Elliptical and torispherical heads look similar on a drawing, but they behave differently under pressure and they don’t price out the same. In this post, I break down the real-world differences in shape, stress, thickness, head depth, fit-up, and cost—so you can pick the right head for your vessel without guessing (or paying twice).
People say “elliptical head” and “ellipsoidal head” like they’re identical—but that sloppy wording can derail an RFQ. This post clarifies what the terms really mean, why 2:1 matters, how to sanity-check depth (about D/4), and what to specify so the shop builds the right pressure vessel head.