
| Quality | Every berm — not a sample — is filled with water and left standing for two hours before packing, signed off by the production manager and given a batch number |
| Documents | A material specification for the fabric in your order, and an independent laboratory test report where your process needs one — we send material from your own order to a third-party lab and pay for it. We hold no ISO certification and will not imply one |
| MOQ | 20 units per size. That is low for made-to-order containment, and it is deliberate: a distributor should be able to test a size on a real order rather than commit to a container of it |
| Lead time | Production takes 15 working days for up to 50 units and 25 working days for 50 to 200. Above 200 units we schedule it with the order. The clock starts when your deposit reaches us, not when the order is placed |
| Samples | Samples take 5 working days. We charge for the sample — the amount depends on the size, so it is quoted with your request — and we refund that charge against your first production order. Sample freight is on the buyer |
| Packing | Every size packs differently, so there is no single carton spec worth publishing. Folded size, carton dimensions and gross weight go with the quotation for the sizes you are ordering — before you commit to freight, not after |
Helps a site meet the secondary containment it has to provide under the US SPCC rule (40 CFR 112) and the container storage rules (40 CFR 264.175), or UK oil storage regulations, when it is sized for the containers it serves. No containment product is "EPA certified". What the rules actually require.
Where stay-supported berms are used
Field and remote sites
Deployed and struck repeatedly by crews who cannot go back for a part left behind at the last location.
IBCs and drum storage
One or several 1,000 L IBCs, or rows of 205 L drums, held in a single tray instead of a rigid pallet per pair.
Temporary tanks and bowsers
Under day tanks, bowsers and frac tanks placed on site for a job or a season.
Generators and plant
Around fuel-carrying plant that stays put, where the containment has to hold the whole tank volume.
Vehicle and equipment parking
Long, narrow berms under trucks and machinery; fold the stays on one wall to drive in.
Emergency response kits
Packed as one unit so a berm can be thrown on a truck and set up by one person without counting hardware.
Accessories
Ground tarp
Goes under the berm on gravel or rough concrete so stones cannot work through the floor.
Track belt
A wear layer where wheels cross the floor repeatedly.
Drain fitting
Lets rainwater or collected liquid out through a hose instead of being pumped.
Replacement stays
A bent stay should not retire a berm. Ask for the replacement part when you order.
Carry or storage bag
Keeps the folded berm together on a truck or in a store room.
Repair kit
Patch material and adhesive to keep a berm in service after damage.
Sizes, grades and the welded-in option: ground tarps, track belts and repair kits.
How to order
- Send the size and use: inner size or equipment footprint, the ground you have available, wall height or the volume to hold, the liquid, quantity and destination.
- Get a quote by email, with the stay specification, options and packing for your order.
- Approve a sample for new sizes or private-label ranges.
- Production and shipment from our factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang, China.
For distributors
Stock a stay-supported range under your own name: your footprints, wall heights, model codes, labels and cartons. Because the stays ship on the berm, each size is a single line item and a single carton, which keeps a catalogue listing simple.
Questions about stay-supported spill berms
What is a stay-supported spill berm?
A portable secondary containment tray of PVC-coated polyester whose side walls are braced by triangular stays on the outside. Each stay is a base bar lying on the ground and a diagonal strut running up to the top of the wall. The stays stay attached to the berm: fold them flat and the whole thing packs down, lift them and the walls stand.
What is a collapsible stay berm?
The same product. "Collapsible stay berm" is how the category is listed in some US catalogues, and "one-piece stay berm" is used for the fact that the stays do not detach. We call it a stay-supported spill berm on this site because it says what holds the wall up.
What is the difference between a stay-supported berm and an L-bracket berm?
The brace. An L-bracket berm has loose brackets that slide into sleeves; they can be replaced cheaply but they can also be lost, and they travel in their own bag. A stay-supported berm has the triangle attached, so there is nothing to lose and set-up is quicker, but the berm is heavier and the stays need clear ground around the whole perimeter.
How far do the stays stick out beyond the wall?
On published Western stay-supported berms the base bar runs about one wall height outward on each side, so a 12 in wall needs roughly 12 in of clear ground all the way round and an 8 in wall about 8 in. A 10 × 10 ft berm with 12 in walls therefore occupies about 12 × 12 ft of floor. Ask us for the exact projection on the size you are quoting.
What is the difference between interior size and exterior size?
Interior size is the inner floor of the berm, and it is what the capacity is calculated from. Exterior size is the ground the berm occupies once the stays are deployed. On this type the two are not the same, so check the exterior figure against the space you have before you order.
Can I put a stay-supported berm flush against a wall?
No. The stays need clear ground on every side. If the berm has to sit tight against a building wall, racking or a kerb, an L-bracket berm is the better choice because its feet sit close to the wall.
Can you drive over a stay-supported berm?
Not over a standing wall. Fold the stays on the entry wall so that wall lies flat, drive over the collapsed wall, then raise the stays again behind the vehicle. Never drive over a stay that is standing. If you need a wall that can be crossed while it is up, use a foam wall berm.
Why is a stay-supported berm heavier than an L-bracket berm of the same size?
Because the bracing travels with it. On an L-bracket berm the brackets are a separate package that can be left out of a shipment or replaced on its own; on a stay-supported berm the stays are part of the berm, so the shipped weight of one unit is higher.
What happens if a stay gets bent or broken?
A damaged stay should not retire the berm. Ask for replacement stays to be quoted with the order so a spare is on the shelf before it is needed, and tell us how the stay is fixed so we can confirm it can be changed in the field.
Will it stand up in the wind?
An empty berm on an exposed site will move, whatever holds its walls up. Weight it, anchor it or fill it. Tell us the site conditions when you ask for a quote and we will confirm what the stay and the fabric can be specified to take.
Specifications on this page are confirmed with the factory; anything still marked TBC is a gap we have left visible rather than filled with a plausible number. Checked by the production team at Taizhou Fengxu Textile Industry Co., Ltd. on . How we verify what is on this site.
Quote a stay-supported spill berm
Send the inner size or equipment footprint, the liquid, the quantity and the destination. We reply with a quote by email.