Customers often come to inquire about stainless steel seamless pipes, most of which can be replaced by stainless welded steel pipes for their applications; but they have no idea about stainless steel welded pipes and seamless pipes, and they don’t know which one is more suitable for them. So what is the difference between stainless steel welded pipe and seamless pipe?
The difference in appearance
The most direct difference between stainless steel seamless pipe and stainless steel welded pipe is the appearance. The length of seamless pipe is basically inconsistent, while the length of stainless steel welded pipe is basically determined. The surface of the stainless steel welded pipe is basically a mirror surface.
Process difference
A seamless pipe is a long strip of steel with a hollow section and no seams around it. The thicker the wall thickness of the seamless pipe, the more economical and practical it is, and the thinner the wall thickness, the higher its processing cost will be. The process of the seamless pipe determines its limited performance. The round pipe billet is used as the raw material for perforation, and it is made by cold rolling, cold drawing or hot extrusion production technology. There are no welding points on the pipe. Its detection and shaping must be done offline. Therefore, it embodies its superiority in terms of high pressure, high strength, and mechanical structural materials.
Stainless steel welded steel pipe is referred to as welded pipe for short. It is a steel pipe made of commonly used steel or steel strip after crimping and forming by the unit and mold. The production process of welded steel pipe is simple, the production efficiency is high, there are many varieties and specifications, and the investment in equipment is small, but the general strength is lower than that of seamless steel pipe. Since the 1930s, with the rapid development of continuous rolling production of high-quality strip steel and the advancement of welding and inspection technology, the quality of welds has been continuously improved, and the varieties and specifications of welded steel pipes have increased day by day. And it has replaced seamless steel pipes in more and more fields, especially in heat exchange spare pipes, decorative pipes, and medium and low pressure fluid pipes.
The difference in performance and price
Seamless pipes are much higher than welded pipes in terms of corrosion resistance, pressure resistance and high temperature resistance. With the improvement of the welded pipe manufacturing process, the mechanical properties and mechanical properties are gradually approaching the seamless pipe. The seamless pipe is more complicated in the production process, and its price is more expensive than the stainless steel welded pipe.
Based on the characteristics and differences of seamless pipes and stainless steel welded pipes, reasonable selection should be made during application to achieve economical, beautiful and reliable results:
(1) When used as decorative pipes, product pipes, and prop pipes, it is generally required to have a good surface effect, and stainless steel welded pipes are usually used;
(2) For generally lower pressure fluid transportation, such as water, oil, gas, air and low-pressure systems such as heating hot water or steam, stainless steel welded pipes are usually used;
(3) Seamless pipes should be used for pipes used in industrial engineering and large-scale equipment to convey fluids, as well as pipes for conveying fluids that require high temperature, high pressure, and high strength on boilers in power plants and nuclear power plants;
(4) Stainless steel welded pipes are generally used for liquid transportation below 0.8MPa, and seamless pipes can be used for liquid transportation above 0.8MPa. If the pressure requirements are not high, it will be more economical to use welded pipes.
The difference in appearance
The most direct difference between stainless steel seamless pipe and stainless steel welded pipe is the appearance. The length of seamless pipe is basically inconsistent, while the length of stainless steel welded pipe is basically determined. The surface of the stainless steel welded pipe is basically a mirror surface.
Process difference
A seamless pipe is a long strip of steel with a hollow section and no seams around it. The thicker the wall thickness of the seamless pipe, the more economical and practical it is, and the thinner the wall thickness, the higher its processing cost will be. The process of the seamless pipe determines its limited performance. The round pipe billet is used as the raw material for perforation, and it is made by cold rolling, cold drawing or hot extrusion production technology. There are no welding points on the pipe. Its detection and shaping must be done offline. Therefore, it embodies its superiority in terms of high pressure, high strength, and mechanical structural materials.
Stainless steel welded steel pipe is referred to as welded pipe for short. It is a steel pipe made of commonly used steel or steel strip after crimping and forming by the unit and mold. The production process of welded steel pipe is simple, the production efficiency is high, there are many varieties and specifications, and the investment in equipment is small, but the general strength is lower than that of seamless steel pipe. Since the 1930s, with the rapid development of continuous rolling production of high-quality strip steel and the advancement of welding and inspection technology, the quality of welds has been continuously improved, and the varieties and specifications of welded steel pipes have increased day by day. And it has replaced seamless steel pipes in more and more fields, especially in heat exchange spare pipes, decorative pipes, and medium and low pressure fluid pipes.
The difference in performance and price
Seamless pipes are much higher than welded pipes in terms of corrosion resistance, pressure resistance and high temperature resistance. With the improvement of the welded pipe manufacturing process, the mechanical properties and mechanical properties are gradually approaching the seamless pipe. The seamless pipe is more complicated in the production process, and its price is more expensive than the stainless steel welded pipe.
Based on the characteristics and differences of seamless pipes and stainless steel welded pipes, reasonable selection should be made during application to achieve economical, beautiful and reliable results:
(1) When used as decorative pipes, product pipes, and prop pipes, it is generally required to have a good surface effect, and stainless steel welded pipes are usually used;
(2) For generally lower pressure fluid transportation, such as water, oil, gas, air and low-pressure systems such as heating hot water or steam, stainless steel welded pipes are usually used;
(3) Seamless pipes should be used for pipes used in industrial engineering and large-scale equipment to convey fluids, as well as pipes for conveying fluids that require high temperature, high pressure, and high strength on boilers in power plants and nuclear power plants;
(4) Stainless steel welded pipes are generally used for liquid transportation below 0.8MPa, and seamless pipes can be used for liquid transportation above 0.8MPa. If the pressure requirements are not high, it will be more economical to use welded pipes.
