difference between pipe and tube?

[steveo3002]

feel a bit thick asking ...but when talking about metal tube /pipe whats the difference

 

[Shox Dr]

Pipe is thick walled. measured by the ID and wall thickness.
Tube is generally thinner walled and measured by the OD.

 

[oilcooled :)]

Pipe is usually seamless. Tube usually has a seam

 

[chevy2]

Pipe is usually seamless. Tube usually has a seam

I've found its usually the other way round,
cds and chromemoly/4130 for example is always called tube and is seamless.

This discussion has come up several times,
A bit like is it a ship or a boat

 

[Ton-up]

Rightly or wrongly, I think anything carrying a media from one place to another is pipe and anything structurally is tube!

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Rightly or wrongly, I think anything carrying a media from one place to another is pipe and anything structurally is tube!

Or CHS (Circular Hollow Section).

 

[Kent]

Pipe is usually seamless. Tube usually has a seam

Not really so, I thought a pipe welder would know this straight off but perhaps you only work with seamless?

pipe is bore size and wall thickness ( tube is outside diameter then wall )

 

[rtcosic]

Or CHS (Circular Hollow Section).

Almost there. My take would add:

Pipe is rated by the pressure/temperature it can operate at. Tube - or CHS - is rated by the load it can carry.

 

[Kent]

Almost there. My take would add:

Pipe is rated by the pressure/temperature it can operate at. Tube - or CHS - is rated by the load it can carry.

I never see weight it can carry listed (rated) as it obviously depends on direction of load and length etc. on tube, some stockholders list shs, rhs as tube though

pipe of course has a schedule unless its copper or as is the case no plastic of course when we get into plastic tube and plastic pipe that's really going to get things going

 

[oilcooled :)]

I was adding to shox Drs statement. A pipe is inside dimension with different shueduele thicknesses. AFAIK sheudele is the relationship between diameter and wall thickness. I weld steam pipe carbon steel usually schedule 40 and 80 always seamless. Never ever welded seamed pipe except shueduele 10 stainless. That's my experience of pipe.