[Back]Home > News > Pipe Knowledge

What is API Line Pipe?
Date:2016-10-27      View(s):1956      Tag:line pipe, api line pipe, api line pipe manufacturer

The API SPEC 5L specification provides standards for pipe suitable for use in conveying gas, water, and oil in the natural gas and oil industries. The API SPEC 5L covers seamless and welded steel line pipe. It includes plain-end, threaded-end, and belled-end pipe, as well as through-the-flowline (TFL) pipe, and pipe with ends prepared for use with special couplings. 


PRIME STEEL PIPE API 5L steel pipe comes in a variety of wall thicknesses and is manufactured domestically, to order, to meet our customer’s particular application requirements. We offer both seamless and welded (ERW*) to meet the particular challenges of all transmission environments.

Line pipe grade designations come from API Spec 5L Specification for Line Pipe. Standard Line Pipe has grade designation A and B. Stronger grades have the designation X followed by the specified minimum yield strength of the pipe steel, measured in kilopounds per square inch (abbreviated ksi), e.g. X60 for pipe having a minimum yield strength of 60 ksi. See the table below for the standard available grades.

Line pipe mechanical testing usually omits Reduction of Area (RA) measurement reporting, and Charpy V-Notch (CVN) testing. This prevents use of this pipe as body material above 36 ksi yield strength for API Spec 6A equipment without retesting for Reduction of Area, and in the case of low temperature service, Charpy V-Notch testing as well.

CAUTION: Do not confuse pipe manufactured to meet ASTM A106 Grade A or B as interchangeable with API 5L Grade A or B without close observation of the mill test reports. The two pipe specifications overlap, but vary. Pipe may or may not meet both specs.
Products Category