| API |
American Petroleum Institute – issues standards for oil & gas industry |
| ASTM |
American Society for Testing Materials – issues standards for line pipe |
| A53A, A53B, A53F, A106 |
ASTM grades of carbon steel pipe |
| bevel |
angle formed between the prepared edge of the end of the tube and a plane perpendicular to the surface. Standard line pipe bevel is 30 degrees. |
| billet |
round, solid bar of steel which is pierced to form a seamless tube or pipe |
| black pipe |
denotes lacquered OD finish (as opposed to bare or galvanized) |
| box |
internal (female) threaded end |
| Brinell |
hardness testing system which measures indentation of the subject using a standard weight, shaped point |
| BTC |
buttress threaded and coupled |
| bundle |
number of pieces (same length) banded together for shipping. Height and width is usually 1-2′ but # varies with OD |
| burst |
internal pressure at which a tube will yield – often tested hydrostatically |
| casing |
pipe used as a structural retainer for the walls of a drilled hole |
| CAD |
computer aided design |
| CAM |
computer aided manufacturing |
| CNC |
computer numerically controlled – refers to machinery |
| cold drawn |
pipe or tubing which is pulled through a die to reduce diameter and wall. This process usually produces closer tolerances and higher strength. |
| chamfer |
beveled end, usually done as a preliminary operation to threading |
| coupling |
short piece used to connect two lengths of pipe |
| CW |
continuous weld – a method of producing small diameter pipe (1/2-4″) |
| cft |
hundred foot (sometimes used in pricing, i.e. $425.97/cft vs. $4.2597/ft.) |
| cwt |
hundred weight. Often used in handling or trucking pricing, i.e. .30/cwt load out charge or $1.65/cwt (freight) with a minimum such as 30,000#. |
| DRL |
double random length – line pipe with a 35’+ average length |
| drift |
minimum ID clearance verified by pulling a mandrel of known size through a length of pipe |
| EMI |
electromagnetic inspection – a method of determining wall thickness and detecting imperfections in steel tubes |
| ERW |
electric resistance weld – most common form of manufacture for pipe in sizes from 2 3/8-22″ OD |
| EUE |
external upset ends – forging of ends on (API) tubing and drill pipe to provide additional thickness for strengthening connections |
| FOB |
free on board – used to denote where pipe is to be provided to the buyer |
| flush joint |
connection with male and female threads cut directly into the pipe (as opposed to T&C). This provides the same ID and OD clearance as in the middle of the tube, once lengths are joined. |
| FLD |
full length drift (as opposed to “end drift”) – usually performed as part of used tubing or casing (OCTG) inspection |
| hardfacing |
abrasion-resistant metal applied by welding (usually in strips) on the surface of softer material to increase wear properties |
| hoist or lift plug |
pin-threaded sub with hook, eye or rod on other end; used for picking up or laying down threaded pipe, casing or rods. |
| ID |
inside diameter |
| joint |
one length of pipe |
| LS |
limited service – pipe not meeting specification, usually rejected at the mill |
| LT |
loaded trucks – used in price quotation to indicate seller pays for handling |
| LTC |
long thread and coupling (OCTG casing connection) |
| mid-weld |
two or more joints welded to form a longer one |
| nipple |
short length of pipe (<12″) threaded on both ends |
| nominal |
pipe size or wall thickness as specified (not actual). Sizes refer to approximate ID, even though OD is the fixed dimension. |
| NUE |
non-upset end – OCTG tubing description (not as common as EUE) |
| OCTG |
oil country tubular goods – pipe made to API specifications |
| OD |
outside diameter |
| PEB |
plain end beveled |
| pin |
external (male) threaded end |
| protector |
plastic, steel or composite cap to protect threads from handling damage |
| psi |
pounds per square inch |
| range (R1, R2, R3) |
lengths of OCTG (see Technical Data link – dimensional tolerances) |
| Rockwell hardness |
relative resistance of a metal to indentation by a diamond cone, as expressed in hardness-scale units (A, B, C or G) |
| SAW |
submerged arc weld – a method of producing very large OD pipe |
| schedule |
numbers assigned to different wall thicknesses of pipe (i.e. sch. 40) |
| SEA |
special end area – inspection to check for defects at either end of a steel tube which is also being inspected electronically. (EMI misses the ends.) |
| shoe |
sub sometimes run on bottom of casing string with special metallurgy or design to help pipe to bottom through tight or bridged spots in drill hole |
| skelp |
coiled strips of plate steel used to produce welded seam pipe |
| smls. |
seamless – pipe with no weld in the circumference |
| spec |
specification |
| SRL |
single random length – line pipe with 17.5′ minimum average length |
| STC |
short thread and coupling (OCTG casing connection) |
| std. |
standard – reference to wall thickness of line pipe (=sch. 40 for 1/8-10″) |
| stencil |
identification painted on pipe. Specification, size, wall, grade, test pressure, method of manufacture and mill are usually indicated. |
| sub |
a short coupling with different types and/or sizes of ends |
| T&C |
threaded and coupled. Male (pin) threads are cut into the pipe and a coupling provides female threads for both lengths being joined |
| T&D |
tested and drifted – one method of verifying integrity of used tubing and casing (OCTG). “Test” refers to hydrostatic: ends are sealed and water pumped inside to a predetermined pressure. See drift def. above. |
| tensile strength |
rating of steel’s resistance to being pulled apart |
| tolerance |
specified allowance (plus or minus) of the given dimension of a finished product due to inaccuracies in manufacturing; usually quite small (thousandths of an inch or very small percentage) and often part of a standard such as ASTM or API. |
| tool joint |
threaded tube, usually thicker and harder, welded onto pipe to provide joint strength and durability exceeding that of flush joint or T&C connections |
| victaulic joint |
grooves in the ends of pipe accommodate a coupling |
| xhy |
extra heavy – pipe about 50% thicker than standard (=sch. 80 for 1/8-8″) |
| xxhy |
double extra heavy – twice as thick as xhy for 1/2-6″ |
| yield strength |
tensile stress required to produce permanent elongation of a steel tube |
