Get a Quote
← Back to Products
Home / Products / ABS Pipe / Technical Reference

ABS Pipe · Technical Reference & Specifications

Material and structure, jointing systems, typical ABS properties, dimensional and pressure data, installation notes and applications for water treatment and aeration piping.

← Back to ABS Pipe

Overview

ABS pipe is extruded from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, a terpolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. The acrylonitrile fraction gives chemical and heat resistance, the butadiene fraction gives toughness and impact strength at low temperature, and the styrene fraction gives the rigid, smooth, easily machined surface that makes the pipe straightforward to cut and joint. The result is a rigid thermoplastic pipe that behaves like a light metal pipe on site but never rusts.

ABS piping is a long-established choice in drainage, soil and waste systems, and is also widely used in water and wastewater treatment plants, aeration headers, sampling lines, aquaculture and marine service, and chemical-duty piping where dilute acids, alkalis and salt solutions would attack metal. Because the material is electrically non-conductive and carries no free metal, it is immune to galvanic corrosion and needs no lining, coating or cathodic protection.

Nuoweisen supplies ABS pipe to order, together with the matching fitting range. Nominal size, outside diameter, wall thickness, pressure rating and colour are agreed in writing with the quotation, so the pipe you receive matches the duty you specified rather than a generic catalogue line.

Structure & Design Features

Wall construction

The standard product is a solid-wall extruded pipe in uniform lengths, with a bore that stays smooth over the whole service life — low friction loss, no scale build-up and no tuberculation to reduce the flow area. Where a project calls for it, the pipe can be produced with a socket end formed for cement or ring-joint connection, or supplied as plain-ended pipe for site fabrication. Cellular-core and co-extruded constructions exist in the ABS piping family; if your specification requires one, state it on the enquiry and we will confirm availability before quoting.

Jointing systems

Fittings

Elbows, tees, couplings, reducers, sockets, caps and transition pieces are produced in the same material as the pipe, so the whole line has the same corrosion behaviour and the same thermal expansion. Fittings are confirmed item by item against the order; send a line list or an isometric and we will price it as a set.

Handling and thermal behaviour

ABS pipe is light enough for one or two people to handle at normal diameters, which shortens installation and reduces lifting equipment. Like all thermoplastics it expands and contracts with temperature change, so long straight runs should be designed with expansion provision and with supports that allow axial movement rather than clamping the pipe rigidly. Above-ground runs in prolonged direct sunlight should also be considered at the design stage, because long-term UV exposure is the one environmental factor that affects unpainted ABS.

Typical ABS Material Properties

The values below are typical published figures for ABS polymer. They describe the material family, not a guaranteed batch value, and they are not a substitute for the pipe data sheet issued with the quotation.

PropertyTypical valueRemark
Density1.04 – 1.07 g/cm³Roughly one-seventh the density of steel
Water absorption≤ 0.45 % at 23 °CLow, so dimensions stay stable in wet service
Electrical behaviourNon-conductiveNo galvanic corrosion; no cathodic protection needed
Chemical behaviourResistant to water, wastewater, seawater, dilute acids and alkalisConfirm concentrated or aggressive media with our team before ordering
Impact behaviourGood impact strength retained at low temperatureA key reason ABS is chosen over rigid PVC in cold service
Service temperatureOn requestConfirm the operating temperature range of the line
Pressure ratingOn requestConfirm the working pressure and required safety factor

Dimensional & Pressure Data

ABS pipe is produced against several national and international systems — for example the ASTM drain, waste and vent series, EN 1455 for soil and waste, and the metric DIN series for industrial piping. The dimensional and pressure tables differ between them, so a size quoted as one nominal diameter is not automatically interchangeable with another system. We therefore quote dimensions against the standard and duty you specify rather than publishing a single generic table.

Item to confirmStatus
Nominal size / outside diameterOn request
Wall thickness and toleranceOn request
Pressure rating (working and test)On request
Standard length and end formOn request
Reference standardOn request — ASTM D2661 / D2665, EN 1455, DIN 19531 or your project standard
Colour and markingOn request
Flow rate at the design velocityOn request — we will calculate it from your duty
MOQ and priceOn request

No dimensional, pressure or temperature figure is published on this page because ABS pipe is made to several different systems. Send the size, working pressure, temperature and medium and we will return a written figure that matches your specification.

Installation Notes

  1. Cut square and deburr. Cut the pipe square to the axis and remove the internal and external burr before jointing, so the pipe enters the socket fully and the joint seals on its full depth.
  2. Use the right cement. Solvent-cement joints need a cement formulated for ABS — not a PVC cement. Work in a ventilated area, apply to both surfaces, push home and hold until the joint grabs.
  3. Allow for thermal movement. Support long runs so the pipe can move axially, and provide expansion provision at changes of direction or with expansion joints. Do not rigidly clamp a long straight run at every support.
  4. Protect above-ground runs from prolonged sunlight where the design life demands it.
  5. Pressure-test before commissioning in accordance with the project specification, and keep the written test record with the installation documents.

Applications

Ordering Information

To quote accurately we need the following. The more of it you can send, the faster the quotation and the smaller the risk of a mismatch on site.

  1. Nominal size or outside diameter, and the wall thickness if it is already specified.
  2. Working pressure and, where relevant, the test pressure.
  3. Operating temperature and the medium being carried.
  4. Reference standard, if your project names one.
  5. Total length, standard length per piece, and the end form.
  6. Fittings and accessories as a line list or isometric.
  7. Colour, marking and packaging requirements, plus the destination port.

Reference Notes

This reference is compiled from published material data for ABS polymer and from general good practice for thermoplastic piping in water and wastewater service. Typical material values are given for guidance only; dimensional, pressure and temperature figures for the pipe we supply are issued in writing with the quotation and confirmed against the ordered specification. Where a figure on this page is not confirmed for your duty it is marked On request rather than estimated.