Important Things To Know When Buying New Steel Pipe
Steel pipes can serve an array of purposes in construction, plumbing, electrical, and fabrication projects. When you go to the industrial metal supplier and see the plethora of pieces available, getting overwhelmed with your options can be easy. Taking the time to get to know some of the general attributes of steel pipe can help ensure you get the proper pieces for your project. Here is a quick look at a few of the things to know as you shop for a new steel pipe.
Get familiar with the different grades of steel pipe.
Steel pipes are going to be designated with grades to show you as the consumer certain things about the makeup of the material. In general, steel is graded according to what kind of alloys it contains and its tensile strength. Both of these attributes are important to know as you shop for pipes for different projects. For example, if you will be using the pipe underground, you will want a pipe made with added alloys for corrosion prevention, but you will also need a high tensile strength to prevent pipe collapse. Steel grades are usually given as a four-digit number, and each of the numbers can reference different qualities of the piece.
Learn about the different steel pipe schedules.
Steel pipe can also be designated with a schedule, and this is an important attribute to examine. The schedule refers to the wall thickness of the pipe. For example, a schedule 40 steel pipe is not going to be as thick as a schedule 80 steel pipe. Of course, higher schedules can also mean a smaller inner diameter and a heavier weight. Therefore, if you are looking for a new steel pipe for routing water, you may not want high-schedule steel because you will end up with a narrow waterway that could be more prone to clogs.
Check for seamless descriptions on new steel pipe.
You may suspect that all new steel pipe would be seamless, but that is not always the case. You will find pieces that have seams and pieces that are made specifically to be seamless through a certain forming process. Seams don't always pose an issue, but seamless pipes can be more preferable for certain projects. For example, you probably don't want seams on a pipe you intend to install underground or in a wet area. As you shop for the new steel pipe you need, pay attention to whether or not the pipes are labeled as seamless.