If you do your own home renovations, you usually use pipes and tubes. These materials may look the same but have different uses.
These materials are generally welded, and since both are steel, they could be confused with each other. In this article, we will discuss the differences between them and which one should be used in your home.
Pipeline Overview and Uses
Also known as carbon steel pipes, these construction materials are used to transport substances such as fluids, gases and pellets. In addition, these materials are also used to transport powder, making them useful in the pharmaceutical industry.
Typically, stainless steel pipes are used to carry water and protect electrical wires. This is why the government patronizes these materials in the construction of underground water and power lines.
For motorcyclists, the pipes are also preferred in the assembly of bicycles and other automobiles. This is because steel pipes are EASY. Other uses of these materials are for the production of the following:
If you happen to see street lamps and wonder what these poles are made of, the answer would be steel pipes.
Tube Overview and Uses
When we we’re talking about tubes, these building materials are not just round. Instead, they also come in square, rectangular and oval shapes.
They are generally used for heavy construction and stainless steel pipe manufacturers use the following raw materials in the production of these steel pipes:
- Iron
- Carbon
- Manganese
- VANADIUM
- zirconium
The only concern is that when these tubes are used for water lines, the metals or raw materials mentioned above may cause contamination and alter water quality.
In addition, in the production of steel tubes, stretching is done. Usually there will be a small piece of steel that will be rolled and cut when the desired length is already reached.
To visualize it better, if you are a fan of playing with clay, the rolling you do in the clay to make it longer defines the production of steel tubes.
Characteristics of pipes and tubes
Apart from the shape, there are other features that differentiating pipes from pipesand in this section, we will detail more about them.
1. Shape and size
Steel pipes only come in round shapes, while tubes can have different shapes. Furthermore, when we talk about shapes, these configurations have different uses.
Pipes and round steel pipes are used to transport liquids. On the other hand, the square, rectangle and oval tube shapes they are used for building construction, pressure equipment, appliance manufacturing and mechanical applications.
Before, I always wondered what kind of materials my neighbor who makes grills uses. Now that makes sense! It uses stainless steel tubing, and honestly, these grills are sturdy and the grease is easy to clean.
When it comes to size, pipes are usually larger. The tube sizes are generally small because you can connect these materials easily if you want to make them longer.
2. Inside diameter (ID) and nominal outside diameter (OD)
In general, the diameter of the materials is the one they are used to differentiating pipes and tubes.
For pipes, the important dimensions are the outer diameter and the wall thickness.
To calculate the liquid capacity of the pipes, the nominal pipe size (NPS) or the nominal diameter (DN), you must follow the following formula: Outside diameter (OD) – 2 times the wall thickness (WT). If you are wondering what the wall thickness is, this is the pipe schedule.
Common pipe schedules are schedule 20, schedule 40, and schedule 80.
On the other hand, for tubes, what matters is only the outer diameter and the inner diameter. In general, the exact outer diameter of the tubes is equal to its size, and the thickness of the tubes is usually determined by the number of gauges.
3. Strength and tolerance
We generally ignore the strength of pipes and tubes, especially when we know where to use these materials.
But FYI, tubes are stronger than pipes. They are manufactured to withstand high pressures, especially copper, alloy steel and brass tubes.
In the manufacture of these materials, it usually takes more time for the tubes to be produced, as they meet strict requirements to achieve better strength.
This means that the pipes are easy to produce and can be manufactured in volume.
4. Expansion skills
When we talk about expansion, we’re talking about the telescoping abilities of tubes and pipes. This refers to the ability of pipes and tubes to be expanded.
In general, between these two, tubes have better telescoping abilities compared to pipes. You can add multiple tubes inside tubes that can slide inside one another.
Pipes are usually beveled and most come with screwed ends. Thus, they cannot achieve great telescoping skills.
If you want to connect one pipe to another, you have to do welding and other threading techniques.
5. Rigidity and bending
Compared to tubes, pipes are more rigid. Thus, if you want to shape them into a different shape, you have to use special equipment to do it.
On the other hand, the tubes can be bent and wrapped. You can do this casting at home without worrying about damaging your tubes.
6. Cost
Having described the materials used for pipes and pipes, we can already say that the cost of pipes is more expensive than pipes.
However, there are still some manufacturers that sell tubes at a cheaper price. When buying one, make sure you get it from a reliable supplier or your money will be wasted.
Final thoughts
Indeed, choosing between pipes and tubes can be confusing. But in simple words, pipes are used to transport substances while tubes are used for building and construction.
When you want to buy either of these two, you must first identify the purpose of the purchase. Are you buying these materials for construction or substance flow like water lines?
Pipes are generally cheaper. But, that doesn’t mean you should get ductwork when you need tubing just because you’re on a tight budget.