Nominal Pipe Size: Definition and Details of Pipes

Definition and Details of Pipes
Nominal Pipe Size

Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) is a North American set of standard sizes for pipes used for high or low pressures and temperatures.
The name NPS is based on the earlier "Iron Pipe Size" (IPS) system.
That IPS system was established to designate the pipe size. The size represented the approximate inside diameter of the pipe in
inches. An IPS 6" pipe is one whose inside diameter is approximately 6 inches. Users started to call the pipe as 2inch, 4inch,
6inch pipe and so on. To begin, each pipe size was produced to have one thickness, which later was termed as standard (STD) or
standard weight (STD.WT.). The outside diameter of the pipe was standardized.
As the industrial requirements handling higher pressure fluids, pipes were manufactured with thicker walls, which has become
known as an extra strong (XS) or extra heavy (XH). The higher pressure requirements increased further, with thicker wall pipes.
Accordingly, pipes were made with double extra strong (XXS) or double extra heavy (XXH) walls, while the standardized outside
diameters are unchanged. Note that on this website only terms XS and XXS are used.
Pipe Schedule
So, at the IPS time only three walltickness were in use. In March 1927, the American Standards Association surveyed industry
and created a system that designated wall thicknesses based on smaller steps between sizes. The designation known as nominal
pipe size replaced iron pipe size, and the term schedule (SCH) was invented to specify the nominal wall thickness of pipe. By
adding schedule numbers to the IPS standards, today there is a range of 16 schedules, namely:
SCH 5, 5S, 10, 10S, 20, 30, 40, 40S, 60, 80, 80S, 100, 120, 140, 160, and STD, XS, XXS.
Nominal pipe size (NPS) is a dimensionless designator of pipe size. It indicates standard pipe size when followed by the specific
size designation number without an inch symbol. For example, NPS 6 indicates a pipe whose outside diameter is 168.3 mm.
The NPS is very loosely related to the inside diameter in inches, and NPS 12 and smaller pipe has outside diameter greater than
the size designator. For NPS 14 and larger, the NPS is equal to 14inch.
For a given NPS, the outside diameter stays constant and the wall thickness increases with larger schedule number. The inside
diameter will depend upon the pipe wall thickness specified by the schedule number.
Summary:
Pipe size is specified with two non-dimensional numbers,
 nominal pipe size (NPS)
 schedule number (SCH)
and the relationship between these numbers determine the inside diameter of a pipe.
Stainless Steel Pipe dimensions determined by ASME B36.19M covering the outside diameter and the Schedule wall thickness.
Note that stainless wall thicknesses to ASME B36.19M all have an " S" suffix. Sizes without an "S" suffix are to ASME B36.10M
which is intended for carbon steel pipes.
The International Standards Organization (ISO) also employs a system with a
dimensionless designator.
Diameter nominal (DN) is used in the metric unit system. It indicates standard pipe size
when followed by the specific size designation number without a millimeter symbol. For
example, DN 80 is the equivalent designation of NPS 3. Below a table with equivalents
for NPS and DN pipe sizes.
NPS ½ ¾ 1 1¼ 1½ 2 2½ 3 3½ 4
DN 15 20 25 32 40 50 65 80 90 100
Note: For NPS ≥ 4, the related DN = 25 multiplied by the NPS number.

Do you now what is "ein zweihunderter Rohr" ?. Germans means with that a pipe NPS 8 or DN 200. In this case, the Dutch talking
about a "8 duimer". I'm really curious how people in other countries indicates a pipe.
Examples of actual Inside and Outside Diameters

Actual outside diameters
 NPS 1 actual O.D. = 1.5/16" (33.4 mm)
 NPS 2 actual O.D. = 2.3/8" (60.3 mm)
 NPS 3 actual O.D. = 3½" (99.9 mm)
 NPS 4 actual O.D. = 4.1/2" (114.3 mm)
 NPS 12 actual O.D. = 12.3/4" (323.9 mm)
 NPS 14 actual O.D. = 14" (355.6 mm)
Below you will find an example of the true inside diameters of a 1 inch pipe.
 NPS 1-SCH 40 = O.D.33,4 mm - WT 3,38 mm - I.D. 26,64 mm
 NPS 1-SCH 80 = O.D.33,4 mm - WT. 4,55 mm - I.D. 24,30 mm
 NPS 1-SCH 160 = O.D.33,4 mm - WT 6,35 mm - I.D. 20,70 mm
Such as above defined, no inside diameter corresponds to the truth 1" (25,4 mm).
The inside diameter is determined by the wall thickness (WT).

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Definition and Details of Pipes

Nominal Pipe Size

Note: For NPS ≥ 4, the related DN = 25 multiplied by the NPS number.

Examples of actual Inside and Outside Diameters

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