Technical information

Standards and Specifications

General tube and pipe information and specifications.

SUMMARY OF Main MANUFACTURING STANDARDS

Structural steel tube manufacturing standards
Welded steel pipe manufacturing standards
- SANS 719
- API 5L
Seamless steel pipe manufacturing standard
- ASTM A106
Steel tube and pipe cutting standard
- Garsin cutting tolerances

The difference between Pipes and Tubes

Pipes	VS	Tubes
Pipes are used to carry fluids and gases i.e. pipe lines, process plants etc.	VS	Tubes are used for frames or structures i.e. chairs, gates, airport buildings, shopping centers, machinery etc.
Pipes are referenced by their approximate internal diameter. This is important for pipes as the internal diameter is critical to calculate flow rate of the pipe. It is important to note that the internal dimensions vary with different wall thickness and therefore the internal dimensions are “nominal” or averaged. Nominal bore may go by different names, in inch system it is abbreviated as NB (Nominal Bore), in metric systems DN (Diametric Nominal) or in North America NPS (Nominal Pipe Size).	VS	Tubes are referenced by their external dimensions.
An example of a commonly confused size between pipes and tubes
50 NB Schd 80 Pipe – The actual outside diameter is 60.3mm, the wall thickness is 5.49mm and its internal diameter is 49.32mm, close to its nominal size of 50 NB/ 0.8mm diameter nominal.	VS	50.8mm X 5mm – The actual outside diameter is 50.8mm , the wall thickness is 5mm and its internal diameter is 40.8mm.

CASE STUDIES

Interested to see case studies/examples of uses of steel tubes/pipes and how they can be used to save money versus other products? Please visit the American steel tube institute.

Disclaimer:

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no representation is made as to the accuracy of, and no acceptance or any legal responsibility is taken for any errors, omissions or mistakes.