Selecting the Proper

Plastic Piping Material

©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association

 Selecting the Proper
Plastic Piping Material
• To select the proper plastic piping material,
conditions of service for the liquid to be handled and
the suitability of the materials for those service
conditions must be known. Listed is a summary and
example of selecting the proper plastic piping
material.

2 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Service Conditions Check List
• PipingApplication
Type Size Range
• Type Fluid(s)
Above- or Below-ground Installation
• Working Pressure
Interior/Exterior Exposure
(min/max)
• Working Code
Specific Temperature
Agencies/Approvals
(min/max)
• Velocity (max) Products In Fluid Contact
Fluid-handling
• Specific Gravity
• Viscosity
• Particulates

3 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 TIPS Material Selection
• Chemical Compatibility
• Pressure/Temperature Compatibility
• Piping Size and Product Availability
• Piping System Joining Method
• Price Comparability

4 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Service Conditions

Service Conditions
Application: Metal Ore Smeltering
Fluid: Sulfuric Acid, 70% concentration
Working Pressure: 50-105 psi
Working Temperature: 70-130°F
Velocity: Less than 3 ft/sec
Specific Gravity: 1.57
Viscosity: 60 ssu
Particulates: minimal
Piping Sizes: ½ - 6”
Installation: Above ground
Exposure: Interior
Code Agencies: Standard
Required Fluid- Pipe / Fitting / Valve / Pump
handling Equipment:
* Conditions depicted in bold are major selection criteria for this
application.

5 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Chemical Compatibility

Service Conditions
Fluid: Sulfuric Acid, 70% concentration
Working Temperature: 70-130°F

Partial Chemical Resistance Chart

Chemical
Temperature (°F) 70
PVC
140
 70
CPVC
140
185 70
PP
150
180 70
PVDF
150
 250 70
PE 
140
Sulfuric acid, 50% R R R R R R R NR R R R R —
Sulfuric acid, 60% R R R R R R R NR R R R R —
Sulfuric acid, 70% R R R R R R NR NR R R R R —
Sulfuric acid, 80% R R R R R R NR NR R R — R NR
Sulfuric acid, 90% R NR R R R R NR NR R R — R NR
Sulfuric acid, 93% R NR R R NR R NR NR R R — R NR
Sulfuric acid, 100% NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR — NR NR

R = Recommended — = No information available NR = Not Recommended

6 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Pressure Compatibility

Service Conditions
Working Pressure: 50-105 psi
Working Temperature: 70-130°F
Piping Sizes: ½ - 6”

Maximum Operating Pressure Ratings(psi) of Schedule 80 Piping / Fittings @ 73°F

Nom. Pipe Size (in.) PVC / CPVC PE (SDR 11) PP PVDF
CPVC 
0.62(280) = 174 psi
3 370 160 190 250
4
6
320
280
160
160
160
140
220
190
PVC 
0.30(280) = 84 psi
(system max. is 105 psi)
Temperature Correction Factor for Piping
Temp. (°F)
110
CPVC
.77
PE
.74
PP
.80
PVC
.50
PVDF
.75
PVDF 
0.62(190) = 118 psi
120 .70 .63 .75 .40 .68
130 .62 .57 .68 .30 .62

7 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Joining System

Results of Previous Tests

CPVC PE PP PVC PVDF
Chemical
Compatibility     
Pressure/Temp.
Compatibility   
Product Availability
CPVC  PVDF 
Joining System
CPVC = Solvent Cementing
PVDF = Heat Fusion

8 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Cost Comparison

Estimates of 100-ft, 6-in Pipelines for Various Materials*

Materials Piping Costs ($) Ratio CS
PVC Sch. 80 11,499 0.50
CPVC Sch. 80
Carbon Steel Sch. 40
18,932
22,789
 0.83
1.00
St. Steel 304L Sch. 40 45,835 2.01
Aluminum alloy 303 Sch. 40 48,134 2.11
St. Steel 316L Sch. 40 49,355 2.17
Copper 50,473 2.21
PVDF Sch. 80
Titanium Sch. 40
63,945
132,804
 2.81
6.11
Alloy 200 Sch. 40 150,188 6.59
Zirconium Sch. 40 159,382 6.99
* Adapted from Chemical Processing, June 1999

9 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example – Results

Results of Previous Tests

CPVC PE PP PVC PVDF
Chemical
Compatibility     
Pressure/Temp.
Compatibility   
Cost
Comparison  
Selected Material

CPVC

10 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 Example Addendum
• If sulfuric acid concentration were 93%, only PVDF 
would be selected
• If sulfuric acid concentration were 60% and the
maximum temperature were 120°F, both CPVC and 

PP would be considered
• If maximum temperature did not exceed 110°F, both
 
PE and PVC would be considered

11 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association
 TIPS are...
• Environmentally sound
• Easy and safe to install
• Reliable
• Long-lasting
• Cost-effective

12 - Selecting the Proper Plastic Piping Material ©2003, 2004, 2005 - Plastics Pipe and Fittings Association