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Threaded pipe and elbow. The pipe
has a male NPT thread, while the
elbow's is female.
National pipe thread
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Pipe Thread Taper (NPT) is a U.S. standard for tapered
threads used on threaded pipes and fittings. In contrast to straight threads
that are found on a bolt, a taper thread will pull tight and therefore make
a fluid-tight seal. In America, William Sellers set the standard for nuts,
bolts, and screws which became the National Pipe Tapered Thread
(NPT) in 1864.
[1]
Contents
1 Usage
2 Specifications
2.1 Thread form
2.2 NPTF
3 Table of standard sizes
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links
Usage
Threaded pipes can provide an effective seal for pipes transporting liquids, gases, steam, and hydraulic fluid. These
threads are now used in materials other than steel and brass, including PTFE,
[2]
PVC, nylon, bronze, and cast iron.
The taper on NPT threads allows them to form a seal when torqued as the flanks of the threads compress against
each other, as opposed to parallel/straight thread fittings or compression fittings in which the threads merely hold the
pieces together and do not provide the seal. As the thread body is tapered (0.75 in/ft or 62.5 mm/m) a larger
diameter keeps compressing into a smaller diameter and finally forms a seal (no clearance remains between the
crests and roots of the threads because of the taper). This means that NPT fittings should be burr free and
lubricated using a lubricating material like lubricating paste or tape. The use of tape also helps to limit corrosion on
the threads, which otherwise can make future disassembly nearly impossible.
Commonly used sizes are
1

8
,
1

4
,
3

8
,
1

2
,
3

4
, 1, 1
1

4
, 1
1

2
, and 2 inch, appearing on pipes and fittings by most U.S.
suppliers. Sizes smaller than
1

8
inch are occasionally used for compressed air, while sizes larger than 2 inches are
uncommon, due to the use of alternative methods of joining that are used with these larger sizes.
Specifications
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NPT is defined by ANSI/ASME standard B1.20.1.
[3]
Pipe threads are different from machine screw and bolt threads. Those are designated NC (national coarse) and
NF (national fine.) The biggest difference is the taper on pipe threads.
The taper rate for all NPT threads is 1 in 16 (
3

4
inch per foot or 62.5 millimeters per meter) measured by the
change of diameter (of the pipe thread) over distance. The angle between the taper and the center axis of the pipe is
tan
1
(
1

32
) = 1.7899 = 1 47 24.
Nominal Pipe Size (NPS) is loosely related to the inside diameter of Schedule 40 pipe. Because of the pipe wall
thickness, the actual diameter of the threads is larger than the NPS, considerably so for small NPS. Pipe of other
schedules with a certain NPS has different wall thickness, but the same outside diameter and thread profile as
Schedule 40, so the inside diameter of the pipe is therefore different from the NPS.
Thread form
NPTE and NPS threads have a 60 included angle and have a Sellers thread form (flattened peaks and valleys).
NPTF
A semi-compatible variant called National Pipe Taper Fuel (NPTF), also called Dryseal American National
Standard Taper Pipe Thread, defined by ANSI B1.20.3, is designed to provide a more leak-free seal without
the use of teflon tape or other sealant compound. NPTF threads are the same basic shape but with crest and root
heights adjusted for an interference fit, eliminating the spiral leakage path.
Table of standard sizes
NPT - American Standard Pipe Thread Taper
[4]
Pipe
Size
(inches)
TPI
Threads
per Inch
Pitch
(inches or
mm)
Approximate
Length of
Thread
(inches or
mm)
Approximate
Number of
Threads to
be Cut
Approximate
Total thread
Makeup,
Hand and
Wrench
(inches or
mm)
Nominal
Outside
Pipe Diameter
OD
(inches or
mm)
Tap Drill
(inches or
mm)
1

16
27
0.03703704 in
or 0.9407 mm
0.313 in or
7.950 mm
1

8
27
0.03703704 in
or 0.9407 mm
3

8
in or
9.525 mm
10
1

4
in or
6.350 mm
0.405 in or
10.287 mm
R
0.339 in or
8.6106 mm
1

4
18
0.05555555 in
or 1.4111 mm
5

8
in or
15.875 mm
11
3

8
in or
9.525 mm
0.540 in or
13.716 mm
7

16
in or
11.113 mm
0.05555555 in
5

8
in or
3

8
in or 0.675 in or
37

64
in or
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3

8
18 or 1.4111 mm 15.875 mm 11 9.525 mm 17.145 mm 14.684 mm
1

2
14
0.07142857 in
or 1.8143 mm
3

4
in or
19.0500 mm
10
7

16
in or
11.1125 mm
0.840 in or
21.3360 mm
23

32
in or
18.2563 mm
3

4
14
0.07142857 in
or 1.8143 mm
3

4
in or
19.0500 mm
10
1

2
in or
12.7000 mm
1.050 in or
26.6700 mm
59

64
in or
23.4156 mm
1 11-1/2
0.08695652 in
or 2.2087 mm
7

8
in or
22.2250 mm
10
9

16
in or
14.2875 mm
1.315 in or
33.4010 mm
1
5

32
in or
29.3688 mm
1
1

4
11-1/2
0.08695652 in
or 2.2087 mm
1 in or
25.4000 mm
11
9

16
in or
14.2875 mm
1.660 in or
42.1640 mm
1
1

2
in or
38.1000 mm
1
1

2
11-1/2
0.08695652 in
or 2.2087 mm
1 in or
25.4000 mm
11
9

16
in or
14.2875 mm
1.900 in or
48.2600 mm
1
47

64
in or
44.0531 mm
2 11-1/2
0.08695652 in
or 2.2087 mm
1 in or
25.4000 mm
11
5

8
in or
15.8750 mm
2.375 in or
60.3250 mm
2
7

32
in or
56.3563 mm
2
1

2
8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
1

2
in or
38.1000 mm
12
7

8
in or
22.2250 mm
2.875 in or
73.0250 mm
2
5

8
in or
66.6750 mm
3 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
1

2
in or
38.1000 mm
12
1 in or
25.4000 mm
3.500 in or
88.9000 mm
3
1

4
in or
82.5500 mm
3
1

2
8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
5

8
in or
15.8750 mm
13
1
1

16
in or
26.9875 mm
4.000 in or
101.6000 mm
3
3

4
in or
95.2500 mm
4 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
5

8
in or
41.2750 mm
13
1
1

16
in or
26.9875 mm
4.500 in or
114.3000 mm
4
1

4
in or
107.9500 mm
4
1

2
8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
5.000 in or
127.0000 mm
4
3

4
in or
120.6500 mm
5 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
3

4
in or
44.4500 mm
14
1
3

16
in or
30.1625 mm
5.563 in or
141.3002 mm
5
9

32
in or
134.1438 mm
6 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
3

4
in or
44.4500 mm
14
1
3

16
in or
30.1625 mm
6.625 in or
168.2750 mm
6
11

32
in or
161.1313 mm
8 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
1
7

8
in or
47.6250 mm
15
1
5

16
in or
33.3375 mm
8.625 in or
219.0750 mm
10 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
2 in or
50.8000 mm
16
1
1

2
in or
38.1000 mm
10.750 in or
273.0500 mm
12 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
2
1

8
in or
53.9750 mm
17
1
5

8
in or
41.2750 mm
12.750 in or
323.8500 mm
0.125 in or 14.000 in or
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14 8 3.1750 mm 355.6000 mm
16 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
16.000 in or
406.4000 mm
18 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
18.000 in
(457.2000 mm)
20 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
20.000 in
(508.0000 mm)
24 8
0.125 in or
3.1750 mm
24.000 in
(609.6000 mm)
See also
References
1. ^ http://www.colder.com/Portals/0/Library/Resources/Literature/WhitePapers/Documents/NPT_whitepaper.pdf
2. ^ http://www.micromold.com/threaded_piping.html PTFE threaded pipe and fittings manufacturer
3. ^ http://www.hemcogages.com/ansi.htm
4. ^ Engineering toolbox (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/npt-national-pipe-taper-threads-d_750.html)
Further reading
Oberg, Erik; Franklin D. Jones, Holbrook L. Horton, and Henry H. Ryffel (2000). ed. Christopher J.
McCauley, Riccardo Heald, and Muhammed Iqbal Hussain, ed. Machinery's Handbook (26th edition
ed.). New York: Industrial Press Inc. ISBN 0-8311-2635-3.
External links
ASME B1.20.-1983 Pipe Threads, General Purpose, Inch (http://www.asme.org/products/codes---
standards/pipe-threads--general-purpose--inch)
[1] (http://publicaa.ansi.org/sites/apdl/Documents/Standards%20Action/2011%20PDFs/SAV4220.pdf)
pipeandhose.com (http://pipeandhose.com)
[2] (http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/npt-national-pipe-taper-threads-d_750.html)
AN thread
British standard pipe thread
Fire hose thread
Garden hose thread
Panzergewinde
Thread angle
Threaded pipe
Gender of connectors and fasteners
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Categories: Mechanical standards Piping Plumbing Threading (manufacturing)
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