Hi there, and welcome to Metal Supermarkets, The Convenience Stores for Metal. I’m Jason Jackson, Operations and Development Manager. Customers often ask us about the difference between Pipe and Tube, and that’s going to be our topic of discussion for today. The biggest difference between tube and pipe is their shape. Pipes are always round, where tubes can be square, rectangular or round. The difference between round tube and pipe can get a little bit trickier. Although they can appear identical at a quick glance, their dimensions are quite different. .

Pipes are usually used to transfer liquid or gas and are constructed to withstand high pressure. Tubes on the other hand are used in structural applications such as a trailer frame or patio furniture. When it comes to the measurement, pipes are generally measured by the inside diameter, often called the “nominal” diameter, and a “schedule”, which refers to the wall thickness. Tube measurements, on the other hand, are always measured by the outside diameter .

And the wall thickness, usually measured in inches or fractions. There is a couple of easy ways to remember this! Pipe has an “I” in the word as does the term “ID” referring to inside diameter. And the other tip would be if the term “Schedule” is used it will be a pipe. Other differences between round tube and pipe include: Tube typically has tighter tolerances on the dimensions. The outside diameter of nominal pipe will never change, but the inside diameter does. Below 3 inch diameter pipe, the outside diameter are weird sizes. I hope this has helped you understand the difference between tube and pipe. .

To purchase pipe or tube or many other metals, please visit one of our Metal Supermarkets locations. Thank you and have a great day!——————————————-One of the most frequent questions we get from customers is “What’s the difference between pipe and tube?” In this video blog, Operations & Development Manager Jason Jackson discusses some of the main differences between the two.