Welded Pipe vs. Seamless Pipe

Advantages Of Welded

Welded pipes are typically more cost effective than their seamless equivalents.

Welded pipes are usually more readily available than seamless. The longer lead time required for seamless pipes can not only make timing problematic, but it also allows more time for the price of the materials to fluctuate.

The wall thickness of welded pipes is generally more consistent than that of seamless pipes.

The internal surface of welded tubes can be checked before manufacturing, which isn’t possible with seamless.

Advantages Of Seamless

The main perceived advantage of seamless pipes is that they don’t have a weld seam. Traditionally, the seam of welded pipes has been viewed as a weak spot, vulnerable to failure and corrosion. For many years, this fear was probably justified. However, in recent years improvements in the manufacturing process for welded steel pipes and other welded pipes have boosted the strength and performance of the weld seam to levels indistinguishable from that of the rest of the pipe.

Seamless pipes provide peace of mind. Although there should be no issues with the seams of welded pipes supplied by reputable manufacturers, seamless pipes prevent any possibility of a weak seam.

Seamless pipes have better ovality, or roundness, than welded pipes.

Get Welded Or Seamless For Your Next Project

Need more help deciding between welded and seamless? Contact us so we can help you determine the needs of your project. We have a large inventory of welded carbon pipes, steel pipes and more, as well as an equally robust selection of their seamless counterparts.

Why Use Welded Pipe

Structural welded pipe (tubing) can be used for a wide variety of mechanical applications. It may be used either statically or dynamically. Its close tolerances, good finish, and dense structure make it ideal for parts such as structural support and parts, frames, racks, trailer beds and trailer components, structural components and supports for buildings, bridges, and highways, conveyors, machine parts, ornamental usages and a wide range of applications in industrial, construction, automotive, appliance and agricultural industries. 

Welded pipes are generally more cost effective than the equivalent seamless alternative. They are significantly more available both from distributor and mill stocks and from a mill production lead time perspective. With longer lead times seamless tubes can be exposed to unknown alloying price extras that can fluctuate substantially, hence it can be difficult to plan and predict the true costs for the material. Therefore in addition to faster delivery times for Erw tubes, there is the added advantage of lower economical risk. Erw welded steel tubes generally have better surface quality as compared with manufacturing seamless tubes. Seamless tubes are generally made in multiple steps starting with hot extrusion to form the tube hollows from billets.

Do you need welded pipe? Check out our welded offers, then contact us for a quote. We’d love to discuss the needs of your next project.