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how to measure pipe/tubing

15K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  timothale 
#1 ·
i just wanted to make sure i had this correct
you measure pipe I.D.
and tubing O.D.
and what is electrical conduit considered, pipe or tube??

thanks,matt
 
#3 ·
Just some additional info:

Pipe is for conveyance (flowing liquids, gases, etc.), so the I.D. is important.

Tubing is for structures- O.D. and wall thickness as needed for weight capacity.

For instance, you might have a pipeline constructed with, uh... pipe that has the proper I.D. and wall thickness for what it's carrying and this pipeline is supported off the ground by a tubing structure that has the needed O.D. and wall thickness to handle the anticipated weight.

Conduit (electrical) is sized by I.D. since the inside volume determines maximum number of wires and their gauge(s) and is considered pipe.
 
#4 ·
qubit said:
Just some additional info:

Pipe is for conveyance (flowing liquids, gases, etc.), so the I.D. is important.

Tubing is for structures- O.D. and wall thickness as needed for weight capacity.

For instance, you might have a pipeline constructed with, uh... pipe that has the proper I.D. and wall thickness for what it's carrying and this pipeline is supported off the ground by a tubing structure that has the needed O.D. and wall thickness to handle the anticipated weight.

Conduit (electrical) is sized by I.D. since the inside volume determines maximum number of wires and their gauge(s) and is considered pipe.
Not true. Pipe i.d. decreases as wall thickness increases.



Tubing is also for conveyance of materials.
Think copper tubing or stainless tubing for instrumentation or steel tubing for brakelines, etc.
Tubing's O.D. is its size and again it's I.D. decreases with wall thickness.

Structural tubing is used for just that - structure.
Whether round ,rectangular, or square it's O.D.'s are its size.
 
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