s

PartnerTip
Practical Tips & Tricks

Getting your
threads right
Not all threaded connections are the
same: if you are not careful, you can
create leaky connections. Five points
are important.
Two types of threaded
connection
Page 1
■ There are two international standards
for threaded connections: ISO 7 and
Internal or external
ISO 228.
thread?
■ Both types of connection must be
Page 2
clearly distinguished.
■ External threads on valves make
Do not combine G and
installation easier but require
Rp threads!
fittings.
Page 3
■ G and Rp threads do not have the
same tolerance class (leakage).
R and Rp belong
■ Old "R" threads should not be confused
together!
with the new R thread as per ISO 7.
Page 3
Two types of threaded connection
Do not confuse «old» R
with R as per ISO 7 ISO 7 seals in the thread ISO 228 does not seal in the thread
Page 4
Connecting thread Fastening thread
Further terms: what One conical and one cylindrical Two cylindrical threads
do BSP and NPT mean? thread
Page 4
G cylindrical internal thread
R conical external thread
G…B cylindrical external thread
Info Plus Rp cylindrical internal thread (B = tolerance)
Page 4
Tapered or conical seal Flat packing or flat-sealing
connection
The conical external thread (R) fits
into a cylindrical internal thread The two cylindrical threads (G and
(Rp), and seals in the thread. The G … B) do not seal. Only the flat
connection is sealed with hemp and packing in the union nut makes the
sealing paste or with PTFE (teflon) seal.
sealing tape.
Our external threaded valves comply
Fittings and mixing valves normally with ISO 228, therefore they have
comply with ISO 7, therefore they G … B threads.
have R and Rp threads.
Nr. 10/2002
Getting your threads right

Valves with external threads can be R/Rp connenting thread

– as per ISO 7-1
installed and removed more easily, R1 Rp1
especially in prefabricated pipe instal- Welded
1
lations. This makes installation, main-
tenance and service tasks more cost- 2

effective, and welding can be dispen- With hemp packing

sed with altogether. The reason for
this is the fitting with the union nut,
which is located between the valve and
the pipe, making installation and
removal easier.
Valves with cylindrical internal
G/G...B fastening thread
– as per ISO 228-1 threads (Rp) require connecting pipes
R/Rp connenting thread
– as per ISO 7-1 with conical threads (R). This connec-
R1 Rp1 G11/2 G11/2B A AB ting pipe must be subsequently wel-
B
ded. The removal of the valve is even
Fitting
more difficult: the pipes must be cut
apart, which is complicated and costly.
With hemp packing
With flat packing
(Figure shows a three-way mixing
Union nut Flat packing valve)
Per union:

3 parts Internal or external thread?

2 seals
Internal threads on valves make
installation more difficult, and usually
The illustration shows a combined necessitate welding and cutting of
threaded connection with: pipe connections.
■ valve with external thread; a union
nut is attached over it, pressing the External threads make installation
fitting with the flat packing against easier. The additional cost of the
the valve (does not seal in the union is a disadvantage.
thread).
■ combination of a conical and a Mixing valves with internal threads
cylindrical thread (R and Rp) are frequently used in pre-installed
between the fitting and the pipe heating systems for reasons of cost. In
(seals in the thread). some cases, the entire installation
must be replaced, or individual pipes
cut apart. The overall costs, including
installation expense, are always much
higher than with external threaded
valves.

2

Mixing valve with internal thread (left)
and with external thread (right).
Do not combine G and Rp threads!
G and Rp threads don't mix – at least
not with the necessary quality: G
threads generally belong to a different
tolerance class than Rp threads (G has
tolerance class B). The connection will
either jam or have too much clea-
rance. There is a considerable risk of
leakage in both cases.
Conclusion: inserting a G thread
into an Rp thread is incorrect
installation practice.
Rp connecting thread
– as per ISO 7-1 with
G1B as per ISO 228-1
The question of such thread combina-
tions arises, for example, in the instal-
lation of a valve with an internal Rp
thread, where the installation contrac-
tor adds a double screwed nipple with
G thread to produce an external threa-
ded valve. This solution has one draw-
back: G and Rp threads do not fit
together.
R and Rp belong together!
There are no problems with the com-
bination of a conical external R thread
with a cylindrical internal Rp thread
(both according to ISO 7). In the exam-
ple given, however, this requires a
double nipple with an external R
thread on the one side, and an inter-
nal G … B thread as per ISO 228 on the
other.
Conclusion: Use nipple with R/G...B
combination
Rp connecting thread
– as per ISO 7-1
These fit together: R and Rp threads
within the same connection. The
double nipple has a R and a G thread.
3
Do not confuse "old" R with R as per ISO 7

Seals in thread Does not seal in thread

Internal thread External thread Internal thread External thread
cylindrical conical cylindrical cylindrical
New ISO 7 ISO 228
Designation Rp 1 R1 G1 G 1B
conical Rc 1
Old DIN 2999 DIN 259
Designation Rp 1 R1 R1

Table: ISO and DIN – major designations, examples for 1 inch pipes

Caution during installation: The old Further terms:

designation of today's ISO 228 "R"
threads is not the same as the new
designation of the ISO 7 threads – also
"R". This leads to confusion between
conical and cylindrical threads, which
also generally have the same nominal
sizes, so they are difficult to distin-
guish. Leaky connections are the con-
sequence.
what do BSP and NPT mean?
BSP is the abbreviation for British
Standard Parallel Thread. This thread
corresponds to the Rp thread as per
ISO 7: BSP = Rp.
NPT is the abbreviation for Nominal
Parallel Thread. NPT parts seal in the
thread, but they do not fit threads as
per ISO 7 (R and Rp)!

Info Plus
The Distribution Piping Systems
Technical Handbook by +GF+ Georg
Fischer provides a good overview.

Editor’s address:
PartnerTip, Liliane Schuler, Marcom Management

Gubelstrasse 22, CH-6301 Zug

Tel. +41 41 724 56 15, Fax +41 41 724 26 89
e-mail: SchulerL@ch.sibt.com