How to find the right Industrial Tubing AI guide
Written by an AI model from its trained knowledge.
What the AI looks for in Industrial Tubing
- Material vs. medium
- Check the material against the specific fluid or gas in a chemical-compatibility chart before you check anything else. The wrong elastomer or plastic swells, cracks or leaches long before it fails on pressure.
- Sizing convention
- Tubing is specified by actual OD plus wall or ID. Pipe is specified by nominal size plus schedule or type. Match the convention your fitting uses. Most tube-to-fitting mismatches come from confusing nominal pipe size with true tube OD.
- Pressure rating at operating temperature
- Use the working-pressure rating at your actual temperature, not the room-temperature figure. Plastic and rubber ratings drop sharply as temperature rises.
- Temperature range
- Your continuous operating temperature should sit inside the manufacturer's stated range, with margin at both ends. Heat softens or embrittles polymers, and cold makes many of them crack.
- Regulatory listing where needed
- Use FDA-compliant materials for food contact and NSF/ANSI 61 for potable water. Use a USP Class VI grade where a medical or pharma process requires it. Generic tubing often carries none of these listings and is not safe for contact use.
Brands that matter
- Saint-Gobain (Tygon): Broad range of plastic and elastomer formulations with published compatibility data.
- Parker: Metal and plastic fluid-power tubing matched to its own fittings.
- Swagelok: Reference brand for instrument tube fittings and the tubing specs that go with them.
- Kuriyama: Industrial plastic and rubber tubing and hose.
- Schott: Borosilicate glass tubing (Duran, Fiolax).
What to avoid
- Unbranded tubing with no stated material, pressure rating or temperature range
- Choosing tubing by its inner diameter alone when your fittings grip on the outer diameter
- Mixing inch and metric sizes that look close, such as 1/4 in and 6 mm
Questions
What is the difference between tube and pipe?
Tube is sized by its true outside diameter and wall thickness. Pipe uses a nominal size whose real OD differs from the number. They take different fittings.