Types of Industrial Pipes

If your house was built in the last couple decades, it’s probably full of PVC pipes. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is an extremely versatile material that can be made very cheaply. Despite its light and flexible nature, it can handle significant amounts of stress and has a long lifespan. PVC also doesn’t freeze and is resilient to high temperatures, so it’s useful for transporting both very cold and very hot materials.

Resistant to corrosion and fairly versatile, stainless steel is used in many industrial applications, especially when cleanliness is a concern.

Sanitary process piping is most commonly used in the food processing industry. These pipes must be as sanitary as possible, so the most common material used is stainless steel. The diameter of these industrial pipes tends to be wider than other pipes to facilitate the transportation of large food chunks, though these pipes can also carry liquids and gases.

Many industries rely on wash water piping for a steady supply of water to clean food and various other materials. Stainless steel is the preferred option if the water needs to remain as clean as possible, but carbon steel is a reasonable alternative for other industrial piping applications.

Acid piping is designed to carry corrosive materials. Because acids and corrosive materials can eat away at traditional pipe materials, these pipes are often made from a chrome alloy or another special material.

If you need to transport gasoline or diesel, you need fuel transfer piping. Carbon and stainless steel are both acceptable options here, and fuel transfer piping comes in a variety of sizes depending on the application.