British standard pipe thread - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 3

British standard pipe thread

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The British Standard Pipe thread (BSP thread) is a family of standard screw thread types that has been adopted
internationally for interconnecting and sealing pipe ends by mating an external (male) with an internal (female)
thread.

Contents
1 Types
2 Thread form
3 Pipe thread sizes
4 Pipe thread designations
5 See also
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

Types
Two types of threads are distinguished:

Parallel ('straight') threads, British Standard Pipe Parallel thread (BSPP; originally also known as[1] British
Standard Pipe Fitting thread/BSPF and British Standard Pipe Mechanical thread/BSPM), which have a
constant diameter; denoted by the letter G.
Taper threads, British Standard Pipe Taper thread (BSPT), whose diameter increases or decreases along the
length of the thread; denoted by the letter R.

These can be combined into two types of joints:

Jointing threads: These are pipe threads where pressure-tightness is made through the mating of two threads
together. They always use a taper male thread, but can have either parallel or taper female threads. (In
Europe, taper female pipe threads are not commonly used.)
Longscrew threads: These are parallel pipe threads used where a pressure-tight joint is achieved by the
compression of a soft material (such as an o-ring seal or a washer) between the end face of the male thread
and a socket or nipple face, with the tightening of a backnut.

Thread form
the threadform follows the British Standard Whitworth standard
symmetrical V-thread in which the angle between the flanks is 55° (measured in an axial plane)
one-sixth of this sharp V is truncated at the top and the bottom
the threads are rounded equally at crests and roots by circular arcs ending tangentially with the flanks
the theoretical depth of the thread is therefore 0.64 times the nominal pitch

Pipe thread sizes

A list of 16 thread sizes are defined by the standards, ranging from 1⁄16 to
6. The size number was originally based on the inner diameter measured in
inches of a steel tube for which the thread was intended, but in the modern metric version of the standard is simply
a size number.

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Example table of sizes from a

German manufacturer

Thread
Tapping drill
Dash major Gauge Corresponding pipe
Thread Threads Pitch A/F size (mm)
thread diameter length
size / in (mm) (mm)
size (mm) OD OD Thickness BSP.PL BSP.F
(mm) (in) DN
(mm) (in) (mm) (Rp) (G)
0.0625 28 0.907 7.723 0.304 4 6.60 6.80
−2 0.125 28 0.907 9.728 0.383 15 4 6 10.2 0.40 2 8.60 8.80
−4 0.25 19 1.337 13.157 0.518 19 6 8 13.5 0.53 2.3 11.50 11.80
−6 0.375 19 1.337 16.662 0.656 22/23 6.4 10 17.2 0.68 2.3 15.00 15.25
−8 0.5 14 1.814 20.955 0.825 27 8.2 15 21.3 0.84 2.6 18.75 19.00
−10 0.625 14 1.814 22.911 0.902 16 2.6 - 21.00
−12 0.75 14 1.814 26.441 1.041 32 9.5 20 26.9 1.06 2.6 24.25 24.50
−16 1 11 2.309 33.249 1.309 43 10.4 25 33.7 1.33 3.2 30.40 30.75
−20 1.25 11 2.309 41.910 1.650 53 12.7 32 42.4 1.67 3.2 39.00 39.50
−24 1.5 11 2.309 47.803 1.882 57 12.7 40 48.3 1.90 3.2 45.00 45.00
−32 2 11 2.309 59.614 2.347 70 15.9 50 60.3 2.37 3.6 56.75 57.00
2.5 11 2.309 75.184 2.960 17.5 65 76.1 3.00 3.6
3 11 2.309 87.884 3.460 20.6 80 88.9 3.50 4
4 11 2.309 113.030 4.450 25.5 100 114.3 4.50 4.5
5 11 2.309 138.430 5.450 28.6 125 139.7 5.50 5
6 11 2.309 163.830 6.450 28.6 150 165.1 6.50 5

The major diameter listed is the outer diameter of the external thread. For a taper thread, it is the diameter at the
"gauge length" from the small end of the thread. The taper is 1 to 16, meaning that for each 16 units of
measurement increase in the distance from the end, the diameter increases by 1 unit of measurement.

Pipe thread designations

These standard pipe threads are formally referred to by the following sequence of blocks:

the words "Pipe thread",

the document number of the standard (e.g., "ISO 7" or "EN 10226")
the symbol for the pipe thread type:

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G = external + internal parallel (ISO 228)

R = external taper (ISO 7)
Rp = internal parallel (ISO 7/1)
Rc = internal taper (ISO 7)
Rs = external parallel
the thread size

Threads are normally right-hand. For left-hand threads, the letters "LH" are appended.

Example: Pipe thread EN 10226 Rp 2½

The terminology for the use of G and R originated from Germany (G for Gas, as it was originally designed for use
on gas pipes ; R for Rohr (meaning pipe).)

See also
ISO 7-1 Pipe threads where pressure-tight joints are made on the threads - Part 1: Dimensions, tolerances
and designation
BS EN 10226 Pipe threads where pressure tight joints are made on the threads. (The European version of
ISO 7.)
Part 1: Taper external threads and parallel internal threads - Dimensions, tolerances and designation.
Part 2: Taper external threads and taper internal threads - Dimensions, tolerances and designation.
BS 21 Pipe threads for tubes and fittings where pressure-tight joints are made on the threads (metric
dimensions). British Standards Institution, 1985. (Superseded by BS EN 10226:2004).
ISO 228-1 Pipe threads where pressure-tight joints are not made on the threads - Part 1: Dimensions,
tolerances and designation.
BS 2779 Specification for pipe threads for tubes and fittings where pressure-tight joints are not made on the
threads (metric dimensions), 1986.

References
1. ^ http://www.ring-plug-thread-gages.com/ti-bspm-British-Standard-Pipe-Mechanical.htm

See also
AN thread Panzergewinde
British standard brass thread Thread angle
Garden hose thread Threaded pipe
National pipe thread

External links
Newman Tools Inc. and J.W. WINCO, INC. show the Whitworth form BSP or ISO pipe thread.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_standard_pipe_thread"
Categories: Mechanical standards | Piping | Plumbing | Threading (manufacturing)

This page was last modified on 23 May 2011 at 21:43.

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