GLOSSARY

Pipe terms explained

The words you'll find on spec sheets, drawings and pipe stamps, in plain English.

BarUNIT OF PRESSURE: A unit of pressure. 1 bar is 100 kPa, or about 10.2 m of water head. Pipe classes are given in bar. More
Batch stampMARKING: The line printed along every certified length: maker, certification mark, material, class, size, standard, batch, production line and time. It makes every length traceable. More
BeddingINSTALLATION: The material laid in the bottom of a trench to support pipe evenly along its length. It should be free of stones. More
BoreDIMENSION: The inside of the pipe, where the water flows. For the same outside diameter, a higher class has a thicker wall and a slightly smaller bore. More
Bulk mainNETWORK: A large pipe that carries water in bulk from a source to treatment works, reservoirs or towns. More
ClassRATING: The maximum continuous working pressure of a pressure pipe, in bar at 20 °C. Class 9 pipe is rated for 9 bar. More
CoilSUPPLY: HDPE and LDPE pipe is wound into coils so long lengths can be transported and laid with few joints. More
ConduitELECTRICAL: Rigid pipe that protects and routes electrical cable in walls, slabs and ceilings. Ours is PVC, 20 and 25 mm, to SANS 61386-21:2021. More
Effective lengthDIMENSION: The length a pipe adds to the line, measured up to the socket. Our PVC pipe is 6 m effective length up to 315 mm and 5.8 m from 355 mm. More
Friction lossHYDRAULICS: Pressure lost as water flows through a pipe. It rises with flow speed and pipe length, and falls as the bore gets bigger. More
HD and NDSEWER GRADES: Heavy duty and normal duty: the two grades of SANS 791 sewer and drain pipe. HD has a thicker wall for deeper or heavier-loaded trenches. More
HDPEMATERIAL: High-density polyethylene: flexible, tough black pressure pipe supplied in coils, used for water supply, boreholes and irrigation. More
HeadHYDRAULICS: Pressure expressed as the height of a column of water. 10 m of head is about 1 bar. More
kPaUNIT OF PRESSURE: Kilopascal. 100 kPa is 1 bar. More
LDPEMATERIAL: Low-density polyethylene: softer, more economical black pipe in coils for low-pressure irrigation, at Class 3 or 6. More
mPVC (PVC-M)MATERIAL: Modified PVC: PVC blended with an impact modifier, making it tougher and more ductile than uPVC, so the wall can be thinner for the same class. More
Outside diameter (OD)DIMENSION: How plastic pipe is sized. A 110 mm pipe measures 110 mm across the outside in every class. More
PE100MATERIAL GRADE: A high-strength grade of polyethylene for pressure pipe. Our certified HDPE range is made in PE100. More
PNRATING: Nominal pressure, in bar. Engineers' specifications sometimes use PN where we write class: PN 10 is the same rating as Class 10. More
ReticulationNETWORK: The network of pipes that distributes water from a reservoir to individual connections. More
Rising mainNETWORK: A pipe that carries water or sewage under pressure from a pump to a higher point, such as a tank. More
SABSSTANDARDS BODY: South African Bureau of Standards. SABS certifies our quality system to ISO 9001:2015 and holds the permit for the SABS mark on our conduit. More
SANSSTANDARD: South African National Standard. The number after it names the product specification the pipe is made and tested to, such as SANS 966-2. More
SATASCERTIFICATION BODY: South African Technical Auditing Services: the independent body that certifies our uPVC, mPVC, sewer pipe and certified HDPE range. More
SDRRATIO: Standard dimension ratio: outside diameter divided by wall thickness. A lower SDR means a thicker wall and a higher pressure rating. Often used for polyethylene pipe.
Socket and spigotJOINT: The two ends of a PVC pipe. The plain spigot end pushes into the wider socket of the next pipe, sealed by a rubber ring fitted at the factory. More
Static headHYDRAULICS: The pressure from the height difference between the water source and the outlet, with no water flowing. More
Surge (water hammer)HYDRAULICS: A pressure spike when flow changes suddenly: a pump starting or stopping, or a valve closing quickly. Pipe class must allow for it. More
SWVPRODUCT: Soil, waste and vent pipe: PVC drainage pipe used above ground in buildings for waste from basins, showers and sinks, and for venting. More
uPVC (PVC-U)MATERIAL: Unplasticised PVC: rigid, smooth-bore pressure pipe, the standard pipe for water mains. More
Wall thicknessDIMENSION: The minimum thickness of the pipe wall for its size and class, set by the standard. More

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