Advantages and disadvantages of stainless steel seamless pipes

Stainless steel seamless pipes (SS Seamless Pipe) are made of materials such as austenite (such as 304, 316 stainless steel), martensite (such as 410) or duplex stainless steel (such as 2205). They have excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties and are widely used in chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, food and other industries.

Advantages of SS seamless pipes:

1. Excellent corrosion resistance
Rust resistance: The surface of stainless steel seamless pipes is smooth, without seams, and has good corrosion resistance. Stainless steel (especially 316 containing molybdenum) performs well in humid, acidic or saline environments. It can be used for the transportation and storage of various chemicals, as well as marine engineering and other fields.

No coating requirements: No additional galvanizing or painting is required like carbon steel, reducing maintenance costs.

2. High strength and pressure resistance
Seamless steel pipes have high strength and rigidity, so they can withstand great pressure and bending forces. The seamless structure makes its pressure bearing capacity better than welded pipes, suitable for high pressure, high temperature or low temperature environment (such as LNG pipelines), and is also an important material for structures such as bridges, buildings and vehicles.

Some stainless steels (such as duplex steel 2205) are close to carbon steel in strength, but have better corrosion resistance.

3. High and low temperature resistance
Austenitic stainless steel (such as 304 stainless steel) can maintain its performance in the range of -196℃~800℃, suitable for extreme temperature conditions.

Strong oxidation resistance, not easy to oxidize and peel off at high temperature (such as boiler heat exchange tubes).

4. Hygiene and environmental protection
The surface is smooth and not easy to breed bacteria, which meets the hygiene standards of the food and pharmaceutical industries (such as 316L medical grade pipes).

It can be 100% recycled and is more environmentally friendly than coated carbon steel pipes.

5. Aesthetics
The surface can be polished to a mirror effect, suitable for architectural decoration (such as handrails, curtain wall brackets).

Disadvantages of SS seamless pipes:

1. High cost
Raw materials (nickel, chromium, etc.) are expensive, and the price of stainless steel seamless pipes is usually 2 to 5 times that of carbon steel pipes.
The production process is complex (such as cold rolling and solution treatment), which further increases the cost.

2. Difficult processing
High hardness (especially martensitic stainless steel), cutting and welding require special equipment and technology (such as TIG welding).
Cold processing can easily lead to hardening, and intermediate annealing is required.

3. Some environments will still corrode
In chloride ion (such as seawater) or strong reducing acid (such as sulfuric acid), pitting or stress corrosion cracking may occur (super stainless steel or additional protection measures are required).

4. Poor thermal conductivity
The thermal conductivity is only 1/3 of that of carbon steel, which is not suitable for occasions with high heat conduction requirements (such as some heat exchangers need to use copper tubes instead).

5. Heavy weight (compared with aluminum and titanium tubes)
Although the density is lower than that of carbon steel, it is still higher than that of aluminum alloy or composite pipes, which is not friendly to lightweight design.

Suggestions for selecting seamless stainless steel pipe materials:

1) Prioritize seamless stainless steel pipes: Corrosive environments, high hygiene requirements, and long-term maintenance-free scenarios.

2) Consider carbon steel or composite pipes: Limited budget, no severe corrosion or lightweight requirements.

Read more: Carbon steel tube vs Stainless steel tube