Eiffel Trading 101: Common API Pipe Grades

Line pipe, used to transport petroleum products, and drill pipe, used in the oil and gas industry for deep oil and gas production wells, are most commonly classified by the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) API 5L system. The API 5L system also follows the International Organization for Standardization ISO 3183, ensuring its compliance with global oil and gas pipeline standards.

The API 5L system covers seamless and welded steel-line pipe. Grades are divided into two groups, or Product Specification Levels, PSL1 and PSL2. PSL1 pipe is standard quality, whereas PSL2 pipe contains additional chemical and mechanical properties, and has different testing requirements.

Pipe in PSL1 includes grade A, B, X42, X46, X52, X56, X60, X65, and X70. There are many grades of pipe within PSL2, but the most common are X90, X100, and X120.

Pipe grade is based on its Minimum Yield Strength, represented in the grade itself by the letter X, in 000’s PSI (for example, a pipe graded “API 5L X42” has a minimum yield strength of 42,000 PSI). Yield strength is the measurement of how much stress an object can endure before its shape is permanently altered.

API 5L pipe grade also includes a pipe’s tensile strength, which is the Minimum Yield Strength multiplied by the cross-sectional area of a pipe. Tensile strength is a measurement of how much force an object can bear before breaking.

Keep reading to learn about strengths and characteristics of the most common API 5L pipe grades.

API 5L Pipe Grades

PSL1

Grade A
Min. Yield Strength: 30,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 48,000 PSI

Grade B
Min. Yield Strength: 35,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 60,000 PSI

X42
Min. Yield Strength: 42,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 60,000 PSI

X46
Min. Yield Strength: 46,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 63,000 PSI

X52
Min. Yield Strength: 52,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 66,000 PSI

X56
Min. Yield Strength: 56,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 71,000 PSI

X60
Min. Yield Strength: 60,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 75,000 PSI

X65
Min. Yield Strength: 65,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 77,000 PSI

X70
Min. Yield Strength: 70,000 PSI / Minimum Tensile Strength: 82,000 PSI

PSL2

X90
Min./Max. Yield Strength: 90,000 PSI/112,000 PSI / Min./Max. Tensile Strength: 100,000 PSI/133,000 PSI

X100
Min./Max. Yield Strength: 100,000 PSI/122,000 PSI / Min./Max. Tensile Strength: 110,000 PSI/143,000 PSI

X120
Min./Max. Yield Strength: 120,000 PSI/152,000 PSI / Min./Max. Tensile Strength: 133,000 PSI/166,000 PSI

Buy and Sell Used Drill Pipe with Eiffel Trading

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