A tube frame, a liner, and a volume that is not the one printed
A frame pool is a steel tube skeleton holding a welded liner, and it is the shape almost every first pool takes. Three figures are published on practically every listing: the footprint, the wall height, and the volume in litres — and the third one deserves reading twice, because it is not the volume of the pool. Makers state capacity at roughly 90 % of wall height, which is where the water actually sits once the skimmer is in: Intex prints "ca 3.800 l" on a 300 × 200 × 75 cm rectangle that holds about 4 500 l brim-full. That gap is not an error, it is the freeboard, and it is the number every chlorine dose is calculated against. The fourth figure is the one that separates a pool that lasts a decade from one that is re-bought every third summer, and it is published far less often: the liner thickness in tenths of a millimetre, and the tube diameter and wall gauge of the frame. Round pools take hoop stress in the frame ring; rectangles carry it in the corners and need more bracing, which is why a rectangular pool of the same volume has visibly more tube. Then what the set includes, which is where prices stop being comparable: a pool "ohne Zubehör" and a pool "Set mit Filterpumpe" can carry the same model name and differ by a filter, a ladder, a ground cloth and a cover. We compare footprint, wall height, stated and geometric volume, liner thickness, frame tube, assembly time and set contents.
300 × 200 × 75 cm, 3 800 l stated, about 30 minutes
The rectangular 3 800-litre Metal Frame, on galvanised powder-coated tube. Intex publishes an assembly time and a fill figure but no pump: the ports are there and the filter is bought separately.
Best for: A rectangular plot where the filter is going to be chosen on its own terms rather than taken from a box
Ø 366 × 100 cm, 9 150 l at 90 %, 2 006 l/h pump
A round pool in bog-oak wood-effect, sold with a 2 006 l/h pump, a cartridge, a 107 cm ladder and a repair patch. Bestway is the only maker here to print the fill fraction its volume is measured at.
Best for: A buyer who wants the whole thing in one delivery and wants each part of it named
Ø 366 × 91 cm, 8 300 l, about 30 minutes
A grey herringbone-pattern round pool on a stainless steel frame, with a polyester inner film and PVC outer skin. HAF is the only maker here to print an age restriction in the listing itself.
Best for: A family pool where the assembly time and the drain valve matter more than the depth
Two diameters, one published volume of 4 383 l
A round steel-frame pool sold in two diameters — 360 and 300 cm — under a single listing that publishes one volume for both. The fabric-reinforced PVC and the twin 32 mm ports are stated; which pool the 4 383 litres describes is not.
Best for: A buyer who wants the frame and the fabric and intends to size the filter against the pool themselves
Ø 366 × 122 cm, 10 756 l, about 110 cm of water
A grey round frame pool 122 cm high, sold explicitly without accessories. Avenli is one of only two makers here to publish a water depth alongside the wall height — which is the freeboard, stated rather than calculated.
Best for: Someone who wants real swimming depth and has already decided which sand filter is going on it
Ø 300 × 76 cm, pump, cover and dispenser in the box
A round 300 cm frame pool sold as a complete set — pump, cover and chemical dispenser included. The stainless-steel frame is stated; the volume is not published at all.
Best for: A first pool where having everything arrive together matters more than knowing what any of it is rated at
Rectangular, 3 960 l in the title and 380 l in the bullet
A rectangular frame pool in three-layer PVC over reinforced steel, listed for four to five people. The title publishes 3 960 litres and the description publishes 380 — a tenfold contradiction inside one listing.
Best for: A rectangular garden where the ports and the drain matter more than the paperwork
Ø 549 × 132 cm, up to 8 people, no volume published
The largest pool in this family by a wide margin — 549 cm across and 132 cm deep, stated for up to eight people, shipped with filter, ground cloth, cover, cleaning set and ladder. It publishes neither a volume nor a manufacturer reference.
Best for: A large flat garden where the diameter is the whole point and the paperwork will be sorted out afterwards
Ø 488 × 122 cm, 19 156 l, panoramic window, 4 164 l/h
A 19 156-litre round pool with a viewing window running right around the wall, sold with a 4 164 l/h cartridge system, a ladder with removable steps, a cover and a ground sheet. Assembly is published at about 45 minutes with two people.
Best for: A garden with room for a five-metre circle where the pool is meant to be looked at as much as swum in
Only the specifications at least four models out of five state. A column that is more empty than full compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Amazon reference | Assembly time | Footprint | Frame tube |
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Specifications: manufacturer sheets and Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.
Most recent revision in this category: September 21, 2026.
