Pipe Specification

A pipe is a tube or hollow cylinder used to convey materials or as a structural component. The terms pipe and tube are almost interchangeable. A pipe is generally specified by the internal diameter (ID) whereas a tube is usually defined by the outside diameter (OD) but may be specified by any combination of dimensions (OD, ID, wall thickness). A tube is often made to custom sizes and may often have more specific sizes and tolerances than pipe. Also, the term tubing can be applied to non-cylindrical shapes (i.e. square tubing). The term tube is more widely used in the United States, whereas pipe is more common elsewhere in the world.