Glossary of Pipe Fittings & Flanges

A

ANSI: American National Standards. A piping specification.

ASME: American Society of Mechanical Engineers. A piping specification.

ASTM: American Society for Testing Materials. A piping specification.

Ambient Temperature: The average temperature of the atmosphere in the area of an appliance.

B

BSP: British Standard Piping. A piping specification.

Bushing: A pipe fitting, threaded on both the inside and outside, used for joining pipes with different diameters together.

C

Coupling: A fitting that joins two pieces of pipe.

Cast Iron: Metal formed by casting in molds.

Cross: Used for 4-way branch connections.

E

Elbows: Change direction of pipe.

F

Female thread: Threaded on the outside.

Flange: A type of pipe fitting that connects via nuts and bolts.

H

Hex plug: The hex pipe plug is threaded in the end and the top of the plug takes a hexagon shape.

I

I.D.: Inside diameter. All pipes are sized according to their inside diameter.

L

Lap joint flange: Flanges are used on piping fitted with lapped pipe or with lap joint stub ends.

M

Male thread: Threaded on the inside.

N

Nipple: A length of straight pipe with male threads on both ends.

O

O.D.: Outside diameter. All pipes are sized according to their outside diameter.

Orifice flange: Flanges where orifice plate or flow nozzle is used.

P

Pipe fittings: Available in various shapes, sizes and materials, they are used to connect pipes.

Plug: Cap end inserted into the end of tubing to dead-end the flow.

R

Reducer: A fitting that connects pipes of different sizes.

T

Tee: A T-shaped pipe fitting with three openings used to create branch lines.

U

Union: Three-piece fitting that joins two sections of pipe and they also can be disconnected without cutting the pipe.

W

Wye: A Y-shaped fitting with three openings used to create branch lines.