Steel Tube is commonly used for a wide range of purposes including food & beverage process lines & structures, irrigation, pumping, petrochemical, geothermal, marine, agriculture and machinery, automotive, and architecturally.
Steel tube is cold rolled which means that it has been rolled from a stainless steel coil while cold. This results in a smooth hard finish. It is normally finished with a 180 or 320 grit polish, although it can also be polished to even smoother finishes. It comes in different shapes such as square, rectangular and cylindrical.
Steel tube is measured based on the OD or outside diameter and wall thickness.
TYPES OF STEEL TUBE
Round tube can be polished internally to make it hygienic, which is commonly known as Dairy Tube in New Zealand. Our Dairy Tube is manufactured to the AS1528.1 Standard. The naming convention for Dairy tube in NZ uses imperial inch sizing, so its commonly known as 1”, 2” tube etc. Dairy Tube is steel tubing that can be used for a variety of applications beyond the dairy industry, such as breweries or drinking water systems.
General Purpose Tube is the same as Dairy Tube but the weld seam hasn’t been polished. It’s also commonly known as handrail tube. This makes it a more economical alternative for non-hygienic applications that use Dairy Tube sizes such as glycol or handrails.
Both Dairy Tube & General Purpose tube are polished to a 320 grit and are available in 304 & 316 grade stainless steel. We stock Dairy tube from ¼” to 8”, and General Purpose tube from 1” to 8”.
Square and Rectangle tubes are commonly used for building structures and frames. They are polished to a 180 grit finish making them an ideal material for use in clean environments. We stock a range of sizes and thicknesses from ½” Square tube right up to 150x100x5 Rectangle tube in 304 & 316 Grade Stainless.
RapidPress Press-Fit Tube is measured metrically and fits our press-fit system. This is available in both 304 & 316 from 15mm to 108mm. We can get bigger sizes up to 168mm as needed.
