GIW Technical Series

Pipe Flange Bolts

Disclaimer: This document is only intended to suggest possible ways to assemble pipe flanges and
should not be considered as specific instructions or alternatives to actual part requirements (i.e.
gaskets or joints), customer procedures, safety regulations, codes or any other considerations.
Responsibility for actual bolt size, grade, torque and assembly procedure lies solely with the user.
The suction and discharge pipe connections must be made carefully to avoid putting excess stress
on either the piping or pump flanges. Incorrect joints may leak, creating unplanned down time.
Fasteners must be the correct grade for the application, and high pressure systems may require
stronger hardware. This is normally defined in the plant specifications or codes.
Final torque for the flange bolts depends on the type of gasket used and is normally specified by the
gasket manufacturer. This torque produces the clamp load on the gasket needed for proper sealing
and may need to be different based on system experience. Metallic and spiral type gaskets generally
need more clamping force than flat rubber gasket material. Higher system pressures may dictate
increased fastener torques. During operation, some gasket materials may compress and flange
torque should be rechecked during routine shut down procedures.
White iron pump casings are not as ductile as steel or other cast iron parts, so the torque must be
limited to avoid breaking the flange. Where possible, do not exceed the maximum torque for a
Grade 5 bolt. High pressure connections that require large clamp loads may have higher torques.
A single flange fastener must never be used to pull the piping up to the pump. This concentrates
stresses that can stretch the bolt, bend a pipe flange, break the pump casting or bend a suction plate.
Normal gaps between the pump and spool piece can be brought together by using the correct
tightening sequence. Actual pipe movement and alignment should be done with appropriate rigging
devices such as cable pullers or hydraulic rams. In addition, note that pipe misalignment created
during initial fitment may cause higher stresses on the pump flange which could exceed the limits
defined by the manufacturer. Where large gaps exist, it may require a different spool piece. Flexible
hose should be supported during the flange assembly operation to keep the flange faces parallel.
Fasteners should be tightened in the correct sequences as illustrated below with a sufficient number
of steps to bring the flanges together and achieve the torque required by the gasket. Bolts and nuts
must be clean and free from dirt, rust or damage. Lubricate the threads to achieve correct
installation torque and allow easy disassembly for future routine maintenance. Locate the gasket in
place and install the fasteners hand tight. The use of gasket adhesive will be dictated by the gasket
manufacturer. Check that the flange faces are parallel. If not, adjust the pipe supports. For smaller
pipe sizes, bring all the bolts to 30% of the final torque in sequence, then to 70% and finally to the
required torque value for the gasket material being used. Larger flanges may require more steps.
Recheck the final torque again as needed while the gasket compresses.

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Four and eight bolt flanges should be tightened in a cross pattern:

8 1
4 1
4 5

6 3
2 3 7
2

For large flanges with 12 or more fasteners, it is recommended that two workers tighten the bolts
simultaneously, working 180° apart. Each tightens bolt number one in quadrant A, then bolt number
one in quadrant B, move to bolt number two, repeating until the required torque is achieved on all
the fasteners. This reduces excess localized loading on the flange components and gasket.

3 1
2 2
1 B2 A1 3

36 A2 B1 1
2 2
1 3

The most common method for tightening fasteners is the air impact wrench. These are generally not
calibrated or accurate in capacity between any two tools. This should be considered when
assembling the pump and piping system. Large fasteners benefit from the use of Hydraulic
Wrenches which can be preset to the correct torque.
Fastener size depends on the size of the flange. For reference, the chart below provides bolt size and
quantity for various pipe sizes for 125/150lb flanges. A reference torque chart is included on the
following page which can be used to determine the flange clamp force at the maximum torques
shown.

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Pipe Flange Bolts

Pipe Size Typical Bolt UNC Quantity

2” – 3” 5/8 4
3 ½” – 4” 5/8 8
5” – 8” ¾ 8
10” – 12” 7/8 12
14” – 16” 1 12 - 16
18” – 20” 1 1/8 16 - 20
24” – 30” 1¼ 20 – 28
36” -48” 1½ 32 – 44
54” – 72” 1 3/4 44 - 68

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Bolt Torque Chart (For Reference Only)

Light Font denotes Inch/Lbs and Bold Font denotes Foot/Lbs
Assembly Torque - Dry ( R=.200 ), Lubed ( R=.150 )

SAE GRADE 2 SAE GRADE 5 SAE GRADE 8

Assy Assy Assy Assy Assy Assy
Clamp Clamp Clamp
Size Torque Torque Torque Torque Torque Torque
Load Load Load
Dry Lubed Dry Lubed Dry Lubed
1/4-20 1320 66 inlb 50 inlb 2000 8 75 2850 12 9
1/4-28 1500 76 inlb 56 inlb 2300 10 86 3250 14 10
5/16-18 2160 11 8 3350 17 13 4700 25 18
5/16-24 2400 12 9 3700 19 14 5200 25 20
3/8-16 3200 20 15 4950 30 23 7000 45 35
3/8-24 3620 23 17 5600 35 25 7900 50 35
7/16-14 4390 32 24 6800 50 35 9550 70 55
7/16-20 4900 36 27 7600 55 40 10650 80 60
1/2-13 5850 50 35 9000 75 55 12750 110 80
1/2-20 6600 55 40 10250 90 65 14375 120 90
9/16-20 7500 70 55 11600 110 80 16375 150 110
9/16-18 8400 80 60 13000 120 90 18250 170 130
5/8-11 9350 100 75 14400 150 110 20350 220 170
5/8-18 10550 110 85 16375 180 130 23000 240 180
3/4-10 13800 175 130 21300 260 200 30100 380 280
3/4-16 15400 200 150 23800 300 220 33500 420 320
7/8-9 11450 170 125 29450 430 320 41600 600 460
7/8-14 12600 180 140 32450 470 360 45900 660 500
1.00-8 15000 250 190 38600 640 480 54500 900 680
1.00-12 16400 270 210 42300 710 530 59700 1000 740
1.00-14 16800 280 210 43400 730 540 61200 1020 760
1.125-7 18900 350 270 42300 800 600 68900 1280 960
1.125-12 21200 400 300 47500 880 660 77000 1440 1080
1.250-7 24000 500 380 53800 1120 840 87200 1820 1360
1.250-12 26600 550 420 59600 1240 920 96600 2000 1500
1.375-6 28600 670 490 64100 1460 1100 104000 2380 1780
1.375-12 32500 750 560 73000 1680 1260 118400 2720 2040
1.500-6 34800 870 650 78000 1940 1460 126500 3160 2360
1.500-12 39100 980 730 87700 2200 1640 142200 3560 2660

Tech Pipe Flange Bolts 2007-11-14.doc