Types of Stainless Steel Pipe

Stainless steel pipe is one of the most widely used products in industry today. Thanks to its tubular form, it can be put to work in a great many settings. Because stainless steel pipe offers a high degree of resistance to corrosion and oxidation, it delivers a long service life, and this same resistance is precisely what gives the material its stainless character.

Eliminating problems such as rust allows these products to remain strong and serviceable for many years. Before installing them, however, the intended environment should always be analyzed. Temperature conditions and other environmental factors can take a stainless steel pipe out of service prematurely, which in turn leads to constant product replacement. Pipes installed without a proper assessment of the operating environment make it harder for companies to achieve a return on their investment.

Because of their attractive appearance, stainless steel pipes are also used for decorative purposes. Although today they are chosen mainly for specific functional tasks, decorative applications remain an important part of their use. Stainless steel pipes fall into two main types: seamless stainless steel pipe and welded stainless steel pipe. You can read more about each below.

Seamless Stainless Steel Pipe

This type of stainless steel pipe is used mainly in applications that involve pressure. Compared with welded stainless steel pipe, it is suited to higher-pressure duty, chiefly because seamless pipe goes through a special manufacturing process designed to withstand pressure. During production, the hot steel is formed in molds; after cooling, the pipes are finished by grinding and polishing before being delivered to customers.

Welded Stainless Steel Pipe

Welded stainless steel pipe has a lower pressure rating than seamless pipe and is therefore used where pressures are lower. Beyond pressure-bearing applications, this type is used above all for decorative purposes. To give it an attractive finish, special surface treatment and polishing processes are applied during manufacture.