Tube fittings material selection can be a tricky process, where cost and availability are at the forefront for many industries.

Quick tip: Charts for aqueous corrosion resistance and material composition can be found on our special metals page.

Tube Fittings Material Selection

All products from our compression Tube fittings (single and double) range are available in special metals.

Other products that can be manufactured include pipe fittings for high or low pressure applications and valves for full flow control of media.

Material	Features	Availability
316 Stainless Steel	Most commonly specified material for a range of environments	Immediate with next day delivery
6MO Stainless Steel	Pitting, crevice corrosion and strength increased from 316	Moderate stocks
Monel 400	Great choice for general seawater application. Popular with pump manufacturers.	Moderate stocks
Duplex SS	A natural step-up from 316 and 6MO	Moderate stocks
Super Duplex SS	Fantastic atmospheric corrosion	Moderate stocks
Incoloy 825	Outstanding resistance in reducing environments, used extensively in chemical processing	Immediate and Moderate
Inconel 625	High strength, excellent corrosion resistance and welding abilities	Deliveries less than 8 weeks
Hastelloy C276	Outstanding corrosion resistance. Almost unmatched in seawater application especially under crevice conditions which would attack 316, 6MO and Monel 400.	Immediate for popular size fittings and Moderate material stock
Titanium	Excellent strength, corrosion resistance and used extensively in the aerospace and automotive industries. Outstanding all-round resistances.	Manufacture-to-order, no more than 6 weeks

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Tube Material Selection

Tubing Material	General Application	Rec. Temp Range*
316 Stainless Steel	High pressure, High Temperature, Generally Corrosive Media	-225C to 605C
Monel 400	Recommended in Sour Gas, Marine and Chemical application	-198C to 425C
Hastelloy C-276	Excellent corrosion resistance to Oxidizing and Reducing Media	-198C to 535C
Titanium	Resistant to Many Natural Environments such as Seawater and Salt solutions	-59C to 315C

Main Considerations When Selection The Right Material

Media (Internal)
Environment (External)
Intended Application and Process
Strengths and possible Weaknesses
Cost effectiveness (Selecting a special metal over 316 stainless steel is often considered a long-term investment. Costs for maintenance are dramatically reduced.)
Availability
Health and Safety Regulations

Corrosive Environments

Possible corrosive environments are a key factor for the durability of tube fittings and pipe fittings. Certain materials will cope better than others when faced with the different types of corrosion.

You will need to find out the effectiveness of the materials you are considering for your fittings against main consideration factors. (Media, environment, strengths, cost effectiveness, availability, safety…)

Corrosion By Acids

*Chart is to be used as a guideline only. Please discuss with us the internal media and external environment for your tube and pipe instrumentation.

Acidic Media	Resistance Material Choices
Sulphuric	6M0 (When the temperature is moderate and concentration is over 65%) Incoloy 825 (Good general resistance) Hastelloy C276 or Inconel 625 (At higher temperature ranges)
Hydrochloric	6M0 (Diluted) Incoloy 825 (Diluted) Inconel 625 (Diluted) Hastelloy C276 (The best choice with aggressive solutions)
Phosphoric	6M0 (Pure phosphoric) Incoloy 825 (Recommended – holds resistance to pure phosphoric at all concentrations and temperatures up to boiling 85%) Hastelloy C276 and Inconel 625 (In the presence of chlorides and fluorides)
Nitric	Incoloy 825 (Resistance to solutions up to boiling 65%) Inconel 625 Titanium

The Main Considerations In Acidic Corrosion Resistance

Concentration of the acid
Working temperatures and aeration
Inclusion of any other medias
The external environment
Dilution methods
Surrounding health and safety considerations

*Information provided in this blog post are to be used for general material selection guidance only. We recommend you speak to one of our specialists for applying your special metal tube, fittings and valves for the working application.

enquiries@waverleybrownall.co.uk

DON’T MISS OUT

With Waverley Brownall’s vast choice of tube fittings, pipe fittings and valves – you will be sure to find what you need with us.

Common thread types include NPTF, BSP, BSPT and BSPP.

In sizes up to 2″ for standard fittings,
materials include all listed in this post.

4 Steps To Selecting The Best Superalloy

1. Research

Research is a crucial stage in selecting the right alloy for an application. You should take time to browse the market of alloys that are available for the intended use.

Helpful documents and downloads on each alloy type can be found on Google , or you can use other sources such as our special metals page.

bsp parallel nptf screwed bush 150lb class

2. Weigh up the considerations

Availability of the alloy or fitting/valve in the superalloy

Pricing – This should include maintenance costs, installation and training if necessary

Properties of the special alloy – *Forming a table that weighs up the Pros and Cons of each alloy will help you to determine which is best. Eg. To easily see where one type of alloy out-performs another on applications of high temperature.

Intended use – Where will you be using the fitting or valve in the exotic metal material? Are issues of corrosion, temperature and atmosphere an issue?

3. Find a reputable supplier

Finding a reputable supplier (or manufacturer, especially for bespoke products) is our third step. This step takes you further towards the enquiry stages of a purchase but it is important to know what to look for when judging your options:

Where is the company based?

Location may be a key consideration for delivery depending on the urgency of your order.

Do they have recognisable badges visible on their website?

If you scroll down to the bottom of our website, you will see two badges for our LLoyds Approval and ISO approval. Beware of websites without any badges or visible accreditation.

Have they supplied other reputable companies?

As an example, on our homepage you will see we have supplied the likes of Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips. It is important to determine the legitimacy of expertise when it comes to Superalloys. Accidents within industries such as Oil and Gas from faulty products or metals can be devastating.

Certifications of materials – Can the company you wish to buy from provide certifications of material type?

We provide PMI (Positive Material Identification) testing for all of our metals, including Hastelloy C276, Titanium, Stainless Steel and Incoloy.

4. Seek expert advice

To ensure you are selecting the right alloy, it is always a good practice to contact a professional for advice.

We advise these two options:

A Metallurgist

Qualified Engineer

You can speak to a Qualified Engineer here at Waverley Brownall by contacting enquiries@waverleybrownall.co.uk

We have specialised in exotic metals such as Hastelloy, Inconel, Super Duplex and many more for over 40 years.