Understanding types of copper?

[John Hasler]

I've spent the bulk of my career using Jorgensenen's stock book as my guide. While there's a section for that round stuff with a hole down the middle, it's sectioned by pipe and tubing. Makes things a lot easier for the guy who's looking for the right material, and eliminates the chance of ordering the wrong material.

The one chief difference is that the stock books I have do NOT include any copper products. Indications are the copper development association has chosen to disregard convention, likely due to many who have used the terminology interchangeably, so it has become acceptable.

More confusion for an already confused industry.

H

Just to add to the confusion ASTM B88 seamless copper water tube (evidently the current official name for what we grew up calling copper pipe) has an OD exactly 1/8" over nominal: it isn't dimensioned like ASTM steel pipe. The stuff that is designated by actual OD (and which we grew up calling copper tube) is ASTM B 280 Copper Tube for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration - ACR .

[Steggy]

A pipefitter once told me (tongue in cheek) that the definition of pipe is “that round stuff with a hole down the middle”!

Complicating matters, steel houses offer pipe-size mechanical tubing.

[John Hasler]

Steel pipe, steel tube, DOM steel tube, and structural steel tube is yet another can of worms.