Generally, fittings are one of the major parts of piping work. They are various highly advanced pipe fittings available in the market. Among them, Seamless and Welded Butt weld fittings are the fittings manufactured in several shapes for multiple advantages.
Welded buttweld fittings are welded pipes used for various applications such as to change the pipeline pathway, branch, blind a pipeline, etc., generally, these are made of high yield carbon steel, stainless steel, and nickel alloys. These are available as elbows, tees, reducers, caps, and outlets. Whereas Seamless buttweld fittings do not have seam welds, they are just manufactured by cutting, heating, and shaping the seamless pipes.
Here are a few differences between seamless and welded buttweld fittings:
● Manufacturing- A seamless buttweld stainless steel fitting is more expensive for its manufacturing process with seamless pipes. On the other hand, welded buttweld fittings are made of ERW welded carbon steel or stainless steel pipes which are available on a low budget.
● Welding- Seamless buttweld fittings are not having welds and are made by cutting, heating, and shaping the seamless pipes into our desired forms. Whereas, Welded Buttweld fittings are made from welded pipes in different shapes. It has one, two, or more welds that depend upon the dimension, fitting type, and the mills manufacturing process.
● Bore Size- If the bore size is below 24 inches, the seamless buttweld fittings should be used. Otherwise, if the bore size is above 24 inches, the welded buttweld fittings should be used.
● Corrosion- A seamless is not welded, so there is no effect of corrosion and said to be superior to welded. But welded buttweld fittings are welded to the metal, which leads to corrosion.
● Pipe Size- Seamless buttweld fittings are available in more than 12” sizes, whereas welded buttweld pipe fittings are available in ½” to 72.”
● Capacity- Seamless buttweld fittings have higher capacity and strength and are used in high-pressure equipment, thermal, and boiler industries. But welded buttweld fittings having less capacity and affect the overall performance.
Conclusion: From the above information, we can observe that Seamless buttweld pipe fittings are not welded and hence not affected by corrosion. Even though seamless fittings are more expensive than welded pipe fittings, they are having high capacity and strength compared to welded pipe fittings and are used in high capacity applications. Whereas, Welded buttweld fittings have one to more welds depending upon the manufacturing process. These are having less capacity and may affect the overall performance.