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People often think that both are the same. They both can be seamless or welded. However, there are significant differences between steel pipe and steel tube. A pipe is round. A tube can be round, square, rectangular, or oval in shape. Pipes are primarily designed to carry fluids and gases, regardless of the industry in which they are deployed. Tubes can also transport fluids and gases but are typically designed for many more applications than the pipe, including industrial, medical, aerospace, military, transportation, architecture, and construction.
Kloeckner Metals is a full-line steel pipe and tube supplier and service center. Download our steel pipe and tube spec sheet and check what Kloeckner Metals routinely stocks.
Steel pipe has been produced in the US since the early 1800s. Pipe is a hollow section with a round cross-section, primarily made for the transportation of products including fluids, gas, pellets, powders, and more. But steel pipes are used in a variety of ways. They are used underground for transporting water and gas throughout cities and towns. They are also specified in construction to protect electrical wires. Steel pipes can be strong, but lightweight. This makes them great for bicycle frames. They are also used in the making of parts for automobiles, refrigeration units, heating and plumbing systems, flagpoles and street lamps, just to name a few.
The most important dimension for a pipe is the outer diameter (OD) together with the wall thickness (WT). OD minus 2 times WT (schedule) determines the inside diameter (ID) of a pipe, which determines the liquid capacity of the pipe. In our industry, when we talk about pipe, we tend to call out an (ID) and schedule, like 2 inch schedule 40, or 14 inch extra heavy. Examples of walls or schedules are Sch. 40, Sch. 80, Sch. Standard (STD), Sch. XS/XH, and Sch. XXS. Most pipe is sold in 21 or 42 foot lengths.
The word tube refers to round, square, rectangular, and oval hollow sections that are used for pressure equipment, for mechanical applications, and for instrumentation systems.
Steel tubing can be made from various raw materials, like iron, carbon, manganese, vanadium, and zirconium. Like pipe, tubing can be produced as either seamless or welded. Seamless tubing is a solid block of steel that is rolled into a round shape and then pierced and stretched into its final length. Think of having a wad of play dough and rolling it into a cylinder. Then push your finger through the middle and make it longer with the extra dough. That’s how it’s produced, but it’s hot and spinning and completely done with machines. Welded steel tubing, on the other hand, is made from the coil. The coil is slit and then rolled up into a round shape and the ends are welded together. From there, the tubing can simply be cut to a certain length as round tubing, or it can be further deformed into other shapes, such as square, rectangular, oval, etc.
Tubes are indicated with outer diameter (OD) and wall thickness (WT), in inches or in millimeters. In our industry, buyers often refer to the item they want as an (OD) and a wall thickness (WT). Examples of wall thicknesses are 11 gauge, 1/4”, 3/8” and 5/8”. Tubing is sold in 20, 24, 40 and 48 foot lengths, but can be easily produced in custom lengths.
Kloeckner Metals is a full-line supplier and service center of steel pipes and steel tubes. Kloeckner Metals combines a national footprint with the latest fabrication and processing technologies and most innovative customer service solutions.
Did you know that stainless steel pipes or tubing can last more than 100 years? That's because stainless steel can resist corrosion, fire, and heat. Lab equipment, jet engine parts, boat fittings, food and pharmaceutical processing equipment, and chemical containers are the most common things made from Stainless Steel 316, a common grade of steel.
So many things can be made from steel, and there are more than 100 grades of it. There are five major groups of stainless steel: austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex, and precipitation-hardening. These are categories of metallurgical structures. The hollow tubes can be round, square, or rectangular. They can be welded or seamless. All of these can be used in things like construction, industrial applications, the medical industry, and to manufacture automobiles. You can even make a bike with steel tubing.
In construction, you often see supports and steel tubing used to make scaffolding and stairs. Metal scaffolding is commonly used because it requires no nuts or bolts and is quick and easy to put together. The tubing is strong and can hold workers and heavy equipment.
People even use steel tubing in their homes, both as a design element and for practical purposes. Most appliances have tubing, too. The back of a refrigerator is usually a maze of metal tubing. More and more interior designers leave steel pipes visible to give homes an industrial look. Pipes, ventilation, drainage, and electrical wiring can all be manufactured from steel tubing.
In industrial applications, sanitary tubing is used to safely transfer gases and liquids and to make food and beverages. According to Quality Assurance Magazine, the wrong kind of equipment can cost manufacturers up to $1.5 million annually. Because it has a smooth, non-porous surface, stainless steel is a sanitary material, and, with the right sanitation practices, such as keeping sanitary valves and sanitary fittings, it can cut down on illnesses like Salmonella and Listeria.
In the medical industry, where sanitation also matters, steel tubing is used for bed rails, surgical tools, and braces. It can also be used for biopsy needles, coronary stents, and spinal cages. Tubing can even be used in dental implants.
Steel tubing is widely used by automobile manufacturers. It is used in vehicle suspension, fuel injection, and control systems. Known for its strength and durability, steel tubing is an ideal choice when you have to keep safety in mind.
Perhaps one of the most amazing things about stainless steel tubing is that, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, most of the world's steel is recycled -- 88% to be exact. And most (two out of three tons) of new steel comes from old steel.
With so many possible applications and benefits, it's easy to see why stainless steel is one of the most-used metals on the planet.
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