The API 5L standard is a specification developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API) for line pipes used in the oil, gas, and water industries. It covers seamless steel pipes and welded steel pipes designed to transport fluids over long distances.
Key points:
1. Defines manufacturing, chemical, and mechanical requirements for carbon steel pipes.
2. Used in pipeline transportation systems, both onshore and offshore.
3. Includes different Product Specification Levels: PSL1 (standard quality) and PSL2 (stricter requirements for chemical composition, mechanical properties, and testing).
What is API 5L seamless carbon steel pipe?
API 5L Seamless Carbon Steel Pipe is a steel pipe produced in accordance with the API 5L specification developed by the American Petroleum Institute, designed without any welded seams. It is mainly utilized for conveying oil, gas, and water through pipeline systems across both onshore and offshore operations.
Key Features:
1. Seamless Design: Manufactured by hot-piercing a solid steel billet, resulting in a pipe with no welded joints—enhancing its structural integrity, strength, and reliability.
2. Carbon Steel Construction: Composed of carbon steel, known for its durability, mechanical toughness, and ability to withstand internal pressure.
3. Superior Performance: Ideal for use in high-pressure, high-temperature, and corrosive environments, ensuring dependable operation under demanding conditions.
API 5L seamless carbon steel pipe size
API 5L Seamless Carbon Steel Pipe Sizes vary widely to meet different pipeline and industrial requirements. The size of these pipes is typically defined by:
1. Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) / Outer Diameter (OD):
Common NPS: 1/8” to 48”
Common OD range: 10.3 mm to 1219 mm
2. Wall Thickness/Schedule:
Based on schedule numbers such as SCH 10, SCH 40, SCH 80, SCH 160, and others.
API 5L also uses wall thickness classifications (e.g., STD, XS, XXS) or metric thicknesses in mm.
3. Length:
Random Length (RL): 5–12 meters
Fixed Length: As required
Single Random Length (SRL): Typically 5–7 meters
Double Random Length (DRL): Typically 10–12 meters
4. Product Specification Levels:
API 5L pipes are classified into two product specification levels:
PSL1: Standard quality level, suitable for non-critical applications
PSL2: Higher quality level with additional chemical, mechanical, and testing requirements PSL2 is generally preferred for more demanding applications requiring stricter controls.
API 5L Seamless – Grades B, X42, X52, X60, X65, X70
API 5L Seamless Steel Pipe Chemical Composition & Grades
API 5L Grades | API 5L Chemical Composition | |||||||
| C | Si | Mn | P | S | V | Nb | Ti |
API 5L X42 | 0.16 | 0.45 | 1.65 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.04 |
API 5L X52 | 0.16 | 0.45 | 1.65 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.04 |
API 5L X60 | 0.16 | 0.45 | 1.65 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0.04 |
API 5L X65 | 0.16 | 0.45 | 1.65 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.09 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
API 5L X70 | 0.17 | 0.45 | 1.75 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.1 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
API 5L Seamless Steel Pipe Yield & Tensile Strength
API 5L Grades | Yield Strength | Tensile Strength | Yield to Tensile | Elongation |
min. (KSI) | min. (KSI) | Ratio (max) | % | |
API 5L X42 | 42 | 60 | 0.93 | 23 |
API 5L X52 | 52 | 66 | 0.93 | 21 |
API 5L X60 | 60 | 75 | 0.93 | 23 |
API 5L X65 | 65 | 77 | 0.93 | 18 |
API 5L X70 | 70 | 82 | 0.93 | 17 |
API 5L seamless carbon steel pipe manufacture process
API 5L seamless carbon steel pipes are manufactured by heating a solid steel billet and piercing it to create a hollow tube. The tube is then elongated and shaped using rolling mills to achieve the desired diameter and wall thickness. After sizing, the pipe undergoes heat treatment to enhance mechanical properties, followed by straightening, surface finishing, and quality testing. This seamless process ensures a uniform, high-strength pipe without welds, making it ideal for high-pressure oil, gas, and water transportation systems.API 5L seamless carbon steel pipe application
API 5L seamless carbon steel pipes are primarily used in the oil and gas industry for transporting crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products through onshore and offshore pipelines. They are also widely applied in water transmission, petrochemical plants, and power generation for high-pressure and high-temperature systems. Additionally, these pipes are used in structural and marine applications where strength and corrosion resistance are essential. Their seamless design ensures reliable, leak-free performance in demanding environments.
Read more: ASTM A53 Seamless pipe VS APl 5L Seamless Pipe