Materials FAQ

Welded Tubes vs. Seamless

5 Second Answer We place some restrictions around using welded tubes, but we
are not as restrictive as we used to be. It helps to look at carbon steel and alloy
steels separately.

5 Minute Answer

Welded tubes have grown in popularity as metallurgical and welding processes have
improved. Examples of improvements include laser welding, in-line annealing,
advanced NDT techniques and quality control, etc. The main advantages of welded
tubes (and pipe) include lower cost, narrower tolerances for wall thickness,
concentricity (OD/ID), and the ability to check the inner surface prior to forming.

Carbon Steel Seamless products should be specified for all environmental cracking
services, including sour service, to avoid the need for hardness control and residual
stress control on welded pipe products. Seamless tubing should also be specified in
cooling water service and any other corrosive services where preferential corrosion
of the weld seam is possible.

Stainless Steel and Other Alloy Tubing In todays day and age, the majority of alloy
tubing is of welded construction. Welded high alloy tubes are acceptable for all
applications except those in which the alloy has a history of performance issues.
For example, weve seen preferential corrosion of the weld seam in duplex tubing in
cooling water service. If there is any question as to whether welded tubing is
sufficient for a given alloy and service, reach out to your friendly neighborhood
C&ME as we build our welded tubing performance database.